Suspense in The Speckled Band.
Suspense in The Speckled Band The Sherlock Holmes’ mysteries, written by Arthur Conan Doyle in the nineteenth century, were serialised in magazines and they became incredibly popular. ‘The Speckled Band’ focuses on the Roylott family, of Stoke Moran in Surrey. The family includes twin sisters Julia and Helen Stoner, and their stepfather Dr Grimesby Roylott.The readers’ first impression of Helen Stoner is that she is grieving over someone’s death, due to her appearance. She is “dressed in black and heavily veiled”. The reader is encouraged to feel sympathy for Helen Stoner and anxious to find out who has died and how, as she is clearly in mourning. The simile used to portray her fear and agitation suggests she is weak and vulnerable, maybe even the next victim. “Restless frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal”, indicates to the reader how she is being “hunted” like some kind of prey. This assists in building the suspense, as the reader is unaware of the details of the death, it is still a mystery.Conan Doyle’s use of adjectives and verbs in the description of Helen Stoner portrays her as a rapidly ageing woman of 30 years. Her features and figure were
those of a woman of 30, but her hair was shot with premature grey…” This creates tension, as the reader would still be uninformed of the mystery, and therefore intrigued to discover what it is that has caused Helen Stoner to age so severely, so quickly. Conan Doyle’s use of nouns, when Helen is speaking, suggests how scared she is. “It is fear, Mr Holmes. It is terror”, illustrates that either Helen Stoner is exaggerating the situation, or something terrible has happened to cause this extreme horror. The reader is intrigued, as it is not yet understandable why she is ...
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those of a woman of 30, but her hair was shot with premature grey…” This creates tension, as the reader would still be uninformed of the mystery, and therefore intrigued to discover what it is that has caused Helen Stoner to age so severely, so quickly. Conan Doyle’s use of nouns, when Helen is speaking, suggests how scared she is. “It is fear, Mr Holmes. It is terror”, illustrates that either Helen Stoner is exaggerating the situation, or something terrible has happened to cause this extreme horror. The reader is intrigued, as it is not yet understandable why she is so upset. Therefore the nouns used create suspense, by controlling the emotions of the reader. The metaphor, “At least throw a little light through the dense darkness” represents to the reader the idea that Helen Stoner needs help, and that she is desperate for assistance in solving the murder. The reader senses how Helen is lost in the “darkness”, and Sherlock Holmes will provide the guiding light out. This creates suspense, as the reader is still unaware of the murder and what has happened. There is no way for the reader to tell how dark and mysterious this murder is.The complex sentences used in Helen Stoner’s speech, when she informs Holmes of the situation, such as, “The very horror of my situation lies in the fat that…as the fancies of a nervous women”, suggest she hasn’t spoken to anyone about her fears, and therefore she is desperate to report to Holmes, allowing him to attempt to solve the mystery. By doing so, there is a build up of suspense for the reader, as it is apparent the reader will soon discover the mystery, which has been troubling Helen Stoner. The reader’s first impression of Dr Roylott is that he is better then his relatives and he will do the “right thing” with his life, as he has a medical degree, and a large practice in Calcutta. This however is a false impression of Dr Roylott, as he “beat his native butler to death”, in a fit of anger. And later on, “he became the terror of the village”. This allows the reader to become suspicious, and link him to Helen Stoner’s fear, and maybe even the murder. During his time in Calcutta, exotic animals, particular species being sent to Stoke Moran, fascinated Dr Roylott. For the duration of Holmes’ investigation, a cheetah and baboon roam around the Manor House. Dr Roylott also allows Gypsies to wander freely over his grounds. Both these factors create tension for the reader, encouraging them to read more of this mystery. The reader is intrigued to discover if the cheetah, baboon and gypsies have a part to play in Helen Stoner’s horror, and also the murder of her twin sister. And if so, then what it was they did.The reader is also captivated by the description of Dr Roylott, when he meets with Sherlock Holmes. “A huge man” is illustrated to the reader, with a “hunting crop swinging in his hand” and a “resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey”. Together, these create tension between Dr Roylott and the reader. The link to a predator suggests he is strong, and aggressive. With the description of him including the “hunting crop” and the “bird of prey”, the image of Dr Roylott is of a hunting, un-human like man, of a dark, mysterious past. The mystery is discovered in the “picture of ruin”, Stoke Moran, located in Surrey. The manor house is portrayed as a suspicious, dark, threatening house, by the use of Conan Doyle’s simile “two curving wings like those of a crab”. Crabs claws are strong and they have the potential to harm. Therefore the simile used implies that Stoke Moran is a dubious, shady house, situated in the middle of nowhere, with darkness surrounding it.The late at night and early morning setting of the discovery of the secret, adds to the suspense for the reader. “All was dark in the direction of the Manor House”. Through the darkness, things can come out of hidden places and alarm people in the area. For example, while Sherlock Holmes and Watson are walking on Manor House grounds, “a hideous and distorted child” surprises them, and the reader, by jolting out of the bushes. The reader is intrigued to find out what this “distorted child” is, and within a few minutes of meeting this creature, the reader is reminded that roaming the ground is a Baboon.Conan Doyle’s technique of using darkness throughout The Speckled Band creates tension, and this appears to the readers’ senses. The imagery of the “distorted child” affects the reader’s sight, as they become more aware of their surroundings. The “cat-like whine” appears the reader’s sound sense, as the reader can hear things, but they cannot see them, and this would make the reader nervous. Therefore they are encouraged to read further on. The things, such as “chill wind”, affect the readers’ touch sense. The blustery weather builds more suspense as it implies the image of a cold, dark, windy night. Almost as though something bad is about to happen. All of the senses are appealed to, and therefore the readers are able to feel more involved and believe they are included in the mystery.
