In the case of The Speckled Band, there are two victims, both Miss Stoners, one murdered and the other saved by Holmes. The Victorian sisters show signs of being vulnerable young women, and orphans at that. They come across as typical victims of that era through the use of melodramatic speech, especially the words used by Helen Stoner when she first meets Holmes and it is clear that she is in
a state of terror, “at least throw a little light through the dense darkness which surrounds me? … My heart is lightened already since I have confided my trouble to you.” The sisters are classic ‘maidens in distress’, at the mercy of a wicked stepfather, and have endured not only great public humiliation and torment but actual physical abuse at his hands (indicated by the bruises on Helen Stoner’s wrist).
The Miss Stoners are heiresses, providing a clear motive for murder. The descriptions of Helen at the beginning of the story are intended to inspire our sympathy, “shivering … dressed in black and heavily veiled.” The one element that lifts her above the role of victim is her courage in taking the steps needed in seeking help from Sherlock Holmes, following his instructions and putting her trust in him which she is probably not used to.
Although the villain of the story has rather extraordinary and unusual characteristics, Conan Doyle still manages to fit him into the classic character of a murder mystery’s villain. Dr Roylott is a man with a family history of madness and a violent temper, coming from a generation of dissolute heirs who have ruined family fortunes. Nevertheless, he shows signs of cleverness and cunning. We are informed by Helen Stoner that he has a medical degree and the capability of making a success of both his career and his plans for murder, which we later learn, he carries out with great ingenuity. We are also told earlier on in the story that he is known to be capable of killing, following an incident where he beat his butler to death. He is eccentric and behaves in a very uncivilised manner for that time: he has Indian animals as pets and gypsies as friends, putting him outside some of the acceptable boundaries of Victorian society. Physically, he is described as having a huge stature and “a face marked with every kind of evil passion.” He is a typical villain and a bully, who, as in all classic murder mysteries, comes to the nasty end, which he undoubtedly deserves.
There are many other ways in which The Speckled Band is a perfect illustration of this genre. The character of Sherlock Holmes is very clever and logical, an imaginative genius. Like a classic detective, he is observant and thorough and has incredible powers of deduction. When the murdered woman’s sister, Helen Stoner, arrives to meet Holmes, he concludes simply from looking at a few’ splatters of mud on her left sleeve that she has come by dog cart, as well as train. Miss Stoner is taken aback by this observation yet can’t help being impressed by the man’s calm self-confidence.
Throughout the story we never see Holmes suffer from fright, suggesting he is adventurous and courageous in his investigations. This is very typical as it adds suspense for the reader who never knows what frightful situations the great detective may find himself in. He is cultured and lives the life of a gentleman and bachelor; this is expressed in his elegant and precise speech. As far as we know, Sherlock Holmes shares no emotional ties and lives alone, satisfied with a life of wealth and solving crimes. We see from the way in which he doesn’t ask Miss Stoner for a fee, other than expenses, that money is not the reason he has chosen this lifestyle. He shows great passion and commitment to his work, another classic trait of the murder mystery detective. “As to reward, my profession is its own reward.” He is also physically strong, as illustrated when he bends the poker stick back to its original position and remarks, “I am not so bulky, but if he had remained I might have shown him that my grip was not much more feeble than his own”. This kind of strength may not be so evident in modern-day detectives.
Holmes is courteous and well mannered, even when being rude to his enemies. His speech is always very articulate, as in the scene where Dr Roylott visits his flat to give an aggressive ‘warning’, and Sherlock Holmes simply replies, “Your conversation is most entertaining … When you go out close the door, for there is a decided draught.” Conan Doyle’s detective has become a prototype for classic murder mystery stories, someone whom readers can respect and admire.
As already mentioned, much of the atmosphere of a murder mystery derives from how the writer sets the scene and describes the physical nature of the setting. The Speckled Band is certainly a good example of this. On the night of Julia’s murder “the wind was howling outside and the rain was beating and splashing against the windows”. This intensifies the mood already created by Miss Stoner’s early description of the old manor house with only one inhabited wing. This early impression of the Stoners’ ancestral house at Stoke Maron is reinforced when Holmes and Watson arrive at the mansion. The suspense builds up as it is gradually conveyed.
Our first impression, from a distance, is of “a heavily timbered park stretched up in a gentle slope, thickening into a grove at the highest point. From amid the branches there jutted out the gray gables and high roof-tree of a very old mansion.” It is only on approaching the building “of gray litchen-blotched stone … and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab”, that we become aware of its sinister nature. This helps to create tension. “ The picture of ruin” described by Conan-Doyle supports the notion of Julia’s murder. The menacing images suggest there are more horrors to come.
As the two enter the ‘scene of the crime’/bedroom that night, Holmes whispers gently into Watson’s ear that “the least sound would be fatal” to their plans and they must sit awake in the darkened bedroom, or their ”lives may depend on it”. We are then taken through the long hours in the “absolute darkness”, listening to every sound that echoes in the night, until the pitch black is suddenly sliced by a “momentary gleam of light”. At the same time there is a smell of burning and the silence is broken by a gentle hissing sound. Like the famous detective and his companion, all our senses are alert as we brace ourselves for some ghastly revelation. We are further held on tenterhooks by Holmes’s face, “deadly pale and filled with horror and loathing”, as he lashes out at some invisible foe. This is followed by a blood-curdling cry that carried all the way to the village, “raised sleepers from their beds” and “struck cold in their hearts”.
Like all classic murder mysteries, the story has reached a thrilling climax, to be followed by the detective’s explanation of events, here learned from the account that Holmes gives to Watson. The detective runs through the case, pointing to where he at first went wrong before demonstrating his remarkable powers of deduction. For example, he initially came to an “entirely erroneous conclusion”, showing “how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data”. This is followed by a detailed description of what actually happened. As classic detective, Holmes leaves the reader impressed by his skills and surprised by the truth that is eventually revealed.
