In the Red-Headed League, Holmes as the Protagonist of the story, does not lead a “commonplace,” or ordinary life because he spends his life solving mysteries and finding clues. He likes to solve mysteries because he’s a good detective. He’s a good detective because he sees things that even the naked eye couldn’t see itself. For instance, if somebody did a robbery and left no clues that they were there, Mr. Holmes will still investigate the situation. If they opened the vault, then that’s the first place that Mr. Holmes is going to investigate because maybe the criminals finger prints are still on there. Or, maybe his foot prints are still imprinted on the floor. Either way, Holmes will find some sort of a clue to find something that the thief …show more content…
He successfully narrates the story because while he’s narrating it, he makes himself visible in the story and is telling what’s going on. He also presents himself to the readers by being Holmes sidekick. It makes him fit into the story even better! Also, in the story, it says “I know my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life. You have shown your relish for it by the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle, and, if you will excuse my saying so, somewhat to embellish so many of my own little adventures.” This, makes Dr. Watson Mr. Holmes assistant because it says that he’s been a help of his own adventures. Sherlock Holmes does take on the responsibility of solving the mystery to make society better and safer because he’s a detective and he finds clues that no one else can find. He takes on the responsibility because he’s good at finding clues during an investigation. While others say there is nothing else there, Mr. Holmes takes a look for himself. When he does, he finds clues! It makes this very interesting because I say that he has a good eye sight because even if it’s a tiny piece of clothing, he’ll find
By having Watson narrate, Doyle is able to write in a more literary manner. For instance, the first time Watson, as well as the reader, is introduced to the hound of the Baskervilles, it is through auditory imagery. Watson describes a “long, low moan” that “sounded incredibly sad” that sweeps over the Moore and grows into a deep roar (50). When Watson hears the howl again later in the book, he describes a “wild and menacing howl” that pierces through the silence of the Moore before dying away in a sad moan (69-70). In both instances, the descriptions are important in developing the tone of the novel, and the atmosphere of the Moore. Were it Holmes narrating, the descriptions would likely result in a more inquisitive and curious tone, rather than one of dread and foreboding created when described by Watson. As the novel is not only a mystery, but a mystery wrapped in a horror aesthetic, it is important that a sense of rising tension and terror is established. By having Watson narrate the novel rather than Holmes, Doyle is able to develop a much greater sense of dread, tension, and anticipation for the
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the creator of the character Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. He was a Scottish writer and physician, he wrote many things in his life. Doyle did not just write detective mysteries he also fantasy and science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels. Even though he wrote many other thing he is mostly well known for writing all of the canon Sherlock stories. Doyle himself had a career in the medical field there he meet many influential people to base his characters from. A letter was found where he wrote to one of his colleagues whose name was Joseph Bell that the most important traits of his character Sherlock was mostly based on him. Bell himself had the career title of forensic
Doyle’s detective stories were written to be told by a character to which he could relate. He trained to become a doctor and used this training to influence the profession of the narrator of his Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. John Watson. It is through the eyes of Dr. Watson that we first see our main character, Sherlock Holmes (Geherin 295). Watson was not the only character inspired by a real-life figure, however. Doyle based the character of Holmes off of his instructor, Dr. Joseph Bell.
One of the conventions of the detective story is that the detective if frequently an amateur. In "The Speckled Band" Holmes does not work for any official body, like the police, for example. He is not, however, an amateur in the sense that he solves crimes for a hobby, he says, “as to my reward, my profession is my reward.'; Holmes is an amateur in the root sense of the word “someone who works simply for the love of it'; However the way that Holmes uses the word “profession'; shows that he does not consider himself to be an amateur.
The choice of Watson as the narrator for these short stories is very effective. From the beginning, it is clear th... ... middle of paper ... ...", Watson speaks of the "three accounts" of the story of Holmes' death. The "Journal de Geneve" on "May 6th, 1981" and "Reuter's dispatch" in the English papers on "May 7th" both are "extremely condensed" versions of the true story. When Watson first sees Holmes walk into his "consulting-room", it is on "the evening of the 24th of April".
On page 39, it describes the moment in which bullies from his school force him to go face to face with a skeleton in a doctor’s office. Such a terrible experience truly could have scarred Holmes, but at the same time his comfortability with an representation of death could have prompted his killer roots. Also, the “accidental” death of Holmes’s childhood friend, at an event that Holmes was present, was another red flag in terms of potentially becoming a psychopath. We learn more of Holmes’s younger upbringing through the text in which it states,"He drifted through childhood as a small, odd, and exceptionally bright boy....in the cruel imaginations of his peers, he became prey" (Larson, 38) Holmes was essentially an outcast, a person who has been rejected by society or a social group. He was the target of many because of his oddness and rather unique characteristics. With no solid upbringing, and a probable fascination with death, Holmes was bound to be the infamous serial killer he became in his future.
A detective is vital in an effective detective story because arguably there would not be a story and a detective to restore law and order and the villain/criminal would not be caught. Whereas it there was a detective it would have been a different story. A typical detective should be smart, observant, manipulative, and analytic and should have a good sense of justice. Sherlock Holmes has all of these elements to fight crime. Sherlock Holmes has the typical elements as a normal detective in classical detective fiction for example he is observant “Sherlock Holmes’s quick ...
With all of the women in Holmes’ life it would seem Holmes had every opportunity given to him to settle down and live a normal life. So why would he continue down the path he was? Out of all the women in Holmes’ life it was his second wife, Myrtle Z. Bellman’s father Holmes tried to swindle and kill, he was unsuccessful (America’s Serial Killers).
The words Watson uses to describe Holmes such as “sharp and piercing” eyes, “hawk-like nose” and “mark the man of determination”. By having Watson describe such characteristics, it saves Holmes of looking like a show off with an ego. These haracteristics are true and surely the detective knows of his abilities but by having Watson aknowledge them brings more to the story because the comments were made based on observations and not by the individual trying to boost his ego.
As soon as Holmes had all of his data and theories in order he determined what he had, what he needed, where it must be. This is all based upon the experience of ones self. Detectives get this part done, not just regular civilians. For an example in the Adventure of the Speckled Band, Holmes connected the crime with the bed being nailed down under a useless ventilator. There is no way in hell everybody could easily do that. I am trying to say that Holmes was a natural or even a great detective. That pretty much sums up all of his work.
As a reader, one can overlook “the detective’s social abnormality only because these are attached to individuals we take to be normal” (Gregoriou 25) as well as Watson’s adoration for Holmes pores through the narration and binds the reader.
In the movie Holmes, in the beginning, was much more prideful and rude to Watson and people in general, but later on, Holmes was a lot nicer and somewhat humble at least compared to the book. This difference made the viewer feel less liking of the character of Holmes and it almost seemed that the director tried to save Holmes’s character by making him nicer at the ending. The difference had a big impact on the feeling of the movie because it felt that he was so stuck up he was rather unapproachable. ...
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes a short story about how innocence gets victimized by a royal subject. When a royal figure clashes with someone who is not equal in social class, he will do anything to hide his mistake. This is when the King hires Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle based Holmes off of a man named Dr. Joseph Bell, who was a friend of his in medical school. When Doyle saw that medical practice was not a success, he began writing Holmes stories for money. The public became infatuated with not only the stories, but mainly Sherlock Holmes. When Doyle wanted to write in more respectable genres (Duncan 3), he made one enormous mistake.
Holmes was a haughty intellectual with a bumbling sidekick (Weinman). One thing Sherlock Holmes is greatly known for is his style. Not just what he would wear, more than that. Holmes had a certain style to the process of solving crimes. He had a way of using his smarts rather than physical strength to fight his battles (Weinman). Holmes says in A Study in Scarlet, “The science of deduction and analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study” (Doyle 16). His skills were second nature to him just like how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is second nature to anyone (Doyle 18). Holmes is able to come to a deduction within seconds. When he first met h...
Additionally, Thomas could have also explored the idea that not only do the Sherlock Holmes stories provide examples where the criminal is scientifically describable and recognizable, but they provide examples where Holmes uses his detective eye and knowledge of anatomy to identify criminals and victims in each case. For instance, in “The Cardboard Box,” when Holmes is explaining how he determined that the