Life for women and children was unbearably hard. As soon as a child could walk, it was expected to work; making matchboxes was one of the main jobs for children as it was easy.
Women from all classes were expected to be married young and to raise a family of their own. Few marriages in the middle and upper classes were love matches, but were arranged by parents.
Victorian London is where Sherlock is based but not necessarily where all the crimes took place. For example, “I (Watson) walked … holding my breath to keep out the vile, stupefying fumes of the drug”. This took place in “The Man with the Twisted Lip.” This story was set in London.
Conan Doyle researched London, “The country road is very lonely, but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villas which have been built by a Tavistock contractor.” He researched what life was like, and in that time, men were allowed to beat their wives, “You have been cruelly used”, he says to Helen Stoner in “The Speckled Band” and knows he can do nothing to help. He also studied crime and the punishments which took place, so he could base his stories on them and make them life-like. “In every other direction the moor is a complete wilderness, inhabited only by a few roaming gypsies.” This quote is from “The Speckled Band”, however, it is set in Dartmoor. The stories were made believable to the audience because they were set in London and crimes actually did take place. Also, real towns and events were talked about, for example in “Silver Blaze”, the horse was the favourite to win in the Wessex Cup.
The structure of the stories were all quite similar; Dr Watson introduces the story from his notes in first person narrative. Holmes then interviews the victim/person and then divulges all the information back to Watson, therefore the reader, at the same time. Holmes and Watson then travel to the scene of the crime where Holmes minutely examines all the clues and alone solves the mystery.
Conan Doyle makes Sherlock fit into the Victorian society, as he is a middle class gentleman who conforms to the morals of the times. He uses formal speech and is well mannered, and is an honourable character. He also has a sense of humour, as shown in the “Speckled Band” when he says to the villain, Dr Roylott, “Your conversation is most entertaining. When you go out, close the door, for there is a decided draught.” Sherlock is also a serious and hard-working man. He is a detective because he enjoys his work, not because he needs the money. This shows he is dedicated to his job but is also laid-back.
Victorians needed stability because of all the crimes, the class system, and people in severe poverty. I think that Conan Doyle was trying to send some sort of message to the public who had suffered crimes in that, someone is always there to help.
Dr Watson’s role in the stories is to inform the reader exactly what is going on from his notes. He’s a close friend of Sherlock. He has the ability to perceive and describe details “There was a gleam in his eyes and a suppressed excitement in his manner which convinced me”, and he is reliable, patient and tolerant. He is less imaginative than Holmes and less practical. His inability to deduce makes Holmes more unique and talented.
Crime in the nineteenth century was rampant throughout London, because of the under classes’ poverty and sickness, crime was their only option in order to survive. The most common crime was stealing. The London Metropolitan Police system was created in 1829. In Conan Doyle’s stories, the police don’t play a major part in solving the crimes as Sherlock is shown to be a superior detective. His minute examinations of the crime scenes can be likened to our modern day forensic scientists. I think this shows that he is more reliable than any police forces in those days, as most of them were dismissed due to drunkenness. In “The Man with the Twisted Lip”, the police force praise Sherlock on his hard work, “I am sure Mr Holmes, that we are very much indebted to you for having cleared this matter up. I wish I knew how you reach your results.”
Most of Conan Doyle’s stories were set in London, and the atmosphere was dark and mysterious. Most of the clue finding journeys were at night time and early morning. I think this shows that Sherlock and Watson were dedicated to their job and to helping other people.
The role of women in Victorian society fits into a few of Conan Doyle’s stories. In “The Speckled Band”, Helen Stoner has come to see Sherlock Holmes seeking help about her sister’s death. Sherlock notices finger marks on her wrist and immediately accuses her father for her suffering. “He is a hard man,” is her reply, “and he perhaps doesn’t know his own strength.” She tries to stick up for her father, and says it’s not his fault. When she leaves Sherlock’s office, her father comes in looking for her. Helen is now in real danger because she’s been followed by him. He’s not even her real father, he’s her step father and she is a grown woman, so it shows how men overpowered women.
The language used in Conan Doyle’s stories is a hundred years old. Words which are used have a completely different definition to today’s English. For example, the word “shag” is used for tobacco in the Victorian times, and today it is used for example, tussled, loose hair on a dog, a shaggy dog or even a shaggy rug.
Some of the language is also hard to understand, for example, “I had to come to an entirely erroneous conclusion, which shows my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data.”
My personal opinion of the Conan Doyle language is that they are too hard to understand, and I think they are boring. They are too old fashioned and I didn’t really enjoy them.
If I had to choose a story as my favourite, it would be “The Speckled Band”, as it’s a lot easier to understand and get in to, and it explains more carefully what is going on.