Ten people and a murderer on a remote island. This is a situation that all of us have never been in, but one that the characters in Agatha Christie's, And Then There Were None face. Throughout the book the characters are presented with unexpected murders and the lingering suspicion that one of them may be the killer. They live in fear of each other and their actions convey this well. The characters in And Then There Were None represent humanity's strengths and weaknesses by basing their actions on their instincts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Vera Claythorne was one of the main characters in the book. He was resourceful, intelligent and also the last character to die. Her ingenuity is part of the reason she has remained alive so long. Throughout the story, Vera always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else in the process of figuring out who is behind these murders and how everyone is involved. While his mind is one of his greatest assets, it is also one of his most fatal flaws. His mind was not emotionally stable. Throughout the story, we see instances where she becomes hysterical very easily and dreams of murders. Both of these characteristics are attributed to instincts because towards the end of the story, Vera's instincts and fear take over completely. She was so scared and scared that instead of using her brain to figure out if Lombard was the killer, she shot him out of pure instinct. Another example of acting on instinct is Judge Wargrave. Judge Wargrave had a peculiar trait that caused him to take sadistic pleasure in seeing or causing death. The text states: “From an early age I have strongly known the desire to kill. ” (Page 285). This shows that from an early age Wargrave knew he had a strong instinct that could not be easily repressed. As he grew up, he took up a profession that satisfied some of his instincts, but not all of them. He ended up taking action to plot and carry out this murder just to satisfy his need for death. This is a great example of acting on instinct because if he had really thought with a clear mind and without additional feelings, he would have realized that the whole scheme was very vile and too theatrical. Philip Lombard had a reputation for being obstinate. He was stubborn, impulsive and very intelligent. These strengths have certainly played a role in keeping him alive for so long. But the most unique thing about him was that he was the most impulsive person among ten people. He was very indignant whenever someone said something about him, so he often said or did something impulsively afterwards. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayLombard was also known to be very outspoken. When questioned about the past murder, he admitted it without scruples. But his greatest weakness was his chivalry. His instinct to underestimate women was inevitably what got him killed. This shows that regardless of all his other strengths, his old-fashioned belief is mostly what he acts on. The characters in And Then There Were None represent humanity's universal strengths and weaknesses by acting on instinct. They prove that no matter what you do, in the end, your instincts will always prevail over your brain and direct you to make a decision. So next time you're alone on an island with strange people and a possible killer, what will you do??