Comparison of ‘The Judge’s house’ by Bram Stoker and ‘The Speckled Band’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Comparison of 'The Judge's house' by Bram Stoker and 'The Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
In this essay I am going to compare and contrast two stories from the murder mystery genre of the 19th Century. The stories are 'The Judge's house' by Bram Stoker and 'The Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories are both important because they are a part of a traditional murder, mystery and detective stories that are still popular today.
In the 19th Century, the importance of short stories in this genre was very high. The beliefs of witch Craft, animal powers, magic, the afterlife and super natural behaviors were beginning to emerge.
The public was showing considerable interest in these dramatic and gripping stories, and so the magazine and newspaper publishers started to take advantage of this craze. They would publish a short story in each edition of their magazine that finished on a cliffhanger; the conclusion being published in the next edition. This sold a greater number of magazines.
To create an effective and gripping murder/mystery story, there are many key aspects which need attention. Most of the time, the murder takes place at the beginning of the story, possibly even the opening scene. This then sets up the remainder of the story for the investigation and the final 'who dunnit'. To create suspense and tension in the story, many factors like twists in the plot, red herrings and false accusations are dropped in. These constantly keep the reader asking questions in their heads and trying to solve the murder themselves.
The crimes are rarely solved by just a regular police officer; a well-known detective or inspector, like Sherlock Holmes, usually solves them.
After a gradual release of clues throughout the story, the murder is solved towards the end by the detective. He then reveals the motives of the murderer.
Although both stories have different plots, structures and styles of narration, they share many aspects of this genre's tradition. 'The Speckled Band' by Conan Doyle is the tale of a ruthless, greedy, money-driven stepfather who uses his knowledge and intelligence as a doctor to murder his two nieces for their inheritance. The first niece dies in mysterious circumstances, and when the second niece realized she was heading for the same fate, she ran to Sherlock Holmes for help. Using his minute observational skills and his dignified and cunning talent, Holmes heads for the house where these inexplicable events had occurred. As expected, he solved the crime.
'The Judges House' by Bram Stoker is a tale of an intelligent man who seeks to find refuge from the constant distractions of everyday life. He randomly chooses a town called Benchurch; an empty, "sleepy town" where he believes he can study in peace, ready for his examinations. Something he does not realise straight away is that he was isolated, cut off with nobody to contact if there was any trouble. He chooses a large, "eerie looking" house to live in. Numerous locals tried to lure him away from staying there, but he dismissed the tales as "absurd".
Whilst staying in the house, a number is peculiar and weird events took place, all gradually leading up to the murder of Malcolm Malcolmson. The ghost of the house, the Judge, murdered him. He used a lethal combination of shock and fear to stun Malcolmson whilst he strangled him to death with the bell rope. Upon close and detailed reading, we can see the differences and similarities of the two stories.
The narration of the two stories is different. One tale, 'The Judges House', is told by an omniscient narrator who can see everything and knows ...
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Whilst staying in the house, a number is peculiar and weird events took place, all gradually leading up to the murder of Malcolm Malcolmson. The ghost of the house, the Judge, murdered him. He used a lethal combination of shock and fear to stun Malcolmson whilst he strangled him to death with the bell rope. Upon close and detailed reading, we can see the differences and similarities of the two stories.
The narration of the two stories is different. One tale, 'The Judges House', is told by an omniscient narrator who can see everything and knows everyone's feelings and thoughts. The narration is the main device used to create and build up the tension throughout the story. The Sherlock Holmes tale is told in first person through the voice of Watson. He reveals clues as he sees them.
The two stories show similar characteristics by the way the narrator often refers to the weather to reflect the mood of the scene. In 'The Judges House' the narrator sets the scene, before he is killed by the judge, as a creepy and dark night. He accomplishes this by referring to the weather. "The evening was colder than might have been expected...a heavy wind was blowing". The narrator is trying to create tension because it was "colder than expected". It was not a typical night weather wise, and so it is suggesting other irregular events are going to take place. The narrator also uses the weather to incorporate dramatic foreshadowing. "There was every promise of a storm during the night". The narrator was hinting that something bad was going to happen.
In 'The Speckled Band', the weather is also used to create an atmosphere of tension. "It was a wild night...the wind was howling outside". This sets a spooky and mysterious atmosphere. The words "wild" and "howling" are words associated with spooky scenes. "Howling" could be giving an image of a wolf howling.
The style of narration in both stories has differences as well as similarities.
The main difference is that the narrator in 'The Speckled Band', Watson, is personally involved in the story. He looks and watches Holmes at work. He can only explain the tale as he discovers it. This means he is in the same position as the reader.
In 'The Judges House', the narrator is a godly figure who can see and hear all, but also adds his own feelings and comments about the situation or future from a personal point of view at the scene.
There are a lot of key techniques that both narrators use to build up tension and atmosphere. Firstly, in 'The Judges House', the narrator is constantly manipulating the readers' thoughts and opinions about events that take place. The narrator often lures the reader into a false sense of security. The house is described as "isolated", "quiet" and "satisfying". The narrator uses dramatic foreshadowing to make the place sound harmless and peaceful. One moment the narrator uses heavily negative language and vocabulary, the next moment he changes the focus to calmer and positive points. He quickly switches the attention from the "rats and bogies" and "beetles and creaky doors" to the "table spread for super" and the "fire burning on the old hearth". Malcolmson seems only affected by the positive things, the negative things he dismisses and ignores until the end of the story.
The narrator in 'The Judges House' also helps to build up tension by the slow release of clues of details. This gradual revealing of different observations keeps the reader thinking and asking themselves questions as to what is going to happen next. The way the bell rope is described, but not explained makes the reader guess what it is. "The thing that struck him, however, was the rope of the great alarm bell on the roof". The reader is aware that the rope puzzles Malcolmson.
The narrator also describes things using colours like the "black cap" worn by the Judge, black being a colour associated with death and mourning. He also describes the fire which "threw out a red glow" which is associated with the devil.
In 'The Speckled Band', the narration is actually split at one point between Watson and Helen Stoker. Helen tells Holmes and Watson of her current inexplicable observations and events which have taken place in the "ancestral house in Stole Moran". She tells them all the details of her life of terrible oppression from her stepfather, Dr.Roylott. Everything she tells Watson and Holmes, we hear. This means that Holmes has the same clues to go on as the reader. This makes the final solution even more surprising. Holmes clearly deduces more than Watson, which shows his superiority.
Another thing that highlights Holmes skill and great intelligence is the fact that although Dr.Watson sees and hears exactly the same as Holmes, he is unable to solve the crime.
The 2 narrators play a very important part in controlling the speed and drama of the revealing of clues and evidence. These delays and jumps in the storyline help to add tension and delay the point of when the reader believes he knows who done it or how it was done.
At the end of 'The Speckled Band', Watson completely reduces the detail of the story. He even states this, saying "It is not necessary that I should prolong a narrative which has already run to too great a length. " This cuts the story short in a way, without including unnecessary detail. This sums up the story, with a kind of evaluation at the end. This offers Holmes the chance to conclude the story effectively because he shows he is on the moral high ground.
There are many aspects of 19th Century life in both stories which help to build tension and atmosphere.
The main fact is the lack of technology which could have been used to aid the victims in each story. The fact that there were no telephones and certainly no 999-type facilities meant people were very vulnerable at home. They were isolated from help, and maybe anyone at all.
The whole images of the houses in that time add a strong sense of eeriness and creepiness. The way that the open fire place and pictures on the walls in the Judges house are portrayed back up this olden day image. "There were some old pictures on the walls, but they were covered with thick dust and dirt". In both stories, the bell rope is seen as a focal point. In those days, the bells and bells ropes were used to alert surrounding neighbours of danger and panic. This bell ropes hint that danger is ahead.
Both stories are written in the same kind of style, where clues are dropped throughout which build up to a dramatic ending. In 'The Judges House' tension is built up with many red herrings and dramatic irony throughout. All of this builds up to the conclusion at the end of the story, where the clues are pieced together.
This is the same in 'The Speckled Band'. We have to wait until the end of the story to find out what happens.
There are two types of victims in the two stories. Firstly there is the unexpecting, innocent victim, killed by an unknown source when it's too late. This is what happened to Malcolmson and Julie Stoker. Then there is the type like Dr.Roylott, whose plans backfired on him and ended up dying of his own evil and corruption. Because of this Sherlock Holmes said "I cannot say it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience."
In 'The Judges House' the victim is a man of intelligence. He is a lonely man but is not afraid of this loneliness that he suffers. This may have been one fault that caused Malcolmson's death. He was not afraid of things as he told Mrs. Witham. "You need not to be concerned about me". He was not superstitious and had enough "sufficient mysteries" to worry about. Malcolmson was not at all intimidated by the locals' "absurd prejudice".
This is the complete opposite of how the two ladies in 'The Speckled Band' reacted to the strange goings on in the house that they lived. They immediately felt intimidated and looked for help. Firstly, Julia on the night of her death, questioned her sister about strange goings on in the house. After receiving a negative answer from her sister, she tried to dismiss these noises in the night as "no great consequence".
The 2 stories are both based on different types of murder mysteries. 'The Judges House' by Bram Stoker is based on a supernatural theme, which is not intended to be perceived as true. On eh other hand, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Speckled Band' is based on more logic than supernatural events.
In 'The Judges House' there are many mysteries which are deliberately left unsolved. We are never told what the rats represented, of which there was a lot of detail. Personally, I believe that they may have been the previous victims of the judge. If the great rat was the judge, then it would make sense that the other rats were silenced at his entrance, like respecting a judge when he enters a courtroom. The rats were there to warn off potential victims, and they tried to help Malcolmson escape by ringing the bell. When the judge heard the rats ringing the bell he "looked up, a scowl of diabolical anger overspread his face". The word diabolical is a very strong word to show he was furious. "As he raised his hand the rats fled the swaying rope of the alarm bell". They were afraid of him and feared his anger.
In conclusion, these two stories are excellent examples of the murder mystery genre written in that period. At the start of the story the situation is exposed. The scene is established, and the characters are introduced. Conflict and Complication then occur in the middle of the story, where clues and red herrings are added in to build up the tension and suspension. This all builds a climax up to the conclusion/solution and the resolution.
Personally, I choose 'The Speckled Band' to be my favourite story of the two. They story is more based on a logical explanation, and although some of the theories my of seemed a bit absurd, a little imagination is always need to perceive these stories as true.
