The plot of ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ is that of a typical nineteenth Century crime story. A young woman, Helen Stoner, comes to see Sherlock Holmes, after the strange circumstances surrounding her sister’s death start to repeat themselves. Just before she got married, therefore getting her inheritance, she dies very mysteriously. Miss Stoner is very worried, and she is also set to be married. Holmes and Watson agree to help the young lady. However, before they set off for Stoke Moran, Dr Grimesby Roylott, Miss Stoner’s stepfather, pays them a visit and tries to threaten them into not going. This only encourages Holmes, who goes to the house, where he finds several clues in the bedrooms. Holmes decides to come back to the house at night and stay in Miss Stoner’s bedroom, to witness the strange events for himself. During the night, a snake crawls through the ventilator between Dr Roylott and Miss Stoner’s rooms. Holmes attacks it and it flees back, where it turns upon its owner, and kills him. As this is a short story, it should only have one main storyline, and this one does. If there was more than one then there would be little time for any development of plot at all. Conan Doyle, in ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ gives enough information to sustain interest, but is also very selective about what is included in it. There are some events in the story that are not directly important to the plot, but create tension and suspense. The visit of Dr Roylott to Sherlock Holmes’ house is included for this reason. Dr Roylott describes himself as a “dangerous man to fall foul of,” so Holmes wants to get to the house even more quickly, as he fears for the safety of Miss Stoner. This also increases the pace of the story, and makes it more exciting. Conan Doyle uses various things throughout the story to keep the reader’s interest. Dr Grimesby Roylott is an unusual man, who used to live in Calcutta. He went to prison for after ‘he beat his native butler to death.’ When he returned home to England he had various ferocious quarrels, due to his ‘violence of temper approaching to mania.’ Dr Roylott also kept tropical animals, which also makes him an interesting character, and his violent temper is also typical of a nineteenth Century villain. Another factor that creates interest in the story is the amazing skills of deduction possessed by Sherlock Holmes. Watson notices ‘his quick, all-comprehensive glances’ when he first meets Miss Stoner. Holmes then goes on to deduce her exact journey, just from what he has seen. The reader is then anxious to see what he deduces from what Miss Stoner tells him about her circumstances.
The opening of a short story needs to arouse the interest and curiosity of the reader immediately. This is because it doesn’t have enough time throughout the story to expand and gradually build up. ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ starts with Watson talking about a case he and Holmes investigated. It is a very mysterious and intriguing beginning and the case is described as having the most ‘singular features’ than any other investigation. There was also ‘a promise of secrecy made at the time’, which interests the reader, as we feel they are finding out something confidential. The tone set at the start of ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ is formal, which is expected from a 19th Century crime story. Also. Watson is a doctor, and during the 1800s all doctors would be upper class. This would also be why the story is written in a formal tone. Having the formal tone gives the reader the impression that everything said in the story is important. I think that this tone is the best one that could be chosen by Conan Doyle. It is explaining a very serious incident so it should be as formal as it is.
Tension and suspense are vital for a short crime story genre. It provides a way of keeping the reader interested. ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ has a very fast pace, as the whole thing takes place in the space of twenty four hours, from Miss Stoner coming to visit Holmes and Watson, to the finding of Dr Roylott’s corpse. The pace is increased when Holmes says “we are going to Stoke Moran this day.” This gives the impression that he has an idea and it is urgent that they get to investigate as soon as possible. Another way tension is created is by Conan Doyle’s style of using dialogue. Holmes says “Your life may depend upon your compliance,” and also “We are only just in time to prevent some terrible crime.” One of the tensest parts of the story is when Holmes and Watson are sitting silently in “that dreadful vigil” in the bedroom. The pair were waiting in “absolute darkness” for over three hours. There were also many chilling sounds, like ‘the occasional cry of a night-bird’ and ‘a long drawn catlike whine.’ Suspense is also created by this wait, and sustained by the clues that we are given. Watson and the reader both find out clues, but only Holmes knows their explanation. Holmes is considerably thoughtful as Watson ‘had never seen …[his]…friend’s face so grim, or his brow so dark.’ This is because Holmes later admits, “there is a distinct element of danger.” The reason Holmes doesn’t give his explanation of the clues is that he “should prefer to have clearer proofs before …[he]…speaks.” The climax of this tension and suspense comes when ‘Holmes sprang from the bed, struck a match and lashed furiously at the bell-pull.” He then yells, “You see it Watson?” which strongly contrasts with the prior silence. After this, Conan Doyle still mentions the ‘horror and loathing’ on Holmes’ face, which encourages the reader to read on and find out why he felt this way. Also, the pair decide to enter Roylott’s room and Holmes reminds Watson to “take…[his]…pistol” This creates a sense of danger and suspense.
The language in a short story is also a factor in why the reader remains interested. In the ’The Adventure of the Speckled Band.’ Conan Doyle uses formal and also informal language and this variation and contrast is appealing to readers. It is varied when Holmes is talking to different people. Watson is a dear friend of Holmes so he uses informal language like ‘very sorry to knock you up.’ However, when talking to Miss Stoner, who he has just met, he is more articulate in what he says, ‘pray proceed with your statement.’ This choice of language by Conan Doyle is successful, and helps retain the interest of the reader.
In a short story, there has to be few main characters, as there is not sufficient time to develop many. In ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ there are three main characters, Sherlock Holmes, Miss Helen Stoner and the villain, Dr Grimesby Roylott. Watson is included to be the narrator of the story, but there is little detail about him, and he doesn’t affect what happens in the story. Conan Doyle makes all of the characters very interesting, even though he as to be very selective about how he describes them. The first character described by the author is Holmes. He had a great skill for making ‘rapid deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis.’ This is very selective detail, as it describes what is relevant to the story. It is a crime story, so the reader only needs to know of Holmes’ skill as a detective. The way there is little said about the background of Holmes makes his mysterious, so the reader will read on to find out more about him. The next character we meet is Helen Stoner. She is the woman in distress, which is magnified by her appearance, ‘she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and gray, with restless frightened eyes.’ This makes the reader feel sorry for her, and we want Holmes to solve the mystery as soon as possible. After this there is some more description of Holmes’ character, then Dr Grimesby Roylott is introduced. He has the features of a typical villain, with a violent temper, and a history of ferocious quarrels. He has even been to prison for murder. I think that the characters in ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ are very suitable for their roles. They are typical of what they were like in nineteenth century crime stories. Miss Stoner, the woman in distress, needs help from an intelligent gentleman, Holmes. Dr Roylott is very typical of a villain, and is portrayed very melodramatically, ‘so tall was he that his hat actually brushed the cross bar of the doorway, and his breadth seemed to span it across from dies to side.’ We also are told of ‘the fury with which he shook his clenched fists’ at the boy who was driving his carriage. The reader feels increasing dislike towards this character as the story progresses. There are also more clues that point to Dr Roylott as the murderer. Feeling strongly about the character will let the reader become more involved in the story, so we will read on.
The dénouement of ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ ties up everything about the story. Holmes explains all of the clues, and how he managed to deduce, from his visit to the rooms, an explanation. He explains everything from the use of the dummy bell-pull, to the whistling heard in the night. The ending of the story satisfactorily explains what has happened, but doesn’t drag it out too much. Conan Doyle puts all of the ensuing events in to one small paragraph because ‘It is not necessary that I [Watson] should prolong a narrative which has already run too great a length.’
I think that ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ is a brilliant short crime story. It possesses all of the qualities that it should, and keeps the reader interested to the very end. For me, tension and character were two of the most successful parts of the story. It is a story that one could easily read from start to finish, as it creates so much suspense, and the reader desperately wants to find out if and how the mystery was solved. The characters, especially Dr Grimesby Roylott, were interesting and aroused emotion towards them. Although the tone of the story is formal, and a bit old fashioned, I believe ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ is as successful today, in the 21st century as it was when it was written, in 1892. The story could be transferred into film, and it would be very good, but it may be too short. If someone did decide to attempt this they would have to find a way to add length. They might have to add some extra characters, and go into more depth. However, this may take away from the original version, and the overall storyline.
