Hercule Poirot is a recurring fictional Belgian detective created by the English writer Agatha Christie, appearing in 33 novels, two plays, and 51 short stories published betwee…
Hercule Poirot is a recurring fictional Belgian detective created by the English writer Agatha Christie, appearing in 33 novels, two plays, and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975. ◦ He is introduced as a former Belgian police officer living in England as a refugee following the First World War. ◦ He is portrayed as dignified, meticulous, and occasionally vain, with a distinctive appearance that includes a waxed moustache and fastidious dress. ◦ Captain Arthur Hastings described him as hardly more than five feet four inches but carrying himself with great dignity, with an egg-shaped head always perched a little on one side, a very stiff and military moustache, and attire of almost incredible neatness. ◦ He is described as having an egg-shaped head, often tilted to one side, and eyes that shine green when he is excited. ◦ Poirot has green eyes that are repeatedly described as shining like a cat's when he is struck by a clever idea. ◦ He is extremely punctual and carries a pocket watch almost to the end of his career, and is particular about his personal finances, preferring to keep a bank balance of 444 pounds, 4 shillings, and 4 pence. ◦ Later in his life he is described as a man who had always taken his stomach seriously, for whom eating was not only a physical pleasure but also an intellectual research. ◦ He is fond of classical music, particularly Mozart and Bach, and suffers from sea sickness and air sickness. ◦ He takes great pride in his appearance from his immaculately groomed moustache to his patent leather shoes, and uses a special preparation called 'Revivit' to conceal his grey hair. ◦ He is very particular about what he drinks: he regularly consumes hot chocolate and tisanes, but once called decaffeinated coffee an 'abomination.' ◦
Poirot is noted for his reliance on logic, psychology, and what he terms his 'little grey cells' to solve cases. ◦ In his vocabulary, two common phrases reflect his approach: his use of 'the little grey cells' and 'order and method'. ◦ He maintains that 'Hercule Poirot's methods are his own. Order and method, and the little grey cells.' ◦ He believes that 'If the little grey cells are not exercised, they grow the rust.' ◦ He holds a profound belief that 'if you can induce a person to talk to you for long enough, on any subject whatever! Sooner or later they will give themselves away.' ◦ He observes that 'Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend. You cannot mix up sentiment and reason.' ◦ He advises that 'the pursuit of revenge is rarely a good idea.' ◦
Poirot operates as a clue-based and logical detective. ◦ While some detectives scrabble around on the floor searching for clues, Poirot uses psychology and his extensive knowledge of human nature to weed out the criminals. ◦ He will take physical evidence into account, but more often than not his combination of order, method and his little grey cells does the trick. ◦ His cases are invariably finished with a typical, dramatic denouement. ◦ He sometimes conceals important details of his plans, as in The Big Four, where Hastings is kept in the dark throughout the climax. ◦
Poirot's central mental model is the disciplined exercise of 'the little grey cells' supported by rigorous order and method. ◦ He relies on psychology and his extensive knowledge of human nature to weed out criminals, taking physical evidence into account but privileging his combination of order, method and his little grey cells. ◦ He believes that inducing a person to talk for long enough on any subject will eventually cause them to give themselves away. ◦ His physical environment reflects the same model: he insists that 'The tallest books go in the top shelf, the next tallest in the row beneath, and so on. Thus we have order, method.' ◦
Poirot is a world-renowned Belgian private detective, unsurpassed in his intelligence and understanding of the criminal mind. ◦ He is respected and admired by police forces and heads of state across the globe. ◦ He was introduced as a former Belgian police officer. ◦ He assesses his own standing by stating, 'My name is Hercule Poirot, and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.' ◦
Poirot's fastidiousness is made manifest in his communication, as when he told Hastings, 'Pardon, but your tie is not symmetrical. Permit that I rearrange him.' ◦ On organizing his books he explained, 'The tallest books go in the top shelf, the next tallest in the row beneath, and so on. Thus we have order, method.' ◦ He declared, 'If you must have a moustache, let it be a real moustache -- a thing of beauty such as mine.' ◦ He introduced himself with the statement, 'My name is Hercule Poirot, and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.' ◦
Poirot is portrayed as dignified, meticulous, and occasionally vain, traits that sometimes serve as comic devices but also reflect his precise and methodical approach to detection. ◦ David Suchet, who portrayed him on television, said 'there's no question he's obsessive-compulsive.' ◦ His vanity about his moustache is canonical: in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Dr. Sheppard misreads him, remarking, 'There's no doubt at all about what the man's profession has been. He's a retired hairdresser. Look at that moustache of his.' ◦ Despite his reliance on reason, he operates within a world where every murderer is probably somebody's old friend, and he acknowledges that sentiment cannot be mixed with reason. ◦ He also sometimes conceals important details of his plans from his closest associates. ◦
Poirot is unhappy with disorder and once said that he finds it 'really insupportable that every hen lays an egg of a different size! What symmetry can there be on the breakfast table?' ◦ He is also known to have refused to eat an irregularly shaped loaf of bread. ◦ He is very particular about what he drinks, regularly consuming hot chocolate and tisanes while calling decaffeinated coffee an 'abomination.' ◦ He corrected Hastings by saying, 'Pardon, but your tie is not symmetrical. Permit that I rearrange him.' ◦ He sometimes conceals important details of his plans even from close associates. ◦