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A Character Sketch of Justice Wargrave

 

A Character Sketch of Justice Wargrave

Introduction

Justice Lawrence Wargrave is the central gravity around which the plot of And Then There Were None revolves. As a retired judge with a reputation for being a "hanging judge," he initially appears to be the most trustworthy and authoritative figure on the island. However, he is ultimately revealed to be the "U.N. Owen" who orchestrated the entire massacre. Wargrave’s character is defined by a lethal synthesis of a lifelong obsession with justice and a repressed, sadistic desire to kill. He is not a typical murderer; he is an artist of execution who views the law as a tool for his own divine satisfaction.

The Judicial Mask: Authority and Order

Wargrave’s most prominent trait is his intellectual dominance. From the moment the guests arrive on the island, he naturally assumes the role of the leader. He uses his legal background to organize the "proceedings," presiding over the group as if they were in a courtroom.

  • Analysis: This professional persona is his greatest weapon. By appearing to be the voice of reason—suggesting they lock up the drugs and systematically interview each other—he diverts suspicion away from himself.

  • The "Hanging Judge": His history in the courtroom provides a chilling foreshadowing of his actions. He was known for his "great power of summing up" and his ability to sway a jury toward a death sentence, showcasing a man who was already comfortable with the idea of legal killing long before he arrived on the island.

The Sadistic Perfectionist: The "Artist" of Death

In his confession letter, Wargrave reveals that he has possessed two contradictory impulses since childhood: a "romantic imagination" coupled with a "desire to kill," and a "strong sense of justice." He justifies his crimes by choosing victims who are technically guilty of murder but are untouchable by the law.

  • Analysis: This makes Wargrave a moral hypocrite. While he claims to be acting on behalf of justice, his true motivation is the thrill of the hunt and the desire to create a "perfect" crime. He views the murders as a grand creative performance.

  • The Mastermind: His meticulous planning—matching each death to the nursery rhyme and the soldier figurines—reveals a mind that values order and aesthetic symmetry over human life. He is a "perfectionist of death" who seeks to go out with a "blaze of glory" rather than dying of a terminal illness in a hospital bed.

The God Complex: Final Arbiter of Life

Wargrave’s ultimate character arc is one of divine pretension. He moves from being an interpreter of the law to being the law itself. By the end of the novel, he has successfully positioned himself as a god-like figure who decides who lives, who dies, and in what order they face their "judgment."

  • Analysis: His choice to commit suicide in a way that mimics his "fake" death is the final stroke of his genius. It allows him to remain the "judge" even in death, ensuring that the mystery remains unsolvable to everyone but him.

  • The Paradox of Justice: Wargrave represents the danger of unchecked authority. He believes that because the legal system failed to punish these ten people, he has the right to bypass the system entirely. In doing so, he becomes the very thing he claims to despise: a murderer.

Conclusion

Justice Wargrave is one of Christie’s most complex villains because he is fueled by a perversion of a noble ideal: justice. He is a man who spent his life behind a bench, only to realize that he preferred the black cap of the executioner to the gavel of the judge. Through Wargrave, Christie explores the terrifying possibility of what happens when a brilliant, disciplined mind is stripped of its moral compass, leaving only a cold, calculating drive for total control and "perfect" retribution.

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