Red oilsilk curtain
The red oilsilk curtain, originally a bathroom fixture in the modern house on Indian Island, is a small but significant object in the chain of events that unfold. Its disappearance, first noted by the butler Rogers on the evening of August 10th, marks a moment of heightened unease among the surviving guests. Rogers reports to the group that the scarlet oilsilk curtain from the lavatory-bathroom has "gone, clean vanished," a fact that, in the context of the mounting deaths, seems both trivial and deeply unsettling. The curtain's absence is a tangible sign that the murderer is not only killing but also manipulating the environment, preparing props for a macabre performance.
The Curtain's Role in the Judge's Staged Death
The curtain's purpose becomes clear when the guests discover the body of Mr. Justice Wargrave. He is found sitting in his high-backed chair in the drawing-room, robed in scarlet, with a judge's wig on his head. Vera Claythorne immediately identifies the wig as Miss Brent's missing grey knitting wool, and Blore recognizes the scarlet fabric as the missing bathroom curtain. The curtain has been used to create a mock judicial robe, transforming the judge's death into a theatrical tableau that mirrors the nursery rhyme: "Five little Indian boys going in for law; one got in Chancery and then there were four." The curtain is not merely a piece of cloth; it is a deliberate prop in the murderer's plan to stage a death that fits the rhyme, adding a layer of grotesque symbolism to the killing.
The Curtain as a Clue to the Murderer's Method
The curtain's disappearance and reappearance as part of the judge's costume is a clue that points to the murderer's meticulous planning and theatrical flair. The fact that the curtain was taken from the bathroom and hidden—later found laid flat on the seat of a drawing-room chair under the chintz cover, as revealed in the confession—demonstrates that the killer had prepared this scene in advance. The curtain, along with the grey wool, was concealed to be used at the right moment. This act of staging is a hallmark of the murderer's method: each death is not just a killing but a performance that adheres to the nursery rhyme. The curtain, therefore, is not an incidental object but a key piece of evidence that, if properly interpreted, could have revealed the killer's identity. In his confession, Lawrence Wargrave notes that the police might have found a clue in the "symbolical" manner of his death, including the "brand of Cain" on his forehead, but the curtain itself is part of that symbolic staging, a red herring that also serves as a signature.
The Curtain's Thematic Significance
The red oilsilk curtain embodies the theme of theatricality and the manipulation of appearances that pervades the novel. The murderer, Wargrave, is an artist in crime, and the curtain is one of his props. Its bright color and material—oilsilk—make it a striking visual element in the otherwise modern, sterile house. The curtain's transformation from a mundane bathroom fixture to a judge's robe underscores the way ordinary objects are repurposed in the service of a grand, insane design. It also highlights the vulnerability of the victims: they are not only killed but also arranged, their deaths turned into a spectacle. The curtain, like the other props (the grey wool, the marble bear clock, the seaweed), is a tool of psychological manipulation, designed to terrify and confuse the survivors. In the end, the curtain is a silent witness to the judge's final act, a piece of fabric that, if read correctly, tells the story of a meticulously planned and executed series of murders.
