Doctor Watson is the narrator of the story although he isn’t the protagonist. we follow Watson he is our eyes and ears, we learn what he learns and go where he goes. Doctor Watson is much in awe of Sherlock Holmes as he says “my friend and companion” referring to Sherlock Holmes, Watson would like to be more like Sherlock Holmes but he isn’t as fast as working things out.
Sherlock Holmes is the protagonist of this story, his character is quite unique, he can deduce things with very little evidence. He will only take on interesting or strange cases this creates a sense of drama and mystery as the reader wonders why he only takes on these types of cases. Holmes and Watson are very good friends living, in the same house. Holmes is very calm and collected, even when doctor Grimsby Roylott barges through the door Holmes is calm and polite. Holmes is also quite strong as he can bend a thick steel pole back into place. Holmes doesn’t boast about this fact, he doesn’t easily get angry either.
Dr Grimsby Roylott is a typical villain; he is very aggressive and proves his strength by bending a steel poker. He makes threats when he doesn’t get what he wants. He is quite a big person in stature. He is also the exact contrast of Sherlock Holmes.
Some of the Lexus used in the Speckled Band is not used today or they are used with different meanings e.g. “pray” in those days meant please but doesn’t anymore. The word order is also different and wouldn’t make senses now. Doyle uses this language to create atmosphere and imagery.
The red room by H.G Wells is set in a classical gothic haunted castle. The protagonist is a young man there to find out about a ghost. The setting of this castle creates lots of tension as the protagonist has to explore this castle alone, at night. The rooms are moonlit apart from the candle the young man has, this throws flickering shadows over everything. There is contrast from where the young man has just left too, as he has locked the 3 caretakers in the warm lit kitchen and gone into the dark.
The way H.G Wells uses language personifies things “the shadow seem like a being” which makes it more human
There are a few characters in the red room – the three old caretakers and the protagonist
The 3 caretakers:-
There is the old man with the withered arm, the old woman and the very old man, H.G Wells has included these people to increase tension a they are described as ”grotesque” they unnerve the protagonist and warn him not to go.
The protagonist of this story is a young man, at the start of the story he is arrogant and doesn’t believe in the supernatural, as he goes on a journey to the haunted room he himself goes through a journey, he gets steadily more paranoid and scared and at the peak of the tension when he is being chased by the darkness he is knocked unconscious and when he wakes he believes.
Both of these texts create a sense of mystery, functional characters and different language styles. Out of the 2 texts I preferred the Speckled Band it gives a more complex mystery that slowly unfolds, that unfolds slowly. The narrative is interesting as it is not from the protagonist but the secondary character – Sherlock Holmes Is a good character for his sense of calm and quick jokes.
