The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Post N° 5

          Mrs. Inglethorp's murder has not been solved yet, so Hastings and Poirot continue investigating who could have put strychnine in Mrs. coco the day she was murdered. However, Hasting is still mad about Poirot not telling him his thoughts about who is the possible murderer. At this point of the story, Hastings is becoming more like Poirot and tries to do his own investigation. Now the story is more focused on him since Poirot suddenly decided to go to London.

            Hastings is starting to stop depending too much on Poirot while he interacts with John Cavendish and Cynthia. He also came up with a new suspect, which shows Hastings can continue with the investigation and make his own conclusions. Nonetheless, Hastings is still fearful of discovering Mary Cavendish's participation in the murder. He admits it is a possibility, but his thoughts and actions demonstrate he is in love and does not want Mary to be blamed for participating in Mrs. Inglethorp's murder. Hastings's feelings are true, but he will have to put them aside in order to find Mrs. Inglethorp's murder. Although Poirot is not with Hastings at the moment, Hastings still manages to follow the clues he finds and do a good job as a detective. He is smart and he knows he needs to start doing some research on his own in order to be able to investigate the case as a professional. 

            Additionally, even though Hastings is mad at Poirot, he still appreciates him. They now have a strong friendship and although solving the case is hard, they work well together. The two friends who met each other in Belgium went from being friends to working together in a detective case. They have gone through many experiences while trying to find out who murdered Mrs. Inglethorp and Hastings learned many things from Poirot and the Inglethorp family. Hastings's character developed and became more like a detective. He now knows that he needs to follow his instincts to be able to solve the case with Poirot. 

Images: https://alchetron.com/Arthur-Hastings

https://www.cloverhr.co.uk/investigations-the-role-of-the-investigation-officer/

The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Post N° 4

     Hercule Poirot is a very interesting character. He is very intelligent even though in many occasions it may not seem that way to Hastings. He was the one who saved Mr. Inglethorp  from being sentenced for a crime he supposedly did not commit.  As the story advances, Poirot's true abilities are more and more noticeable for the reader. Compared to the beginning of the book, the latter parts of the story demonstrate how all the clues obtained throughout the investigation are connected, and Poirot is the one to put everything together. Also, Hastings started appreciating him more since his deductions were right and his investigation is leading to good results.

    However, Hastings is very different to Poirot. That does not mean he is not smart, it means that he is slowly learning from Poirot. Hastings decided to be the one who asserts himself after being told intelligence and instincts go together and that he has no instincts. Sometimes, the principle that states that the simpler explanation is often the right one is not always true, especially in the murder of Mrs. Inglethorp. Hastings is worried about Mary Cavendish since she acted suspiciously during her speech at the inquest, but at the same time it is shown that he does not let his emotions intervene in his thoughts anymore, so he observes everything analytically. 

    In closing, both characters changed since their first appearance in the story. Poirot's intellect and ability are more remarkable that in the beginning and Hastings' character is continue developing to be more helpful in the case. Both characters have their strengths and weaknesses, yet they are clearly developing in different ways. Poirot and Hastings are investigating the case and making significant progress, but at the same time they are knowing each other better and becoming good friends.

    Image:

    https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/623631/Poirot-star-Hugh-Fraser-David-Suchet-book-crime-author-Harm