Balancing the scales of justice—Murder on the Orient Express

[Warning: this post contains spoilers for the movie]

It may be said that private detective Hercule Poirot's quirks and OCD tendencies are a part of the character's charms. Yet, in this story of murder and mystery, they are symbolic of so much more.

Poirot's proclivities

From the first moments of Murder on the Orient Express, there are a few things that are clearly established about the famed fictional Belgian detective. First, that Poirot is extremely particular. As he continually measures and inspects the eggs he is brought for his breakfast, it is evident that Poirot has a tendency toward balance in his life.

More than that, though, he is more detail-oriented than the average person. Who else would be so specific about the similarity of their eggs that they would require exact measurements to be sure?

On top of that, he then goes on to solve the case of a missing relic with no clues aside from a crack in a wall (coupled with his awareness of the suspects' choice of footwear, of course). This leads to our second character trait: the detective cannot leave a crime unsolved.

When these attributes are combined, we understand why Poirot is such a famed and effective crime-solver: he sees a wrong that needs to be righted, he knows that he is the person who is best equipped to be able to solve the mystery, and he is able to find the smallest clues—those which others might miss—in order to make that happen.

Poirot's purpose

Hercule Poirot sees crime-solving as a puzzle to keep his brain working, yes, but also as something that he must do. "Why is that?" you ask?

Because, as we have already been made aware, Poirot requires balance. And, in his need for balance, he is concerned about more than just the equality of the size of eggs. He must have everything be equal, and that includes the scales of justice.

Justice and equality

You are probably familiar with the fact that justice is frequently represented by the image of a balancing scale. But have you ever thought about why this symbol is used? There are a number of things that may be represented by this visual.

What do the scales of justice represent?

1. Balancing evidence and arguments - When a case is presented in a court, or even investigated in the legal system, the evidence must be gathered and weighed to determine a suspect's guilt or innocence. Often, in the early stages, it is more likely that there may be multiple potential suspects and the facts must be considered to determine who is the guilty party. In determining a charge, the judge or jury must weigh both sides of the debate, taking in the defense and opposition arguments and supporting evidence.
2. Fairness - One of the purposes of justice is to ensure that the punishment given fits the crime committed. The scale can be a representation of the idea that those who do wrong must receive a fair and appropriate penalty for their actions.
3. The balance of good and evil - You've heard it said that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, or that we receive back what we put out into the world; while these are often used in situations outside of legal proceedings, they imply a certain belief in the equilibrium of the world. The scales of justice may also represent this idea that the wrongs done in the world are balanced out by acts that restore goodness, such as reprimanding or removing criminals.

Balancing the scales

If Poirot's OCD causes him to seek balance in his life, then it is not surprising that he also feels a need to restore justice whenever he sees an injustice occur. Despite his constant arguments throughout the movie that he simply wants to rest, Poirot continues to take on cases when requested because he can't leave a wrong unpunished or a case unsolved.

Even when he claims to be taking a break from crime-solving, he can't help but notice a need for his particular proclivities. That is why his three-day "holiday" on the Orient Express quickly becomes a murder investigation when his sleep is disturbed by the sound of a man being killed. He knows that the man is a criminal, still that does not stop him from solving the case. He must balance the scales.

Poirot's problem

Unfortunately, the detective discovers a deeper dilemma: this criminal is responsible for more heinous crimes than Poirot was originally aware, and one crime in particular has damaged countless lives, including every other passenger on the train.

To add to all of this, the detective soon comes to the conclusion that everyone there likely had a hand in the murder, thus fulfilling their own personal needs for justice.

But he still knows that there is a crime that has been committed, a wrong that needs to be punished, and he is the only one who has the clues and the information needed to solve the case and condemn the guilty parties. At the same time, he can't help but feel that the man deserved what happened, and he's not sure that he can confidently say that each of these people deserves the punishment that would be brought upon them.

Poirot's partiality

The surprising twist in all of this is that Poirot makes the seemingly unethical and unfair decision to let all twelve of the suspected murders go free. Having had several days to get to know these people and to uncover the tragedy that brought them all together, Hercule realizes that he wouldn't feel right turning in all of these people to face a punishment which their victim had wrongfully escaped. He knows that what they did was wrong, but he sees how hurt they all are and how willing each person is to risk their own lives in order to let the others go free, and he chooses to let them all go free.

Despite the imbalance that this creates, it seems that Poirot feels that the criminal's death is far more important than the punishment of his killers. In the end, the removal of one truly evil individual brings more balance to his life than further suffering being inflicted on his unintentional victims.