Analyse the character of Sherlock Holmes, as presented in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', and Explain his consistent appeal to readers and audiences.
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London in the era of Queen Victoria was a fascinating place to live. Flickering gas lamps lit the squalid streets, casting eerie shadows. Horse drawn carriages clattered along, carrying the wealthy and well to do. Crime was rife in the slums of London. Prostitution, drug abuse and murder were commonplace. There was much poverty and ill health; poor people lived in cramped, dirty and squalid conditions. Smog caused by the factories weighed heavily on the city, creating a dark, dreary place.
Public hangings were frequent and Victorian people feared crime greatly. At this time, an infamous murderer, Jack the Ripper, was loose on the streets of London, attacking women. He knifed and ruthlessly murdered many prostitutes, often sending body parts to the Police force to show off his crimes. However, the Police couldn't catch him and their methods were seen as inefficient. A number of officers were also publicly exposed and corrupt. Many Victorians had a deep resentment against the Police in London, as they did not appear to be protecting the public.
When Arthur Conan Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes, surfaced in 1887 the Victorians immediately feel for the fictional character that lived on 221b Baker St. London. They liked the fact that he cracks every case and always defeated evil, although Holmes wasn't the only one solving these cases he had an assistant/chronicler; Dr John Watson. Holmes became the perfect detective, although in the stories Holmes was actually an amateur detective, not a member of the London Police force. When Doyle tried to stop making the continuous series of Sherlock Holmes in 1893 as he wanted to devote his time to historical novels, the public didn't agree, which concluded Doyle to receive death threats to keep Holmes alive.
Sherlock Holmes had become one of the most celebrated and famous fictional detectives in the world. There are many websites such as http://www.sherlockholmesweb.com/ that are dedicated to Sherlock Holmes.
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The character Sherlock Holmes appeals to readers as it is written in such great detail, the reader is roped into the book in such little time; desperately reading on to try to figure out which character committed the crime and exactly how it was pulled off by that character.
Sherlock Holmes also appeals to the reader because of his fascinating detective skills, his ability to solve a crime and to come up with a story for found evidence.
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The negative aspects of Sherlock Holmes is that he doesn't take specific doings seriously for example, in the Hound of the Baskervilles he sees the legend of the Hound to be for a person who is a 'collector of fairy-tales'. He also sees the supernatural to be unbelievable and fake; he is a very sceptical person which gives him a negative characteristic of being ignorant.
Holmes can overcome the opinion of himself; saying this I mean he compliments himself, this is because of the amount of cases that he has overcome and completed has giving him a vast ego.
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Conan Doyle has given Dr Watson and Holmes both very different personalities this is to make them differentiate in their opinions or to make them see the same answer but from another angle. Dr Watson goes into a lot of detail and is very well prepared as there is a whole chapter dedicated to his one letter to Holmes also ...
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Holmes can overcome the opinion of himself; saying this I mean he compliments himself, this is because of the amount of cases that he has overcome and completed has giving him a vast ego.
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Conan Doyle has given Dr Watson and Holmes both very different personalities this is to make them differentiate in their opinions or to make them see the same answer but from another angle. Dr Watson goes into a lot of detail and is very well prepared as there is a whole chapter dedicated to his one letter to Holmes also when Holmes tells him to "pack a gun" Dr Watson replies saying that he has already packed one. Holmes on the other hand is very secretive and enters long periods of thought surrounded with tobacco. Also when describing the walking cane to Dr Watson it is a good indication as to the relationship of Holmes and Watson. Conan Doyle shows that Holmes is very supportive of Watson by using phrases such as "good" and "excellent" but Doyle also shows that Holmes puts Watson down a little by pointing out the obvious points that Watson has missed in his description of the walking cane. Dr Watson shows to Holmes that he is a very talented person but Holmes continues to show that he is better when he solves crimes on evidence that Watson would have missed had he been working on his own. For example when Dr Watson finds out about the love letter he sends it to Holmes because he is unsure of what to make of it himself. So I believe that the relationship between Holmes and Watson is a very friendly although Holmes is the top dog.
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was one the first writers of detective stories and novels in England. The first detective story was written in 1868, by Wilkie Collins entitled "The Moonstone". Later in 1870, Charles Dickens also wrote a detective novel called "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". These detective stories have not become as famous as Arthur Conan Doyle's creation for many reasons, one of which is that when Doyle began writing his novels there was a greater demand in general for stories, as more people were becoming educated and were taught how to read. Consequently, when the stories about Holmes were published, there was a growing readership in England, greater than there had been in Dickens' and Collins' time. Furthermore, the fact that dialect was rarely used in any of the Sherlock Holmes stories, this made it easier for people to read and understand the novel, particularly those who had only recently acquired the basic skill of reading. In addition, as the stories were originally published in the "Strand" magazine, this made them accessible to anyone. The stories were often shorter than those of other writers, and also avoided unnecessary detail. Generally, the stories had a distinct and brief plot structure and were supported by illustrations, which may have played a part in the general success.
The popularity of Doyle's detective stories increased rapidly, yet at the same time Doyle was becoming more and more uncomfortable with his character. He wanted, to devote greater time to other forms of writing. He decided that the best way to do this was to end the life of Sherlock Holmes with a dramatic story involving Holmes' worst enemy, Professor Moriarty. Doyle sent his famous detective and his enemy plunging to their deaths at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Doyle, however, had underestimated the popularity of his character, because when his followers read "The Adventure of the Final Problem" there was a public outcry over his action. He received many letters from infuriated readers and some men actually marched through London, wearing black crepe bands around their hats, indicating their remorse for the death of their favourite detective. It has been suggested that it was the popularity of Sherlock Holmes, which kept the "The Strand" magazine in business, and when Doyle's stories did not appear in it, there were fewer copies sold, showing the tremendous popularity of the detective. The owner of the magazine reported the death of Holmes as "a dreadful event" to his shareholders, showing that it was a major loss to the company. Seven years after the supposed death of the detective, and after being offered a substantial fee by his publisher, Doyle relented to public pressure and wrote a novel entitled "The Hound of the Baskervilles" featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. As the popularity for Holmes continued to rise, he revealed in the next series, that the fall at the Reichenbach Falls had only been fatal for Moriarty and that Holmes had managed to escape at the last moment. Doyle passed away in 1930, but not before writing a further thirty two short stories and a fourth novel, "The Valley of Fear" featuring Holmes and Watson.
One reason for the appeal of the stories may be the originality of the way in which the crimes were solved. Also, as the police force had only been set up in 1814, and the detective division in 1842, the methods used in solving real cases were still very basic. It is a genre of fiction, which allows the reader to feel that they are indirectly participating in the process of logical conclusion and possible solution of a mystery. The methods which Holmes uses to solve problems he encounters are quite extraordinary. For example in "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", Holmes studies a stranger's hat:
" 'He is a man who leads a sedentary life, goes out little, is out of training entirely, is middle-aged, has grizzled hair which he has had cut within the last few days, and which he anoints with lime-cream.'"
Many readers find this skill fascinating, which in turn encourages them to read other stories of the detective.
In the late nineteenth century, policemen were generally disliked and treated with little respect. Doyle used this knowledge in many of the cases where Holmes is called to investigate, after the police have tried and failed to find a solution. For example, in "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", the police arrested Mr John Hector McFarlane, on the suspicion of murdering Mr Jonas Oldacre. Holmes deduces that Mr Oldacre is still alive and well, and he uses his skills to make the man reveal himself to the police. Therefore, as the character of Sherlock Holmes was able to use his powers of deduction to solve cases which the police were finding difficult, he occasionally made a fool of the police, which is possibly one aspect that the original readers enjoyed.
The personality of Holmes is also intriguing. Doyle created a character that is often seen to be cold and distant towards people who come to ask for his assistance, however, occasionally for a brief period of time he shows the reader a different aspect of his personality. One example of this, is in "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot", where Holmes, with the assistance of Watson, is creating an experiment with an unknown powder that has been found at the scene of a murder. The experiment proves to be very nearly fatal and the two characters drag each other to safety. It is at this point that Holmes declares the following:
" 'Upon my word, Watson! I owe you both my thanks and an apology. It was an unjustifiable experiment even for oneself, and doubly so for a friend. I am really very sorry.' "
Doyle creates in his central character a genuine concern for his companion and Watson indicates to the reader in the following extract, that this is a rare moment:
" 'You know, ' I answered, with some emotion, for I had never seen so much of Holmes's heart before, 'that it is the greatest joy and privilege to help you.' "
Doyle produced a partnership, which exploited the fact that Watson and Holmes have a strong friendship, despite their obvious differences in personality.
It is probable that original readers enjoyed reading about Holmes's various interests and could identify with some of them. The passion for playing the violin and listening to orchestral music are examples of pastimes which, especially the original readers could relate to. In addition to this, the way in which Doyle describes the habits and speech of Holmes, make interesting reading, often indicating that he is in control of the situation. Doyle created certain characteristics in his detective which have become trademarks of Holmes. An example concerns a distinctive gesture in which he folds his hands, as shown in the first chapter of "The Sign of Four":
"On the contrary, he put his fingertips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair, like one who has a relish for conversation."
This focus on a hand movement which seems to centre Holmes powers of concentration this helps to provide the reader with a clear image of Sherlock Holmes. Another characteristic is his style of sitting in an armchair with his arms and legs curled up, indicating an intense degree of thought. Doyle uses enough description in his stories in order to make the reader believe Holmes to be a dark, mysterious and solitary man.
Doyle creates a sense of urgency and suspense in much of Sherlock's speech and he frequently shouts for his housekeeper, Mrs Hudson and his friend, Watson, when he has had an idea of how to solve a new crime that has been committed:
" 'Good, heavens, Watson, what has become of any brains that God has given me? Quick man, quick! It's life or death - a hundred chances on death to one on life. I'll never forgive myself, never, if we are too late!' "
The example shows the high energy in Holmes, which is common in most of the stories. Doyle linked this energy to Holmes' use of cocaine and morphine. In some of the stories, the reader is told by Watson that he had attempted to help Holmes in breaking the habit of using drugs, for example in "The Missing Three-Quarter". This usage of drugs could have given Holmes a certain appeal to some readers as it shows that a well to do, educated English man can come into contact with things that would only be known in a urban society. Doyle has made Holmes turn to drugs in order to combat the depression and boredom which takes hold of him when faced with a lack of satisfying employment. The reason for this is that Holmes thrives on his work and Doyle has created a sense of obsession within his character to find the solution to problems he is presented with. A further reason for the melancholy state which Holmes declines to when not on the excitement of a new case, is the circular effect of taking narcotics on an irregular basis; periods of intense energy whilst using them, and after a short break from them Holmes displays symptoms of withdrawal. The alternation of high to low generates a certain excitement and interest to the reader.
Holmes rarely takes credit for his work and often allows the police force to take all of the credit. This humility is a positive personality feature, a device used by Doyle to increase the appeal and sense of "reasonableness" to be found in the characterisation of the English detective, and stands as an additional reason why people find Holmes so interesting and likeable.