A Woman Outwits Holmes A Scandal In Bohemia

It definitely came as a surprise a woman outwits Holmes in "A Scandal in Bohemia". Holmes starts off very confident he will be able to outwit Irene Adler. He even allows a stereotype he has about women influence his plan, which is that "When a woman thinks her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values most" (201). Holmes "staggered back, white with chagrin and surprise" when he finds out Irene Adler has left London forever (203). We thus see an emotion from Holmes here, which is that of surprise. He also appears to have shame, since he apologizes to the King of Bohemia for not having brought the king's business "to a more successful conclusion " (204). Finally, once the king has been satisfied, he says he wants to pay Holmes back. Holmes asks the king for the photograph of Irene Adler.

If this were a normal person, we would call him perverted, but Holmes's reasons are far from wanting to feel sexual pleasure. Holmes has never been beaten before, let alone by a woman. Holmes wants to keep Mrs. Adler's photograph as a reminder that he should remain humble. In "A Scandal in Bohemia," Holmes finds out he is not unbeatable. Holmes thus must be more careful in dealing with mysteries in the future. He was disappointed that he could not have been more successful. Thus, Holmes must alter his methods to such an extent that he hardly ever