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Isabella Eclevia

Ms. Starry

English 9 Honors

28 August 2017

Summer Reading Essay: Emily Brent

Percept,​ ​the act of interpreting something​—something every character has done in the

novel, ​And Then There Were None. ​Through the stereotyped judge, doctor, policeman… etc., the

characters find themselves viewing each other in similar ways. Emily Brent was perceived as an

old, religious lady throughout the story; in which, she helped contribute towards the novel’s

overall message: Perception can be misleading.

With her cranky behavior and strong belief in her religion, Emily Brent was viewed as a

fragile, old lady among the characters. During the time period of people’s items being stolen,

Emily Brent began showing the stereotypical “crankiness” from the elderly; such as, “No, you do

it dear. That teapot is so heavy. And I have lost two skeins of my grey knitting wool. So

annoying,” (176). The hobby, knitting, is seen upon the elderly; the author, Christine, interpreted

this concept to Miss Brent’s character. By losing her knitting wool, Emily Brent ends up in a

cranky mood afterwards, directing Vera to do the simple tasks for her. Through the various

situations, Emily Brent has found ways to interpret the bible and religion into the story, for

example: “Her lips moved as she followed the words: ‘...​the wicked is snarled in the work of his

own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell,​’” (41). As she proudly followed her religion,

she believed that every person who has sinned deserved the punishment from God. When one
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has died, she recites the Bible’s verses, strictly following her beliefs. While most have seen

Emily as harmless, most of the characters did not worry about her, believing she was too old and

weak to take part in any of the murders.

Along with the rest of the characters, Emily Brent has took part in the book’s theme:

Perception can be misleading​. ​Showing great concern over Emily Brent’s safety, Blore states:

“‘Have you been wondering about the island alone, Miss Brent?’” (184). In this section, Blore

thought she was incapable of being on her own. Between the last remaining five, Blore began

accusing Emily Brent, disbelieving her religion, stating: “‘[Blore] She was the only one who

wouldn’t give an explanation after the gramophone record. Why? Because she hadn’t any to

give.’ Vera repeated the story of Beatrice Taylor,’” (201). As more characters die, the rest of the

characters think of other scenarios rather than their perception upon their physical aspects.

Understanding Beatrice Taylor’s story that Vera told, they understood Miss Brent’s beliefs, but

later became aware of that. This corresponds to the message, because none of the characters were

given a perfect outlook to believe.

With the perception of the other characters, the reader can understand how the stock

characters were formed and transitioned a certain way to correlate with the overall message.

Through many aspects, Emily Brent expressed the theme: Perception can be misleading, through

her attitude towards ot​hers, ​need to knit, religion, and her other actions throughout ​And Then

There Were None.