"forget it."
Mary is not a suspect for murder. This may be an advantage for readers because something unexpected happened. Mary murdered her husband. This because patricj told her something. She oviously did not like what he said so, she went to the kitchen and a lge of lam. She used that as a tool and knock it on his head. This killed him. This story is not really a typical murder mystery story. There is no build up to the murder. The muirder also happens to the end of the story. This is not found in a typical murder mystery story. A murder mystery story should have a murder at the beginnig. It should have a build up. Tension would rise up to the murder. This story does not follow the conventions of the genre. It basically does a quick murder.
Dr roylott compared to Mary is a more llikey suspect of murder. He is a very strange, strong and wicked man. From when he was first mentioned he was discribed as a strange and peculiar man.
He is compared to a beast. Helen Stoner, who is the twin of the victim and also the step daugther of Dr Roylott, described him to Shelock Holmes. She said,
"He beat his native butler to death" and
"he is a mann of immense strenght, and absolutely uncntrollable in anger."
Dr Roylott is a wicked man. He had killedd people and had a hot temper. He is a very odd man. He kept
"a cheetah and a baboon"
in his house. This is very unusual and shows that he is not normal. He asolated himself from overs and locked himself in his room all day. The first apperance of Dr Roylott shows how angry and short tempered he may be. He barges into Sherlock Holmes office. He was wearin a
" black top hat, a long frock-coat...pair of high gaiter."
The authour discribed him as
"tall..that his hat brushed the cross-bar of the doorway. He had a face with thousands of wrinkles! His face was also burnt yellow" Dr Roylott came to Sherlock Holmes' office to warn him and threaten him. He told Shelock Holmes that he shouldn't
"dare to meddle with my affairs."
He then said that
"i am a dangerous man to fall foul of."
He then demonstrated this by taking a poker and bending it. His strenght was shown by this act. It also signaled that he mean't what he said.
Dr Roylott is an angry man who looks like he has something to hide by doing this. He is then made a suspect in the story to the readers and also to Sherlock Holmes in the story. This is a complete contrats to Mary. She act like any normal wife, and is the least suspect of the story. These characters are completely different. This effects the story because in 'TSB' the readers are set challenges to who was the murderer, but in 'LTS' th readers know who the killer is. THis is not part of the conventions of a murder mystery story. 'TSB' is a murder myster in this case because it sets the readers challanges to find out who the murder is, why they killed the victim, when they kill them and how. This then follow the convetions of a murder mystery story, and this is done simply but the actions of characters.
In 'LTS' Mary Moloney killed her has without planing it. Her husband told her news which she obviously did not like. What her husband said to her was not clear. But things indicate that her husbadn wanted her to leave her while she was pregnant. The detectives which were on the case of Patrick Maloney knew that Patrick was kileed witha heavy tool. They never had a clue about why he was killed. They couldn't even find the evidence that killed Patrick. In the end they ate the evidence which was a leg of lamb. This was becasue of their unprofessionalism and their incompetence. Mary asked if they wanted o eat what was in the oven. They said yes. Mary did a good job to dispose the evidense. This is not typical of a murder mystery story. You don't find things like these in a m urder mystery story. In 'TSB' Dr Roylott killed his step daughter because he wanted some money which was left over for the family. He was even planing to kill Miss Maloney, daughter becasue he didn't want to share the money. He was greedy and wanted all the money to himself. Dr Roylott very intelligently killed Miss Stoners Step sister with a snake. He trained it with a whip, to go up the ventalator, and go down the bell and to strike and kill. This was a very clever way to kill someone. His snake was kept in a box and hidden so that no one could find it and suspect he was the murderer. He left the whip out which was an evidence and got him caught. He did not hide it. It was found by SherlocK Holmes and this lead him to carry on investigating until he got an answer. Sherlock Holmes never knew about the snake until the very end. Nethier did the readers know about the snake until the vey end. This help to built up tension. 'LTS' did not have any mysteries about who killed Patrick. The readers knew who killed him. They even knew how. This is not found in a murder mystery story and this story would not fit into that genre. TSB' is very different to that. It kept the readers in suspense and left them guessing until the murder was solved. This is found in a typical murder mystery story and it would fit into that genre.
In 'LTS' the detectives were Noonan and O'Mally. They did all the basic things a police officer should do. They confirmed that Patrick was dead, they asked Mary what happened and they ask for a statement from Mary. They went to check up at the shop to see if she went there. The corspe was taken away and photographs were taken, finger prints were also taken. Everyone then left. O'Mally and Noonan were the only officers left. Patrick was found with a blood clot at the back of his head. So Jack Noonan concluded that patrick had been killed with a blow to the back of his head with an heavy object. They tried looking forthi weapon, but when they could not find it, thaty were fed up and they stoped. Mary asked for a drink and they gave her one. She then said
"Why don't you have one yourself."
Noonan and O'Malley were not allowed to take a drink on duty, but they still said yes. After that they ate the lamb which was in th oven and had been cooked by Mary. This shows that the detectives were not serious. The readers would think that the officers are dumb and very gullible. The two detectives don't really treat Mary and her husbadns case seriously.They look as if they don't care about their Job.These are things which should not happen and it show a lack of unprofessionalism and it has an effect on the genre of the story. Things like this are not expected to be in a typical murde mystery. When Dr Roylott bursts into Sherlock Holmes office. Sherlock Holmes treated him in a normal respectable way. He also treated him as someone he had an appointmeant with. Then when he heard Dr Roylott talk he smartly and respectably said
"When you go close the door."
So he was telling himt o leave without any conflict. We learn that Sherlock Holmes is a clever man. he knew how to deal with situations with his mind, and not with action. It shows his intelligence. The act of Dr Roylott made hi a suspect in the eyes o Sherlock Holmes. Readers would take him as a serious detective. The way he talked, and acted contributed to this. Sherlock Holmes and his partner Watson, investigated into the case of the murder with great detail. he used all the evidence he had, so that his options, or his suspects and ideas could expand and could make more sense. For example, he suggested that because there was some money being left over. Dr Roylott killed Miss Stoners sister because he wanted all of the money. Even though Sherlock Holmes collected all the evidence he still wanted to go back to see if anything else could be found which could help. This is becasue he hadn't come up with a solid conclusion and needed it. This shows the readers that he is comitted to his job and will not stop until he find the solution. His attitude makes the story fit in the genre of a murder mystery story. this is because at the end of the story the mystery is solved. Compared to 'LTS' it is a typical murder mystery story. The two stories 'LTS' and 'TSB' are two completely different types of genres. The stories were written 60 years between each other. The Styles are different, the language is different and the genres are different too. Roald Dahl is author who wrote alot of children stories. He also wrote tales of the unexpected. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote books which were targeted at adults. They were mostly murder mysteries. The Language which both authors use is different. Roald Dahl used simpliy understanding language. It is more mordern, more understanding, and less discriptive. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his book in 1892 so the languagehe used would have been less common, and harder to understand. He would have used words, which are used today. For example he used words like 'defray' ,
'Would fray', 'Aperture' and other words.
'Defray' mean to make good, repay.
'Would Fain' means would like to.
'Aperture' means opening.
If thes wors were read by people today, people would not understand it. They would have some difficulty trying to. Whereas Roald Dahl used simple langusge like,
"Patrick!.........how are you doing darling"
Arthur Conan Doyle did use description in his language, and used metaphors and similies aswell.
For example
"...gave him some what the resemblance to a fierce old bird of pray"
Roald Dahl didn't really use metaphors. He only discribed things plain and simple, for example,
"There was a slow smiling air about her."
'LTS' broke some of themurder mystery convetions. First of all the detectives were not focus. Mary Moloney was the main focus. The detectives were mentioned breifly and did not have alot to do with the story. The murder happened at the middle or towards the end. This is unusual. Normally the murder happens at the beginnig of the story or is mentioned at the beginnig of the story. At the end of every murder mystery story the detectives find the murderer. The murder case was never solved in the end. Murder mystery stories have basic plots and conventions. If a story does not have it , it doesn't fit into the genre.
'TSB' is a traditional Murder mystery story. It has all the conventions of the genre. Shelock holmes is the main character. He deos his job as a detective well. There is also great detail of him in the story. The way he investigates his case makes a reader think about who the murderer could be. The story made alot of options of who the murderer could be. This sets challenges. The murder happened at the beginning and after that tension was bult up till the end, where the crime was solved. The murderer got caught because he was so greddy. He also tried to be too smart and this also got him caught out. In the end it all back fired on him. 'TSB' is a typical traditional murder mystery.
'LTS' is not a murder mystery story compared to 'TSB'. 'LTS' was horter and had less detail about the detectives, and the murder case. The murder case wasnot even soved. The story did not realy have a moral and did not have a denoumenat ending. The murder in it was not planned. The detectives did not do their job well, and the whole stucture did not really set any challanges. This story is not a typical murder mystery story.
'TSB' compared to 'LTS' is a typical murder mystery story. It follows the conventions of a murder mystery story form the beginning. The murder happens at the start of the story. The detectives do their jobs well their way of doing there job sets challeges to the readers. The crime in the end is solved , the murderer is found, and justice is done. So clearly 'LTS is not a murder mystert, but more of a take of the unexpected. 'TSB' is clearly a murder mystery story.
Done by Adewunmi Ahmadu R10G
Adewunmi Ahmadu
FOREST HILL SCHOOL
