The more obvious theme in the story of The Speckled Band is the male and more specifically, patriarchal authority demonstrated by the relationship between Helen Sonter and her step-father Dr. Roylott. Helen Stoner and her late sister Julia were left in the custody of Dr. Roylott after their wealthy mother passed away, leaving a healthy inheritance to the family. The women’s mother specifically left a portion of the inheritance to them in the case that they got married, which would deplete Dr. Roylott of a portion of the wealth which he frivolously and irresponsibly squandered away. To the reader, the surface message or interpretation might be that Dr. Roylott uses the two young women as human banksfor his personal pleasure and nothing else. …show more content…
Roylott as a doctor who marries into money and resorts to crime to maintain his status. Rosemary Jann paints him as a “larger-than-life villain” who preys on Helen and Julia Stoner, two “innocent and ignorant victims, helpless and abused maidens imprisoned…”(Rosemary) Not only was Dr. Roylott labeled as money hungry and violent in the reviews, but he was commonly labeled as insane. His insanity which was said to have intensified during his time in the tropics made Dr. Roylott almost unbearable. This all combined with his large size and overall offensive appearance was a deadly combination that not only made him a threat to the Stoner sisters, but to society. Holmes quickly realized this and in the end, this is what made Dr. Roylott’s murder justifiable. Holmes made it his mission to bring Dr. Roylott down. As a matter of fact, reviews share a common theory that Holmes tried to dominate Dr. Roylott from their first interaction. The male dominance in this story did not only extend from male to female, but between males. The tone of the back and forth struggle for dominance is even said to show some underlying hints of homosexuality according to some reviews. In the beginning of the story, Holmes proves himself to be the stronger man when straightening a poker that Roylott bent while discussing who had a “less freeable” grip. Of course this is only after Roylott tried to feminize Holmes when talking about his womanly, busybody behavior. Holmes …show more content…
Roylott’s perverted ways is due to his loneliness and lack of appeal to women. This may not have been the case in all households where this behavior occurred, but the average entitled man coming from a “degenerate aristocratic family” possibly held the similar attitudes and beliefs about the position of women and also felt a need to flaunt their authority in the faces of helpless women and men alike. In conclusion, the literary works referenced provided a new perspective of the message behind The Speckled Band. It does seem possible that in a time when women held no independent power and men had too much, that they women could have been taken advantage of not only financially, but sexually. Women did not really have a voice then, so it would be unlikely that others would believe them over a man. Doyle could have indeed been trying to bring awareness and justice to women who were victimized in the immoral acts of middle class aristocratic men. If these issues were rampant occurrences throughout society in reality, the people of that era may have detected that
Holmes and Watson were to guard Helen from a mysterious whistle she heard in the early morning, every single morning. The whistle she heard was the same whistle that Julia (her sister) had heard when she came upon her fate. The night that they were going to investigate, they stayed in Helen’s room; Julia’s old room. They woke up to the whistle and Holmes smacked the snake in the face. The snake ended up going back into Dr. Roylott’s room and killing him by venom. Helen was saved by Holmes in the situation where she would have been murdered by her own father and let her be married with no interference. Holmes, however, could have done another action that did not include hitting the snake and making it bite Dr. Roylott. Holmes had banged the snake in the head, which caused it to be aggravated and bite the first person it saw. Holmes could not have predicted where Dr. Roylott was sitting in his
In Malory’s famous account of the King Arthur legend, the most notable example of woman as destructive sexual temptation is, of course, Queen Guinevere. Sir Lancelot’s affair wi...
The attitude that is allowed by the authors suggests that men are permitted affairs, while women require the protection of the men that might betray them. High society, at the time, was polite, charming, and secret. No one spoke ill of another publicly, though each and every member of society was allowed, and seemingly encouraged, to make their own assumptions.
In his Canterbury Tales, Chaucer fully explicates the cultural standard known as courtesy through satire. In the fourteenth century, courtesy embodied sophistication and an education in English international culture. The legends of chivalric knights, conversing in the language of courtly love, matured during this later medieval period. Chaucer himself matured in the King's Court, as is revealed in his cultural status, but he also retained an anecdotal humor about courtesy. One must only peruse his Tales to discern these sentiments, for Chaucer’s view of courtesy can seem shocking and, all together, obscene at times, it’s the similarity of the differences that make Chaucer’s tales superior. An example of this can be seen through Nicholas’ attempt at “courting” Alison versus Arcita and Palamon’s endeavors at courting Emily. Nicholas' anxious and lewd behavior, in conjunction with his explicit sexual connotation, demonstrates Chaucer’s more farcical side; where as, the manner in which Arcita and Palamon court Emily can seem more satirical. In the Miller's Tale, Chaucer juxtaposes courtly love with animalistic lust, while in the Knight’s tale, the subject of chivalry is held with much higher regard, and used as a florid, glorious attribute. These numerous references provide the reader with a remarkably rich image of the culture and class structure of late fourteenth century England.
In the short story "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", Sherlock Holmes comes to the conclusion that "doctors make the greatest criminals". Doctors go through years of studying the human body and know how it works. Doctors know what can harm the human body and what human bodies can withstand. They also know what it would take to put an end to someone's existence. Knowledge, an evil mind and the expertise to destroy evidence, are all that is required to be a proficient criminal. Doctors have several clear advantages to be exceptional criminals.
Within Tennessee Williams's story about love and abuse within marriage and challenging familial ties, there lie three very different characters that all see the world in vastly different ways. These members of a family that operate completely outside of our generation’s norms, are constantly unsure of themselves and their station within the binary not only of their familial unit, but within the gender binary that is established for them to follow. Throughout the story of the strange family, each character goes through a different arch that changes them irrevocably whether it is able to be perceived or not by those around them. The only male, Stanley is initially the macho force in the home who controls everything without question. He has no consequences for his actions against his wife and is never held accountable for treating the people around him poorly; this lasts until Blanche arrives. Blanche is an outwardly demure, but spirited young woman who after experiencing untold misfortune breaks mentally and decides to no longer care what others may think of her. She lives her life lavishly and foolishly by having dalliances with younger or richer men who shower her with gifts and attention to get sex from her all too willing form. Her effect on Stanley is one of temptation and challenge; she continually tries to convince her sister that she is too good for the man and in turn fosters a resentment for her in him. Stella acts as the antithesis of Stanley and Blanche’s extreme personalities. She is innocence and purity where they are the darkness that threatens to overtake her life. Throughout, Stella is a pawn that they both try to use against the other to no real avail as she is determined to make the best choice for herself. In th...
Examine the role of Sherlock Holmes as a Detective in the Story Of The Speckled Band The creator of the very legendry stories of Sherlock Holmes was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sir Arthur. As a child he was sent to a harsh, strict and then applied to study medicine. After qualifying, he travelled as a ships doctor, however he had very little success.
“Violence of temper approaching to mania has been hereditary in the men of the family, and in my step father’s case it had, i believe, been intensified by his long residence in the tropics.” In “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” Sherlock Holmes had to solve the mystery on how Julia died and who killed her. But he also had to protect Helen at the same time incase she was next. And the number one suspect, Dr. Roylett.
In Fantomina, her first persona of a prostitute is a simple and naïve exploration of how men react to women of lower ranks than herself. Beauplasir establishes his power over the lowly Fantomina, who is a helpless prostitute, in their first sexual encounter by forcing himself onto her. “In fine, she was undone; and he gained a victory, so highly rapturous, that had he known over whom, scarce could he have triumphed more.” (2743). Beauplasir’s joy at his forcing himself upon Fantomina is a prime example of how men could take what they wanted without fear of consequence, even as she objects to the coupling. This interaction convinces Fantomina that she is in love with Beauplasir and grants him the power to manipulate her into becoming his mistress. Next, Fantomina assumed the role of a maid to regain his attention that had waned from his sexual satisfaction with the prostitute role, she then assumed a slightly higher ranking in society to create a new relationship with Beauplasir. “…as he had ordered, he catched her
In conclusion, this story ends very tragically, but it is important to keep in mind that Manley wrote this story so vividly for a purpose. That purpose being, to let women know to be responsive to damages caused to them no matter how and in what way they did it. What mattered to Manley and what she wanted to get across was for women to be heard and to prevent this from happening to innocent young ladies. Also to make the reader aware of sexual and class exploitations that took place during the 18th centuries.
the men. “When Conan Doyle does place a female subject actively and vocally in the forefront of a
The story begins with the Marquise de Merteuil corresponding with Vicomte de Valmont regarding a luscious new act of ‘revenge’, as she describes it, against the Comte de Gercourt. The young Cecile de Volanges has just come home from the convent and her marriage to Gercourt has been arranged. However, before he can wed the innocent child, Merteuil proposes Valmont ‘educate’ her, thus spoiling Gercourt’s fancy for untarnished convent girls. Valmont is uninterested in such an easy seduction and is far more aroused by the thought of lulling The Presidente’ de Tourvel, the very epitome of virtue, into submission. And so the tale unfolds.
The Roles of Women and the Differences in Lifestyles in A Scandal in Bohemia and The Speckled Band
...his resorted to people resorting to other extracurricular activities outside the home. Madame Lantin never complained about being unhappy, just carried out her day to day routines and made sure her husband was taken care of. Madame Lantin carried herself with dignity and pride even though what she did behind closed doors was her business and nobody else’s.
Seventeenth century France was dominated by the patriarchal social class system and among the many different rules that this society was conformed to, the Enlightenment of the Eighteenth century challenged the way society viewed norms of authority. “Prerevolutionary French society… depended on clear hierarchical structures… assuming the rightness of their knowledge of how people should feel and behave” (Puchner 92). One such view or norm of authority that was challenged was the role of women in society. Women had always taken a submissive role, being under-valued, unappreciated, or even seen as incapable to think intelligently with logic and reason, “the public world belonged entirely to men, who determined… [and] defined the limits of the important” (Puchner 93). As Molière viewed the way the French viewed and treated women, he proposed a strong supporting satirical literary work that was very controversial