Despite the fact that men are viewed as the higher degree in terms of status when compared to women, women still have a category of authority. This category of authority is the maintenance and control over their homes. As in “‘The Speckled Band’, Holmes states: “Now, when young ladies wander about…at this hour of the morning”, this quote boldly shows what Holmes’ approach to the circumstances that he is in, he is a gentleman and his thought is that women should be at home, not out in the early hours of the morning. A similar scene is present in another Sherlock Holmes novel ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’; in the novel is a quote that determines this point: “my wife has given her notice”. This simply shows how the wives are in control and have high status authority when it is comes to all domestic affairs.
Women may have control over household affairs but men will have the responsibility for aiding the finance for their family. In ‘The Speckled Band’: “At present it is out of my power to reward you for your services, but in a month or six weeks I shall be married, with the control of my own income”. This quote indicates that Helen Stoner’s step father is in the control of her income, this shows that women have no control over their finances and consequently the responsible man does. Another quote from ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’: ““God bless you!” cried the prisoner”, “I would rather endured imprisonment, ay, even execution, rather than have left my miserable secret as a family blot to my children”. This man has been humiliated because he has been caught begging when he is supposed to be of the upper class, ultimately the reason for begging was a sophisticated method of acquiring income to support the man’s family, also revealing the male superior intelligence.
As we can see, the Victorian attitudes varied a lot when it came to the topic of equality between genders, this is concerning gender as the differences between men and women. The previous points and evidence has displayed to us that Victorians saw women as foolish and not intelligent: “and that you have a most clumsy and careless servant girl?” (This was extracted from ‘The Scandal of Bohemia’). Whereas they viewed men as intelligent and rational thinkers: “his mind was so absolutely concentrated on the matter before him that a question or remark fell unheeded upon his ears, or at the most provoked only a quick, impatient snarl in reply (This was extracted from ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’). Also men are in control over women and women desperately are in need of men, from the ‘The Speckled Band’: “you may advise me how to walk amid the dangers which encompass me”. The final main point discussed concerning gender is that women were expected to be at home, they also had authority over domestic affairs, in ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’: “”Now, Mr Sherlock Holmes “said the lady as we entered a well-lit dining room, upon the table of which a cold supper had been laid out”. In the previous quote contains words (“dining room”, “cold supper”) that describe the condition of the room, these specific words that have been used distinguish the state of a typical Victorian woman. Contrasting from women, men were expected to be the overall leaders of their family, in the ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’: “he has no occupation, but was interested in several companies”, “is a man of temperate habits, a good husband, a very affectionate father”. These were the typical attitude towards gender in the Victorian era.
Victorian Britain had negative assumptions of people of different race, culture and religion. Victorians also felt threatened by the presence of immigrants and non white British people within the British isle. The unreasonable fear and hatred of foreigners is called xenophobia. Xenophobia was exactly the emotions the British public felt during this era.
The Victorian views on India are that it was a vile country where Victorian people would change their custom if they were to go there. In ‘The Speckled Band’, we know that Dr Roylott travelled to India to train as a doctor: “Dr Roylott was in India”. The doctor was a genuine Victorian gentleman; however, his stay in India supposedly changed his character: “in my stepfather’s case it had. I believe, been intensified by his long residence in the tropics”. This reveals the typical Victorian assumption that this man with great class and status has changed supposedly due to the long stay in India, a foreign country. Significantly this is indicating that the Victorians saw other cultures as mind manipulating in a negative perspective, staying in a foreign place can alter someone’s characteristics and personality.
Foreign animals were also negatively associated to the atmosphere of foreign countries. In ‘The Speckled Band’ the doctor had a passion for Indian animals so he brings them over to his home: “He has a passion also for Indian animals, which are sent over to him by a correspondent”. These animals are feared by the locals: “and he has at this moment a cheetah and a baboon, which wander freely over his grounds and are feared by the villagers almost as much as their master”. The terrifying animals are being associated to India, because the animals are dangerous and feared, this also causes fear of India because the Victorians see it as a dangerous country. The Victorian unfairly created ideologies and judgements; they underestimated other cultures like the Indians.
In ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’, Arthur Conan Doyle has displayed clever remarks that significantly are hinting out the hatred of foreigners. East London at the Victorian era saw many imports and exports to and from the Far East in the Docklands area. It could almost be said that the Victorians were hypocritical, because of the fact that the British during this era and previous ages had also visited other countries, and in some cases they colonised others from all over the world. These cases are evident throughout history for example: The British were heavily involved in the tragic African slave trade. Although these facts were more than likely known to the Victorians, they did not realise how the defenceless African people felt when foreign invaders came and destroyed their way of life and transformed it into a life of hardship and misery just to fulfil the desire for wealth. And still the Victorians claim that they fear foreigners who have simply come for financial and trade purposes.
Evidence supporting the case that the Victorians did not like their foreign visitors can be found in a variety of situations in ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’. At the very beginning of the novel, the issue of opium is raised, however, not surprisingly foreign traders are involved too: “But now the spell had been upon him”. This quote is subliminally hinting that the opium is a spell and the suppliers of the opium (The foreign merchants) have put the spell on an “innocent” Victorian man: “had spoken to us of her husband’s trouble”. The docks were an area full of immigrants: “among the dregs of the docks”; this is referring to the workers at the docks and their use of opium. “Dregs” signifies the docks as being a wasted, undesirable and filthy area, where no such Victorian would go: “approached by a step flight of steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of a cave”. The detailed description and the use of imagery show us that going down the drug and alcohol den was like going down to hell. The description of the entrance to the “immigrant” ship: “and terraced with wooden berths like the forecastle of a emigrant ship”. The previous pair of quotes significantly carries the Victorian assumption of evil and mysterious foreigners. Victorians associated drugs with the Far East: “As I entered, a swallow of Malay attendant”, “and the rascally Lascar who runs it has sworn to have vengeance upon me.” Both these quotes suggest similar nature in the Victorian attitude to others of different origins. The drugs and alcohol is unfairly associated with Malaysia being a Far Eastern country, this unfairly creates unnecessary judgements about the atmosphere of the country. “Lascar” was a Victorian term used to label an East Indian (Pakistani) sailor army servant. The “Lascar” in ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’ was described as “rascally Lascar”, although this indicates that the den runner is Asian but also the description creates an image of a mischievous person.
We have seen how Arthur Conan Doyle has used stereotypical thoughts in his work to satisfy the aristocracy. The Victorians feared that the culture and customs of non British people, they felt threatened by foreigners; Sherlock Holmes was a method of reassurance in which the Victorian culture and values were still respected.
During the Victorian era there were three sets of class between people. The highest class were called the Aristocracy, the middle class were called the Merchants, and the lowest class were known as the poor. The aristocracy lived a life of luxury and had huge amounts of materialistic wealth and possessions. The aristocracy were all educated and had a high status amongst all people. The merchants could have possibly been literate, but they were not as highly renowned compared to the aristocracy, but they were better off compared to the poor. The merchant class would do a certain job for a living. Lastly, the poor were very uneducated and lived in awful conditions. They were detested by the aristocracy because of their lack of hygiene and also because of their class.
The aristocracy at the time of the Victorian era were seen as the most intelligent, in ‘The Speckled Band’ we are clearly shown that Holmes is of the upper class: “Very soon to knock you up Watson”; he uses upper class speech. Holmes in ‘The Speckled Band’ also shows his intelligence “”No, but I observe the second half of a return ticket””; this quote shows the wise and intelligent remarks Holmes uses. The upper class were also shown to be very respective and polite, in “A study in Scarlet”, Holmes shows his upper class etiquettes: “His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke, and he put his hand over his heart and bowed, as it to some applauding crowd conjured up by his imagination”. The upper class would help and always relate to each other, in ‘The Noble Batchelor’: “”I presume they were hardly from the same class of society””, “”No I am descending””, “”My last client of the sort was a king”. Holmes tells a client that he has worked for a King. In another Sherlock Holmes novel ‘The Adventure of Black Peter’: “he frequently refused his help to the powerful and wealthy where the problem made no appeal to his sympathies”. These quotes show how Holmes who is of the upper class helps the upper class only if the problem is actualy a valid one for him to have nay interest in.
In the customs of Victorian culture Victorian gentlemen were intelligent and rational thinkers and also family leaders and role models. If a man of the upper class fails to acquire these fundamental aspects of a well character gentleman they would be known as a fallen gentleman. In ‘The Speckled Band’ Dr Roylott is a perfect example of a fallen gentleman: “he beat his native butler to death and narrowly escaped a capital sentence”, “he shut himself up in his house and seldom came out save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania”. Dr Roylott is a fallen gentleman, some aspects which make him one is that he is a murderer and has a violent nature. Another perfect example of a fallen gentleman can be found in ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’, the character Mr St. Clair displays clear characteristics of a fallen gentleman: “to my relief, that instead of being identified as Mr Neville St. Clair, I was arrested as his murderer”. Mr St. Clair has been caught acting as a beggar to earn money when he seemed to be a of the higher class standards. Doing such things was an obvious big offence to the Victorian customs.
The aristocracy thought of themselves as supreme and pure, they never did any physical work that could discolour their skin: “a pale face” (From ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’). The aristocracy tend to have very pale skin, indicating that they do not work, because work can causes skin discolouring. Hygiene was a very important aspect of everyday aristocracy life, in ‘The Speckled Band’, it is very unusual that Holmes packs a toothbrush when he is off to investigate an incident: “That and a toothbrush are, I think, all that we need”. As well as hygiene, appearance was obviously a very important item addressed in everyday upper class life. From ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’ we are shown: “such as he had started to town in, he has on neither collar nor necktie”. This quote reveals to us how important this was to the upper class. This is demonstrating that a man of high class would never be seen without a tie around his neck.
The merchant class were not as intelligent and as respected as the aristocracy. The middleclass were not better than the upper class. As justified by the following quote from ‘The Scandal in Bohemia’, it displays a very basic outline in what Holmes does: “he was still, as ever, deeply attracted by the study of crime, and occupied his immense faculties and extraordinary powers of observation in following out those clues and clearing up these mysteries, which had been abandoned as hopeless by the official police”. Not only does this quote demonstrate the powers and qualities of Holmes, but in meaning it also shows us that the police who are the working class are being outsmarted by Holmes who is of the upper class, which suggests that the upper class is better than the merchant or working class. The aristocracy also control the middleclass: “if you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up…on the other hand, if you convince the police authorities that there is no possible case against you” (From ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’). This quote shows us the Victorian thinking that a person belonging to the aristocracy will always have power and manipulation over the lower classes.
The poor were hated by the upper classes. The higher class hated them for many reasons, one being there appearance, and extract from ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’: “”He was, as the inspector said extremely dirty, but the grime which covered his face could not conceal its repulsive ugliness”. This reveals that the Victorian upper class thought the poor as being very ugly, disgusting and dirty, this was the stereotype that all poor people were ugly and dirty. The lower class were seen as the worst of all people; the gypsies were hated just because they lived in a different way. In ‘The Speckled Band’, the Ms Stoner states: “sometimes it may have referred to some band of people, perhaps to these very gypsies in the plantation…might have suggested the strange adjective she used”. This demonstrated the class differences, Ms Stoner feels superior to the gypsies, also revealing that the Victorian aristocracy though themselves as being superior to all other classes. Victorian assumption to crime mysteries is that if there was a person out of the upper class or the poor they were the criminals. From ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’, this attitude is clearly shown: “wash his hands, and his face is as black as a tinker’s. Well once his case is settled he will have a regular prison bath”. This quote’s significance is that the poor people were always the assumed of committing crimes, because that is the only way they can survive.
When someone decides to change their class it is seen as the worst possible thing that could happen in the view of Victorians. The poor cannot be changed to the aristocracy because of their past and their low status. The same way a man of the aristocracy cannot become lower than his usual class, if this does happen then this is seen as the most shameful situation. Prime examples are Dr Roylott from ‘The Speckled Band’ and Mr St. Clair from ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’.
From analysing mainly the two novels; ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’ that were both written by Arthur Conan Doyle, the Victorian attitudes towards gender, ethnicity and class are revealed. In terms of gender these points have been discussed and proven; Men were fare more intelligent and rational than women. Women were over emotional; they also had authority over domestic matters. However, men were in control over all aspects of Victorian life. Points concerning ethnicity were; Victorians felt threatened and also hated foreigners (Xenophobia). Victorian saw foreigners and animals as dangerous and mischievous. Victorian towards class was that the Aristocracy were very wealthy, the working class worked for their wealth and the lower class was just poor. Someone transferring classes was not acceptable in Victorian society, the Victorians held a strong belief that someone should stick to their status and class. From the previous Victorian assumption we can conclude that the Victorian morals, values and thinking were much contrasting than what the present views on society are, and things have changed in a positive way.
