Hastings, Arthur

アーサー・ヘイスティングス

Captain Arthur Hastings is Hercule Poirot's closest friend.
He served as a military captain during World War I, but after being wounded, he returned to England to act as Poirot's assistant and an amateur detective. He also became friends with Miss Lemon, Poirot's secretary.
He is exceptionally brave and Poirot frequently employs him for physical tasks, such as apprehending and restraining criminals. Poirot enjoys teasing Hastings about his occasional lack of sharpness, yet he clearly values the Captain's companionship.
Hastings embodies the traditional English gentleman -- not particularly brilliant but meticulously proper, a relic of the Victorian era who is perpetually concerned with "fair play". In contrast to Poirot, who is willing to lie, secretly read others' correspondence, eavesdrop, and so on, in his pursuit of solving a case, Hastings is utterly appalled by such conduct and typically declines to engage in these activities, even when Poirot requests it.