Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie

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How far will a person go to achieve something, even if it will hurt many people and cause chaos? In Agatha Christie’s Hickory Dickory Dock, a series of events demonstrate that a person can do anything without thinking about the consequences, the people who will be affected, or even morality because killings are involved. This character in the story seeks to conceal the truth about himself by exploiting the crimes of others. The plot begins with a series of theft cases in Mrs. Christina Nicoletis’ student hostel. The missing items appear unnecessary, but they play an essential role in the story’s progression and are not as excessive as they appear to be. Moreover, the story reveals that there are people who do immoral acts because of several reasons. This paper aims to identify the characters’ motives for their crimes.
The first character is Celia Austin, a woman who lives at the hostel. She does not study and works as a dispenser in a hospital. She is the one who stole the shoes, cosmetics, and other invaluable objects. She only admits to her mistakes because she fears Hercules Poirot’s warning to send the police to the hostel to investigate. Mrs. Hubbard, the warden of Hickory Road, invites Hercules Poirot after worrying about the hostel’s frequent disappearances. On the other hand, Celia reveals that she is not the one who stole Nigel Chapman’s green ink, ruined Elizabeth Johnston’s notes, cut the rucksacks, and stole the stethoscope and light bulbs (Christie 48).
Furthermore, before Celia admitted her crimes, Colin McNabb had already begun speaking with Poirot about the ongoing theft cases. He, too, is a hostel resident and a psychology student. He claims that a woman committed the theft with a Cinderella complex and needs medical attention, not by police officers. Therefore, Colin knows who the thief is and what the thief wants. According to Colin, the thief, like Cinderella, desires the attention of a prince. True, Celia’s motivation for stealing is her desire for Colin’s attention. Colin is aware of Celia’s feelings for him, but he pretends not to care until Celia admits she is the thief and Colin believes she requires assistance.
In Celia’s case, it is clear that her motivation is to attract the attention of a specific person, Colin. Celia is willing to go to any length to get Colin’s attention. She is an unlikeable woman because she is not exceptionally bright; thus, to attract the attention of her desired psychology student, she commits the heinous crime of stealing. Colin promised to look after Celia after they got engaged. Celia, however, died of poisoning shortly after their announcement. Celia is an example of someone who acts selfishly even if the consequences are negative for others. Even though she has done those things, it is clear that Celia is still conscientious because she is frightened of the punishment the police officers may give her. In addition, Celia has returned the things she stole and reconciled with those affected. Celia can be a suspect because she was one of the thieves, but her death ...