Examine how Arthur Conan Doyle builds tension and sustains mystery for the reader in 'The Speckled Band'

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Examine how Arthur Conan Doyle builds tension and sustains mystery for the reader in 'The Speckled Band'

The speckled band is a fiction story about a well known detective called Sherlock Holmes working solving crimes or investigations. This particular investigation is about the death of lady called Julia Stoner, just weeks before her wedding, her sister Helen believes she was either frightened to death or killed by gypsies, not knowing the exact truth for her sister's death; she went to Sherlock Holmes to seek for advice as she is concerned what the future awaits. Dr Roylott who lives with Helen Stoner, the stepfather of both girls is one of the main characters in this story, who may be the villain however with the gypsies living in the same area and wild animals roaming freely, the suspect cannot be for certain. The main mystery of this story is how Julia stoner died and what does the speckled band actually mean as these were the last words that Julia actually said, as the title has a great importance in the story,

The adventure of the speckled band was published in 1892, and is widely admired as one of the best written and most exciting Sherlock Holmes stories. Queen Victoria reigned over Britain at this period. Urban city life was hard as people had to live in cramped conditions. The average life in the Victorian times was to live up to forty years. Crime was rife at the time as this was the time of Jack the Ripper the mass murderer, killing many prostitutes. The Victorians feared crime as they thought that the police were no good as Jack the ripper was on the loose. His victims were women who were prostitutes and his murders were brutal. Victorians believed in Sherlock Holmes as the stories began to make the Victorians trust the police. It was the way hr solved the crimes and always caught the right suspect. It showed people if one man can catch the villain then the police certainly can.

Arthur Conan Doyle involves the reader from the beginning of the story, as the story begins the weather is stormy and rain reflects the beginning atmosphere of the adventure, this builds tension for the reader as they instantly get a feeling like something terrible is about to happen.

"The wind was howling outside and the rain was beating and splashing against the windows",

This is an example of pathetic fallacy; this sentence contains adjectives, showing negative signs like something is ready to happen. Before the description of the setting when Julia Stoner died, Doyle talks about Sherlock Holmes meeting Helen Stoner and Helen as a normal yet slightly depressed. From the opening it reveals that Sherlock Holmes us a clever and has sharp thinking which is essential for a detective,

"You have come in by train this morning I see", (Sherlock)

"you must know me then," (Helen)

"No but I observe the second half of a return ticket in the palm of your right glove... the left arm of your jacket is splattered..." in these sentences it exposes Sherlock as n intelligent and observant person, as any average person would not observe a person and take in much detail.
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In the beginning of the story Sherlock is portrayed as smart as he is well dressed. In the story it reveals him as a professional detective and shows he is admired for solving mysteries, a quote that supports this is,

"I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes..." this quote is praising Sherlock for the work he does, this may create tension to the reader as this gives a hint to the reader that the mystery in this story will definitely be solved with Holmes's help. Helen Stoner is portrayed as a weak unattractive and scared ...

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