Nella's Motives in The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Abstract

Authors often use motives to develop characters, plots, and conflicts in a story. The emergence of motives in a literary work is also diverse; one of the purposes is to enrich the reader's understanding of the complexity of the character. This article aims to reveal the motives of the main character, Nella, who decides to become a murderous pharmacist in the 18^th century in London. The focus of this study is on how Nella’s personality is depicted and reveals the reason why she becomes a murderer apothecary. This study uses a qualitative research method by applying the New Criticism theory to examine the development of its main character. This study shows that Nella is depicted as a figure who cares about other women and is a skilled healer. Then, Nella experiences character development by becoming a murderer. The motives lie behind the reasons she wants to help other women kill their men by selling deadly concoctions. It can be concluded that Nella uses her skills in pharmacy in the wrong way to support other women with a justification she cares for them, which plunges her into a bigger problem.