Eric Farnand
500 695 872
ENG 104 – 011
Professor Maria Ionita
November 27, 2015
Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous fictional characters in literary history is a detective capable of solving the most complex mysteries. The author behind the character, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a very successful British writer. The majority of his literary success is due to his crime-fiction tales such as the Sherlock Holmes series. However, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes himself must not take all the credit because there is another character that plays a major role in the stories success. He goes by the name of Dr. Watson, Holmes’ sidekick. The importance of Dr. Watson is evident in many of Doyle’s stories such as A Scandal in Bohemia and A Study in Scarlett.
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The key phrase in this passage that sums up the relationship between the two is “I am lost without my Boswell.” (Conan Doyle) “Boswell” relates to James Boswell, companion and author of Dr. Samuel Johnson’s biography. Watson relates to Boswell in the sense that the Sherlock Holmes stories are told through Watson’s point of view, as Boswell writes about Dr. Johnson. Watson is proven to be very useful tool to Holmes, because while Watson proven useful, it is often Holmes that ties all the knots together. The two are a working match and cannot function to their best without each other.
When introducing Watson to the new client, Count Von Kramm, Holmes admits of Watson’s usefulness stating: “This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, who is occasionally good enough to help me in my case.” (Conan Doyle)
Watson is given credit for helping; however Holmes diminishes Watson’s power by mention of his helpfulness only on “occasions”. Watson feeling some discomfort by the comment rises to leave, “I rose to go, but Holmes caught me by the wrist and pushed me back into my chair.” “It is both, or none,” said he. “You may say before this gentleman anything which you may say to me.” (Conan
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In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch [...]” (Conan Doyle)
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.
“We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over. So in a series of acts of kindness there is, at last, one which makes the heart run over.”
― James
“People who are in earnest are always interesting, whether you agree with them or not” (The Chronicles). Doyle may be known as the author of Sherlock Holmes, but there are other facets to his life. On account of some strange events that occurred, Doyle was persuaded into thinking that spiritual beings existed. As Doyle’s career advanced he drew the attention of many to himself. He succeeded both by gaining supporters and detractors. He built on his fame by giving lectures. These aspects of his life are connected; his painful childhood led him to a successful medical career where his writing and life partner stepped into the picture. These aspects, when combined, led Doyle to a new world view of spiritualism.
For a while he finished the stories, but with debts and great public support he created another collection of the Holmes stories, due to the fact they were in high demand. Conan Doyle sadly died in Crowborough, Sussex, England, on July 7, 1930. Holmes is an intellectual detective who although spends a lot of the time by his self still depend on a valiant partner to accompany him on his cases, in this case Dr Watson. Dr Watson, in the Sherlock Holmes stories, is portrayed as particularly as an average British person helping his friend in his cases. Because he is portrayed as this it helps us see ourselves in the story along with Holmes therefore, intriguing the reader to usually read more.
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.
Another convention of the detective story is that the detective will have a confidant through whom he can explain his reasoning to the reader. Holmes has a confidant, Watson, who is the stereotypical gentle doctor who is plain and uninteresting so as not to draw attention away from Holmes. “I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations'; this implies that Watson lead an uninteresting life, without many interesting hobbies or pastimes.
I know this because in the story, he included all the dates and times, and spoke about the mystery very precisely and specifically. Also, he always mentioned what he was doing or thinking at a specific time. At the beginning, as the client came in, Watson, from his point of view thought in the story that “he had no keener pleasure than following Holmes in his professional investigations. Because of this evidence I have found, I know that the story is written from Watson’s point of view.
Comment on the way Conan Doyle uses the character of Watson in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Watson was an American psychologist that helped path the way for other researchers in psychology. He was born on January 9th, 1878, in South Carolina. His mother was devoted to religion and she pushed her ideals and morals onto him. She prohibited smoking, drinking, adultery, and other sinful acts. This led to Watson growing up hating religion and eventually, opposing it. Also, Watson was a delinquent when he was young, he was arrested twice and did poorly academically; but, with the help of his mother and her connections, it gave him an opportunity to attend Furman University of South Carolina. This gave him a second chance and he didn’t take it for granted. Watson graduated with a master’s when he was 21. After he finished his years in Furman University, he was presented with an offer from University of Chicago, for his graduates study in psychology. Once he finished his graduate degree, he stayed there as a research
belittling characteristic "He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late." Bohemia. Holmes has a great store of knowledge that he has acquired over many years at his disposal, and this helps him greatly in his cases. " special knowledge of tobacco ashes enabled me to pronounce as an Indian cigar" (The Boscombe Valley Mystery). This yet again proves
of the intelligence of the people. Holmes speaks, acts and works just like a scientist. and appears to be a very clever man. Holmes is highly regarded by peers and colleagues – especially Watson – for his ‘clear and logical’ approach. mind’ and his ability to make quick deductions.
In 1887, Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but only in 1891, in A Scandal in Bohemia that Holmes’ stories became very famous, and eventually, Holmes’ adventures got adapted for film. Lately, in 2010 BBC made a series called “Sherlock”, and the first episode is called “A Study in Pink” referring to the first book where Sherlock Holmes was introduced. The TV adaptation is significantly more effective in showing the relationship between Holmes and Watson with changes made to the plot and characters.
This paper will explore the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and his companion and friend Dr. John Watson. What is the relationship between Holmes and Watson? Are they compatible or are their differences to great for them to overcome. Looking at how they work together will also be a key factor in how well the relationship works between the two of them. Do their own interests and abilities get in the way? Does the time period in which they live factor into the environment of their communication styles?
Over time the reader can tell that Watson and Holmes are alike but very different which makes them great partners. From the start Watson is seen as smart but Holmes is seen as a genius. After finding the mysterious walking stick Watson tells Holmes what he observes and Holmes replies with “Really Watson,you excel yourself,”said Holmes(Doyle 2).Sherlock Holmes is seen as the type of man that thinks he is higher than anyone else. Although Holmes blatantly tells Watson that he is a “conductor of light,Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it (Doyle 3).Holmes is seen as to be a man of action. Your instinct is always to do something energetic.
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes,” states Sherlock Holmes (Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles loc 1238). According to TV Tropes, mystery is a genre of fiction where the plot revolves a mysterious happening that acts as the driving question. With any given problem there is a solution; however, and the question is “how does one come about to that solution”? Extremely high intelligence level, keen observation, creative imagination and sensitivity to details are just some of the qualities that Holmes possesses. In the process of solving mysteries, there is always a borderline between mere guessing, a coincidence, and a scientific approach that Holmes calls deductive reasoning. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Dr. Mortimer seeks advice from Holmes as he explains the curse that has been plaguing the Baskerville family. With the power of deduction, Holmes realizes that Mr. Stapleton is actually a Baskerville descendant and has been planning to get rid of the other members of the family to claim the family fortune. Conan Doyle tells the reader what their mind is capable of doing by incorporating Holmes through his novels as he uses observation, deduction and knowledge in solving his cases. One important key that makes him different from most people is that he sees everything that people often neglect to pay attention to. A remarkable proof which shows that Holmes holds an extraordinary analytical mind and is uniquely capable of solving a mystery through his great sensitivity to minute details and the ability to draw connections from it was shown as he observes and deduces information from the letter received by Sir Henry Baskerville the moment he arrived...
Sherlock Holmes is probably the most well-known and loved fictional detective in literature. Sherlock Holmes is a London based “consulting detective’ whose abilities border on the fantastic. Sherlock Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning. His abilities can adopt to any disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. He lives at 221b Baker Street in London. He notices things that others simply don't and then he draws accurate conclusions about what he sees. He experiences strong mood swings. He also plays the violin. But most of all, he is a master of deductive reasoning.
Sherlock Holmes, a name most people would know if they were to hear it, has come to greatly influence the modern world of mysteries. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had no idea a character he started to write about for the first time in 1887 would still be carried alive by other TV and movie producers in 2014. Doyle also never new that Holmes would become such a popular character or result in a name mostly everybody would know. Even if there was a person who did not know who or what Sherlock Holmes was, they are certain to have at least heard his name before. “Doyle turned his principal character into a household word” (Haining 7). Doyle started a legacy that lives on forever. Sherlock Holmes personality and looks may change with every generation he is in, but his main characteristics remain the same. Sherlock Holmes’ style of deduction, great sense of observation and strange personality in Arthur Doyle’s stories influenced how TV and movie producers would portray Holmes in their version of Doyle’s mysteries in shows such as Elementary and Sherlock.