The Island is a short story with a religious motif, written by Agatha Christie and first published as part of the collection Star Over Bethlehem and other stories.
Summary[]
On an isolated island, Mary lives with a man who is known to the other islanders as a holy man. This man works at his scriptures desperate for a vision to enable him to complete them. Two men arrive on the island as they have heard that the Queen of Heaven lives there. Sent by the islanders to the croft where Mary and the man live, they are told no such person lives on the island and they should stop their search for false gods. The two men leave. Soon after, another boat arrives on the island with Jesus in the company of Simon and Andrew. Jesus takes Mary away with him, walking on water to reach the boat. John remains on the island and is reinspired to complete his work... "It was the Lord's Day, and at once he knew that this was to be the great day of his life!"
Characters[]
- Mary
- Jesus
- Simon
- Andrew
- John
Trivia[]
Although not stated implicitly in the story, the island is undoubtedly Patmos where John the Evangelist or John of Patmos wrote the Book of Revelation. John the Evangelist supposedly took care of Mary in her old age but in this story, the positions are reversed, leaving John to complete the final book of the Bible.
Publication history[]
- 1965 Star Over Bethlehem and other stories
- 2008: Detectives and Young Adventurers: The Complete Short Stories, HarperCollins (London), 2008