In Chapter 14 we see the character of Holmes to be very much a genius as he has completely unravelled the curse and has proved it to be physical so that he can actually deal with it, therefore it is definitely a murder case, and the idea of it been supernatural has been dismissed. This is proven in the quote, ‘Its dead whatever it is,’ said Holmes, ‘We laid the family’s ghosts once and forever’. Watson’s character as the sidekick is shown immensely well in chapter 14, as he witness and tells of Holmes’s physical and mental superiority and Watson is shown average compared to Holmes. ‘Never have I seen a man run as Holmes did that night. I am reckoned fleet of foot, but he out paced me as much as I out paced the little professor. But in the next instance Holmes had emptied five barons of his revolver into the creature’s flank.’ These quotes illustrate that even though Watson is good physically and mentally quite sharp, more so even than ‘the little professor, Lestrade, but compared to Holmes he is inferior.
Holmes is proven to be an amateur detective shown to us by the presence of Lestrade, the actual police officer who is there to make lawful arrest. ‘Are you armed Lestrade?’ The little detective smiled ‘as long as I have my trouser, I have a hit pocket, and as long as I have a hit pocket I have something in it.’ This statement can also be interpreted to be a very inappropriate joke and clashes with the serious detective genre.
The use of melodramatic speech in chapter 14 is of such an extent that to the modern era it would be out of place but for the Victorian era, which it was written for, it seems intricately placed relating to the strong beliefs of the Victorians. Watson clearly describes the use of melodrama in the quotation, ‘As her beautiful head fell upon her chest I saw the clear red weal of a whiplash across her neck’ ‘The brust!’ cried Holmes. This speech is very melodramatic and re-enforces how significant harming a women was in the time of the Victorian. Conan Doyle, in chapter 14 of ‘the Hound of the Baskervilles’ uses a vast amount of melodramatic description of the hounds to create tension. For example, ‘fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowing with a smouldering glare.’ This portrayal of the hound would be immensely alarming to the reader forcing them into the belief that it would almost be impossible for any man to defeat a beast with such fearsome characteristics.
Conan Doyle generates atmospheric suspense by explaining how the facial expressions relate to exactly to what is happening to them. We see this in the quotation; Sir Henry looked back, his face white in the moonlight, his hands raised in horror, glaring helplessly at the frightful thing which was hunting him down.’ The melodramatic description used here explaining the fear that had amounted on Sir Henry as the hound was ready to pounce on him effectively shows us the horrific situation he is in and that the death, and the curse of the Baskervilles is finally coming to an end.
Conan Doyle conveys the mood and atmosphere through using exceptionally detailed descriptions of the surrounds, and much usage of different weather patterns to set a certain ambience, all giving out a fairly tense and mysterious effect. In chapter 14, Dartmoor is described as having a ‘glooming curve’ with ‘jagged, and sinister hills’ these adjectives have connotations of depression, and not anything being smooth as if something is wrong. This description darkens the atmosphere and prepares the audience for bad forthcoming events, which makes the reader feel menacing atmosphere.
One of the most important senses known to man is sight. As there is lack of light on the moor the detectives result in using their hearing to its full extent. Their hearing seems to be amplified somewhat making any sound that is heard become an eerie one of danger and supernatural behaviour. In the beginning of the chapter there is very heavy fog, which creates a dismal yet mysterious atmosphere, it states the fog to be so heavy that it might have impaired their vision when they were tracking down the hound. The fog in this chapter plays a key part because it stands for the ignorance of the characters, and acts as an excuse to explain what they do not fully understand. To Holmes the fog is, “The one thing which could have disarranged my plans”. As the story become less of a mystery when they find that they can explain the bizarre antics of the hound the fog dies out. ‘Phosphorus. I said. ‘A cunning preparation of it,’ Holmes said. This quote explains, using scientific reasons, for the hound behaviour. All the questions have become answered and in the Victorian era, the much-appreciated use of scientific knowledge helped to resolve them, leaving the reader feeling at ease and satisfied.
