Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure Of The Speckled Band

683 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Who is dr roylott and what is his role in the speckled band

“The Adventure of the Speckled Band” In the end of this brilliant literary work by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dr. Grimesby Roylott dies after being bitten by a Swamp Adder, the most poisonous snake in India. I believe that Sherlock Holmes was not responsible for the death of Dr. Roylott and was completely innocent. When Sherlock initially saw the deadly creature he knew he had to act quickly and defend himself and Dr. Watson. Furthermore, Dr. Roylott knew the dangerous snake would return eventually; yet, he still sat in the chair which left him vulnerable. The most important fact is that, how was Sherlock to know that Dr. Roylott was in a susceptible position in the next room? There are many factors that show Sherlock Holmes’s innocence. Sherlock …show more content…

Roylott, with a vast amount of knowledge on this specific snake, would be sitting in a chair nonchalantly while it was out roaming the rooms freely. He knew how dangerous the Swamp Adder is as that is why he used it as his murder weapon of choice. Dr. Roylott lived in India for a few years and had a wide knowledge of the deadly creatures from that country; and, he keeps many animals from India on his property as well. Dr. Roylott was sitting in a chair in the middle of his room, seeming to not be bother about the fact he was in harm’s way. That seems extremely strange considering how dangerous the loose animal was. It was almost as if he was waiting for the return of the …show more content…

Grimesby Roylott, her devious stepfather. Sherlock spent one night in the room of Julia Stoner, which was now occupied by Helen Stoner. Sherlock and Dr. Watson were connected to Dr. Roylott’s room by only a small ventilator; yet, they could not see into the room through it. There was no way for Sherlock to know the location of the deceitful stepfather of the Stoner girls. The mystery solving duo were sitting in complete and utter darkness. Sherlock only light a single match too late as the snake had already made its way back to the room of Dr. Roylott. When Sherlock made the first strike with his cane again the vicious Swamp Adder, his main concern was keeping himself and his dear friend, Dr. Watson, safe from the deadly creature. Therefore, he acted on impulse when he attacked the snake as he did not think over the consequences of his actions towards the snake. He never intended for anyone to be

Show More
Related

  • Argumentative Essay: The Adventure Of The Speckled Band

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    Holmes and Watson were to guard Helen from a mysterious whistle she heard in the early morning, every single morning. The whistle she heard was the same whistle that Julia (her sister) had heard when she came upon her fate. The night that they were going to investigate, they stayed in Helen’s room; Julia’s old room. They woke up to the whistle and Holmes smacked the snake in the face. The snake ended up going back into Dr. Roylott’s room and killing him by venom. Helen was saved by Holmes in the situation where she would have been murdered by her own father and let her be married with no interference. Holmes, however, could have done another action that did not include hitting the snake and making it bite Dr. Roylott. Holmes had banged the snake in the head, which caused it to be aggravated and bite the first person it saw. Holmes could not have predicted where Dr. Roylott was sitting in his

    Read More

  • Sympathy In 'The Rattler'

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    This adds to the reader’s sympathy because he didn’t provoke the man’s attack and did nothing to deserve what happened to him. He was punished despite being completely innocent. Though the snake does not pose a direct threat, he is an extremely powerful creature and a great asset to the beauty of nature. He “felt no necessity of getting out of anybody’s path,” showing his confidence in himself. Though he is confident, he is not arrogant. He does not cower at the sight of the man, nor does he try to threaten him. He simply stands his ground confidently, waiting for the man to dictate his next move. This trait of the snake causes the reader to respect him and appreciate his position of power, reinforcing their sympathetic feelings. The snake’s death was slow and painful, and the author described all of the gruesome details in order to further affect the reader. The man himself admits that “it was a nasty sight”. First, he hacked about in the paper bag bush until he “dragged

    Read More

  • The Rattler Short Story

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    The snake was not aware of the man’s intentions was cautious but not yet preparing for an attack. The rattlesnake “lay ridged” through its mistrust of the man did not feel threatened so his “body was undulant” not preparing for an attack. Because of its natural instincts the snake was wary of the man’s presence but did not feel provoked enough to set up a defense. The usual instincts would have been to give a strong attack but choose not to do so. Still attentive to the man’s possible actions, the snake presents him with a warning for both their sake. Therefore as the man raised his weapon the snake set up its rattling and “shook his fair but furious signal” warning the man he “made an unprovoked attack”. The snake had not planned on attacking the man so instead of reacting swiftly the snake had given the man a warning. By doing so the snake shows its value of life because he left the man chance in avoiding an outcome with death for either side. Consequently having misjudged the man’s intent it is left with little time to protect itself from an unexpected attack. With the man suddenly attacking the snake with a hoe it “struck passionately” until it “was soon dead”. As a result of not being able to assemble an attack the snake is left with it’s only chance of winning by striking hard but with ineffective moves. Thus readers feel sympathy for the snake because it had not called for an attack that would have taken either

    Read More

  • Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    Faerie Tale follows the tale of the Hastings family and their move to a rural mansion in New York. The Hastings family includes; Phil Hastings, a screenwriter working on a novel and his wife, retired actress, Gloria Hastings, Phil's daughter, Gabbie, a wealthy heiress from Phil's previous marriage, and twin boys, Sean and Patrick, who are particularly targeted by the “bad thing” in the story. The “bad thing” is a minion of the evil faerie king who is attempting to re-enter the mortal world before the “moving” closes the temporary portal between worlds on midnight on Halloween. Throughout the story different characters help the Hastings in different ways. Most helpful are the Irish immigrant Barney Doyle who eventually tells Sean how to save Patrick from the faerie realm, and Mark Blackman, an author who provides information along the way every time a new secret about the mansion is revealed. In the end the Erl King is killed only to be replaced by the fairy that kills him, revealing the cyclical nature of the fairy realm and how the creatures are not truly immortal but trapped in a predestined loop that forever repeats the same story; the queen and king to be fall in love, a child is stolen, it is fought over resulting in a demi-war between two factions, with the new king to be sometimes killing the evil king to become a good king or siding with evil king to become an evil king and killing the queen. Various “plot twists” can occur but the faeries know that the end result will always be the crowning of a new king and queen through the shedding of blood.

    Read More

  • The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle (1892),

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    of the main characters in this story and he is very well known for his

    Read More

  • A comparison between Roald Dahl's Lamb to the slaughter and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Speckled Band

    2240 Words  | 5 Pages

    A comparison between Roald Dahl's Lamb to the slaughter and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Speckled Band

    Read More

  • The Speckled Band Film Analysis

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Watson than there is in the short story. In the case of Helen Stoner, the movie allows you to see aspects of her character that you do not see in the written story such as her relationship with her sister and stepfather. While it does say in the book that the sisters were “chatting about her approaching wedding,” more development is present in the movie because it shows the sisters together reminding the audience that they were close companions and that the loss of Julia was devastating to Helen. Another example of this character development is with Dr. Watson. In the movie adaptation, a short clip was added while Holmes and Watson investigated the house in which Julia had died. In the clip, Dr. Watson is shown examining foot prints on the lawn and explains to Holmes that he is trying to be as observant as he is. Though this clip may not seem like an important part of the story, it adds to Watson’s character by showing him as a student of Sherlock Holmes. While the movie does make the characters more dynamic, it also removed some of the suspense that the written version created.

    Read More

  • Story Of The Speckled Band Essay

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    Examine the role of Sherlock Holmes as a Detective in the Story Of The Speckled Band The creator of the very legendry stories of Sherlock Holmes was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sir Arthur. As a child he was sent to a harsh, strict and then applied to study medicine. After qualifying, he travelled as a ships doctor, however he had very little success.

    Read More

  • Donald Peattie's Short Story 'The Rattler'

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    The sight of the snake is so heartbreaking that even the man is left to rethink

    Read More

  • Devil In The White City Daniel Burnham Character Analysis

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    On page 39, it describes the moment in which bullies from his school force him to go face to face with a skeleton in a doctor’s office. Such a terrible experience truly could have scarred Holmes, but at the same time his comfortability with an representation of death could have prompted his killer roots. Also, the “accidental” death of Holmes’s childhood friend, at an event that Holmes was present, was another red flag in terms of potentially becoming a psychopath. We learn more of Holmes’s younger upbringing through the text in which it states,"He drifted through childhood as a small, odd, and exceptionally bright boy....in the cruel imaginations of his peers, he became prey" (Larson, 38) Holmes was essentially an outcast, a person who has been rejected by society or a social group. He was the target of many because of his oddness and rather unique characteristics. With no solid upbringing, and a probable fascination with death, Holmes was bound to be the infamous serial killer he became in his future.

    Read More

  • Visitor and The Speckled Band Fitting into the Short Story Genre

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    robbery ", this is not the sort of thing we would call normal but in '

    Read More

  • How Does Arthur Conan Doyle Create Tension And Suspense In The Speckled Band

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    How Does Arthur Conan Doyle Create Tension And Suspense In The Speckled Band The Speckled Band is just one of the murder mystery stories featuring the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes was not any ordinary detective, he was a detective who was famous for solving murders. In this case Holmes is trying to solve the mystery of the 'Speckled Band'. Some examples of tension building techniques are dramatic events and in some instances the inclusion of red herrings. Bad weather and night time are also used as a means of building up atmosphere and tension.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Sherlock Holmes

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sherlock Holmes was, and still is, a consulting detective. He was brilliant, and had a knack for solving difficult cases. In the short story The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, he introduces himself. “My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know.” (Doyle). In the original stories, however, Sherlock was not just a brilliant detective; he was also a musician and boxer. His companion, Dr. John Watson, was an army doctor who served in Afghanistan. The two meet in the novel A Study in Scarlet. They share a flat in London, 221B Baker Street, and solve multiple mysteries together. The public loved the stories for many reasons. First, the stories were shorter than many novels of the time period, and were also published ...

    Read More

  • The Role Of Fear In The Hound Of The Baskervilles

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Dr. Watson, is confronted with an eerie mystery situated around the fabled Hound of the Baskervilles. They are challenged with many risks and in the end must unearth the mystery before it is too late. Throughout the enigma, Sir Arthur explores the theme of what can happen when one does or does not let themselves be ruled and dominated by fear.

    Read More

  • Themes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main but subtle theme of The Hound of the Baskervilles is science versus superstition. The triumph and factual knowledge of science is represented by Sherlock Holmes, while the superstition is represented by the Baskerville curse. Sir Charles Baskerville is taken so much by the superstition that it ultimately leads him to his death: “Sir Charles Baskerville was so consumed by superstition that he is manipulated into an untimely death” (Kissane129). Sir Charles Baskerville is uptight due to the legend of the hound, and later is spooked to death when a beastly animal chases him through the moor at night. Holmes, in contrast, says from the beginning that there is a reasonable explanation for the occurrence: “Holmes’s sense of logic and reason, while evident in the way he handles cases, is also repeatedly pointed out by the narrator” (Kissane129). When Holmes is called to the case by Dr. Mortimer he immediately pushes all unrealistic elements aside and tags the case as strange. Even a man of science such as Dr. Mor...

    Read More

More about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure Of The Speckled Band

Open Document