Sherlock Holmes Analysis

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The original stories about Sherlock Holmes were written by Arthur Conan Doyle in late 19th and early 20th century London, the same setting he used in the stories (Magher). These stories recount the cases, and corresponding adventures, that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson partake in (Doyle, Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories). The character of Sherlock Holmes is seen by many as a paragon of logic and justice in the midst of a constantly advancing Victorian society—one that is progressive for the time period, yet still deeply flawed (“Arthur Conan Doyle”). Although Sherlock Holmes portrays himself as a rational man with an unbiased perspective on both the situations he analyzes and the people he meets, he often fails to show this through …show more content…

Yet, in the same story, he said “I had at last met an antagonist who was my intellectual equal. My horror at his crimes was lost in my admiration at his skill” (Doyle, “The Final Problem” 4). This showed the capability Holmes has to disregard the moral turpitude of a someone’s actions because he was too caught up in admiring the man’s power and intellect. In “A Scandal in Bohemia,” Holmes says “When a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values most. It is a perfectly overpowering impulse, and I have more than once taken advantage of it,” which shows Sherlock’s sexist generalization about women (Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia” 49). In the same story, Sherlock says "From what I have seen of the lady, she seems, indeed, to be on a very different level to your Majesty," said Holmes coldly. "I am sorry that I have not been able to bring your Majesty's business to a more successful conclusion” (Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia” 52). He considered the lady, Irene Adler, to be in a different class than the Majesty, which was the reason they had not ended up together. He also considered that helping the member of …show more content…

According to Stanford University, “Doyle considered the Holmes stories light fiction, good for earning money, but destined to be quickly forgotten, the literary equivalent of junk food” (“Arthur Conan Doyle”). In, “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Watson states “He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position…They were admirable things for the observer – excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results” (Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia” 32). With this, Watson confirms the mental bias and flaws that Holmes possesses; being the closest friend of Holmes, he still admits the weaknesses that Sherlock has in certain aspects of life and reasons that Holme’s avoidance of these weaknesses was crucial for his ability to continue

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