The Speckled Band By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: A Literary Analysis

as in many detective fictions we have a common theme that is good vs evil. This theme is also present in The Adventure Of The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes as the protagonist is represented as the good of this story, and the antagonist Dr Roylott is the evil. Roylott and Sherlock both have a something major in common, their intelligence. The two use this to their advantage but in contrasting ways, The question becomes what was it that drove Roylott to be a villain, and what are the key elements that separates Holmes from Roylott?

From the very start of The Speckled Band we get a peat at Sherlock’s intelligence by the way he predicted where Miss Stoner had come from, and how she traveled, furthermore we learn that Sherlock is not only smart but his integrity is astonishing as well. Sherlock states “As to reward, my profession is its own

evil with the concluding lines of this story “In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience." (TASB pg. 157) Sherlock knows that he is responsible for the death of Roylott and acknowledges that he does not feel bad about it what so ever. This is the characteristic of a trait that would fall under the evil tree. Sherlock stands for justice and order but when he sees it as fit to let someone die is has no hesitation. So, how different is Sherlock from Roylott? Roylott’s crime was murder, and now Sherlock is guilty of the same crime. Is the murder that Sherlock commits is less vile? Roylott was a character who symbolized the noble West tainted by the mysterious East, he brought a lot of elements from an unknown land and used them to his advantage. Sherlock was the arbiter of justice for Miss Stoner, who was unable to find efficient help anywhere else. Ultimately Roylott is brought down by the elements of the East that he himself was not able to