The character of Sherlock Holmes in “The Adventure of The Speckled Band” is a very unusual one. He is shown to be gentlemen in the way he speaks as he uses very formal language towards his accomplice Watson, his client Helen Stoner and his enemy, Dr Roylott. Even though both Holmes and Watson solve mysteries, they don’t work and so they are able to sleep until mid-day, “He was a late riser” (page 1). The reason for this is Holmes feels his profession has its own reward and so doesn’t require money, “As to my reward, my profession is its own reward” (page 2). This states Holmes obviously has money.
In the Victorian era, men were classed as superior to women, mentally, physically and emotionally and so women did not vote. These are some reasons why upper class women relied on men. In the story men are known as two things, protectors and perpetrators of women. In ‘The Adventure of The Speckled Band’ the protectors are Holmes and Dr Watson and the perpetrator is Dr Roylott. Because of this Dr Roylott physically bullies Helen Stoner, “Five little livid spots, the marks of four fingers and a thumb, were printed upon the white wrist”. This shows the reader that Dr Roylott is powerful and aggressive man. Because of this, the reader wants Sherlock Holmes to defeat Dr Roylott, as he does not play by the rules.
Holmes is very different to Dr Roylott as Holmes approaches life with an intellectual view, although he is logical; Holmes is just as strong as Roylott even though he is not quite so bulky. “With a sudden effort straightened it pout again” (page 8). This quote states Holmes’s physical appearance but also states his strength. The author uses Watson to emphasize Holmes’s qualities. He does this by comparing the two, “A ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady who sleeps I the bed dies. Does that not strike you?” (Page 12). This emphasizes that Holmes is a more observant detective than Watson and due to him being more superior, he is put in direct contrast to the enemy, Dr Roylott. In order to compare the two, they must have different personalities. Sherlock Holmes is calm, Dr Roylott is aggressive. It’s rational versus irrational behaviour, manners versus rudeness, although they have the same physical strengths. I think the author wanted us, the reader to think that Holmes enjoys challenges, such as Dr Roylott, however, he has nothing to prove.
The structure of “The Adventure of The Speckled Band” is that of a typical detective format in the Victorian era. It is a mystery story in which a crime needs solving as someone is in need of help, in order to prevent a death. This mystery story has been structured in a clever way as it gives out a series of clues, “My sister was troubled by the smell of strong Indian cigars” and also a series of red herrings which are designed to throw the reader off and so want to solve the crime themselves and read on, for example, the cheetah, the baboon, and the gypsies are all used to play on the readers prejudice.
The gypsies do this in a way which the reader thinks they are just trouble as they are thought to steal and attack people. They do this in the same way the cheetah does as they have been branded as vicious, so one can say that they are a stereotype. Because of these clues given out, we get ideas of what really happened to Julia Stoner, and so we follow the clues and try and play detective. We are unable to solve the mystery as Holmes keeps one secret to himself and only releases it at the end, “ An inspection of the chair showed me that he had been in the habit of standing on it,” (page 16).
This makes |Holmes look superior to the reader as he observes a clue that both Watson and the reader are unable to come across. This is a major surprise to the reader as the writer makes sure to hide this very crucial clue to make us, the reader, read on. In a way, this makes the reader feel betrayed by Holmes and the writer as we thought we could trust them.
In various parts of the story there are a series of increase in suspense followed by a straight decrease. An example of this is when Holmes and Watson are climbing through the window of Stoke Moran when, what is described to be a “hideous and distorted child” (page 13) runs out of a bush. At that point I felt tense as I had no idea of the so called “child” was going to attack, in which case it never and so when I read on to find out that it runs off, releases the tension and a whole lot of suspense.
Although “The Whole Town’s Sleeping” has its differences to “The Adventure of The Speckled Band” it has many similarities, such as they are both set in places far away from help. A less obvious similarity is the way the two stories use women as victims and potential victims and men as aggressors, which follows the Victorian era.
A narrator is a character in which tells and guides the reader through the story.
In “The Adventure of The Speckled Band” the narrator is Watson. Watson is a first person narrator who, accounts of a case, which happened years before. He is very professional as he keeps a diary of all the cases he and Holmes have come across in the past.
The language used in this story, tells us, the reader, that it is set in the Victorian era, as there are words which are not really used today, for example “aperture” (page 7). The language is very formal. Due to this, the reader starts to come off the story. “Palmer and Pritchard were among the heads of their profession” (Page 13). This confuses the reader, as we don’t know what they mean. In a way this is a good thing as the reader reads on to find out the meaning and understand what they are trying to say.
Conan Doyle used words that the modern reader will be unlikely to come across as they are rarely used in today’s society. For instance, “Pittance” (page 8). I think Conan Doyle did this to point out that the story is that of a Victorian era and also to reflect upon the class and education of him and the characters, as they are all of the upper class community.
The story lacks description and rarely if ever gets an n in-depth to the characters thoughts and feelings. I think the story is in deficient need of emotion as Conan Doyle chose to take a scientific approach. A cause of this is, it makes us, the reader feel less tension and suspense. “Suddenly amidst the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth the wild scream of a terrified woman” (page 4). This ruins the atmosphere for the reader as the more the author uses Victorian words; the more the atmosphere fades from the readers mind. I think Conan Doyle used Victorian words such as “aperture” (page 7) instead of “doorframe” because he wanted us, the reader, to admire him for him being well educated which he used to reflect upon his own superior ego.
The narration and language of these two stories are completely different as the story of “The Whole Town’s Sleeping” is far more successful at creating mystery and suspense than that of “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”.
“The Whole Town’s Sleeping” is third person narrative and the narrator is omniscient, which means they know all and see all. By using this kind of narration, it brings the reader into the story as the way things are described, it’s as though we, the reader, are actually smelling, tasting, hearing, seeing and feeling everything that the narrator is. For example, “I didn’t know what terror was, I wouldn’t let myself think,” (page 9). This makes the reader believe they are Lavinia.
Ray Bradbury used a personification technique which made “Lavinia Nebbs” feel as though she is evil just like the Lonely One”. “The heat pulsed under your dress and along your legs with a stealthy sense of invasion” (page 7). This made the reader feel as though Lavinia has just turned a victim of the lonely one as the heat has just invaded her; in the same way the Lonely One invades his victims.
Another technique used by Ray Bradbury was the use of repetition, which he used to describe two things, the ravine and the sense of safe. He repeats the description of the ravine to be dark, quiet and damp “ahead was deepness, moistness, fireflies and dark” (page 1). I think he repeats this to make ravine sound forbidding and a popular place for the Lonely One to visit, as that’s where the murdered body of “Elisa Ramsell” was found. In contrast to this, Ray Bradbury repeats the word “safe” to give a feeling of relief, which decreases the reader’s anxiety. “Safe, safe, and safe at home!” (Page 9). Although the reader’s anxiety is decreased, the author creates points of panic to raise the level of anxiety. He does this by shortening sentences and using very descriptive words. “At the bottom of the steps. A man, under the light! No, now he’s gone!” (Page 8). This states what exactly is waiting for Lavinia at the bottom of the ravine, however, it doesn’t state whom it is waiting. This builds tension, as neither Lavinina nor the reader knows who the man is. He could be the Lonely One on the break of his monthly sin or maybe a passer by.
The author also mimics the body at these panic points. As the character of Lavinia gets breathless, her heartbeat and respiration increases. This is shown by short sentences, as though she is gasping for breath. This automatically makes the reader breathless. The panic points are meant to be read fast to build tension and suspense, and again us, the reader, feel as though we are present in the heart-pumping story.
In “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, the ending is made up of mystery, suspense and tension. But all of this is lost as Sherlock Holmes solves the crime before the story is ended and before the reader can solve it, so we, the reader, feel a touch of disappointment, although Holmes makes it impossible for anyone else to solve the mystery. He does this by keeping secret, a clue. “An inspection of the chair showed me that he had been in the habit of standing on it.” (Page 16) This is the most important clue and so Holmes decides to keep it upon his own mind and nobody else’s. This makes the reader feel betrayed, yet relieved, the crime has been solved.
However, “The Whole Town’s Sleeping” finishes in a cliffhanger type ending. “Behind her, in the black living room, someone cleared his throat...” (Page 9) This is the last sentence of the story and even after this, it still creates tension, mystery and suspense, as there are only possibilities that it might be The Lonely One, but no assurance. And so us, the reader, are left to wonder who he can be. We want to know what happens next and so the reader uses their imagination to try and predict possible endings.
This made me feel a closeness to Lavinia Nebbs as I pity her because there is no clear description of who the Lonely One is or who the man clearing his throat might be.
I think the most successful ending was that of Ray Bradbury, in “The Whole Town’s Sleeping”, as it makes us, the reader, think about the story even when it’s finished. This is because Ray Bradbury left it upon the reader’s imagination to end the story.
My opinion of these two stories are that Ray Bradbury’s “The whole Town’s Sleeping” is far more successful at creating mystery and suspense than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in “The Adventure of The Speckled Band”. My reason for this is “The Whole Town’s Sleeping” ends in a way, which makes the reader, think. The author left it upon our imagination to predict what happens, although we’ll never know what really happens. In contrast to this, “The Adventure of The Speckled Band” ends with the reader feeling disappointed yet relieved the mystery has been solved. We feel disappointed as we, the reader were unable to solve the crime as both, the author and Holmes held back on the reader by keeping a clue to themselves.
Both authors used setting in the same way, as both stories are set at night, in a place far away from help and communication. They also used women as victims and potential victims and men as killers. Although they are different ears and society, I believe Ray Bradbury and Conan Doyle used the same, basic story line, in which a mystery needs solving and a woman is in need of help.
I think the main reason for “The Whole Town’s Sleeping” being more successful at creating mystery and suspense than “The Adventure of The Speckled Band” is the use of language. I feel “The Adventure of The Speckled Band” lacks description as Conan Doyle decided to take a scientific approach. I also feel “The Whole Town’s Sleeping” as far more panic points to keep us, the reader feeling suspense and tense.
By
Mario Franciamore
