The Double Helix Sparknotes

The Double Helix by James D. Watson is a prominent book in the history of science not only for its value as a documentation of an important scientific discovery, but as proof to the ago-old question as to whether or not scientists are, in fact, human. Indeed, caricatures of the lone scientist isolating himself from reality and obsessed with some form of “truth” were prominent in the 1900s. When the book was first published in 1968, it demonstrated that not only were scientists human beings, but they were human beings who understood science to be a group effort and yearned for recognition and glory. That being said, James Watson’s depiction of the world in which he lived is questionable at times, and led to the debate that has continued into

the 21st century as to whether or not the book should be hailed as a crucial historical document.
The Double Helix counteracts the stereotype of the lone scientist by depicting a core group of very different personalities brought together for different reasons.
Sir Lawrence Bragg acts most similarly to the perceive norm of what a scientist is supposed to be.

He finds comfort away from the eccentricities of Francis Crick and “took great delight in soap bubble models,” illustrating a love of science transcending the need for recognition, which permeated the story. Despite being depicted as a man of with more old-fashioned ideologies, he is still given sufficient credit and pleasure at “the fact that the X-Ray method he had developed… was as the heart of a profound insight into the nature of life…” Maurice Wilkins was the mediator between the scientific genius and the unimpeded excitement and need for recognition which possessed Watson and Crick. Much to Watson’s surprise, upon hearing about their success, “there was not a hint of bitterness in [Wilkins’] voice.” His dedication to biology was untouched by the incessant need for recognition which plagued the minds of Francis Crick and James

Watson.
Francis Crick was a loud man who worked; it seemed, mostly to prove himself correct rather than any specific theory. He was “never seen in a modest mood” though Bragg kept his personality in check because he felt, “for thirty-five years [Crick] had not stopped talking and almost nothing of fundamental value had emerged.” Despite his character flaws, Crick serves the story as a relatable character due to the joy he finds in less than scientific endeavors. He fights the stereotype of the lone scientist and is constantly portrayed as Watson’s partner both socially and scientifically. Together Crick and Watson form a bond that goes beyond that of colleagues in science, and they begin to research for shared glory. Francis Crick would act as the brains of the project while James Watson would become the heart, both of which are equally important in scientific research in the eyes of Watson. Their teamwork would stabilize the rest of the team and force them to care about DNA in a way they had not before and lead to the discovery of what Crick would perhaps over exaggerate as “the secret of life.”
James Watson’s depiction of himself in his memoirs has been both praised and critiqued.

Watson attempts to make himself relatable to the average reader by claiming, “…not once die I have the faintest trace of a respectable idea” about the genes. His approachability is lost and he begins to alienate readers with his and Crick’s questionable moral standards as they seek answers. They resort to stealing, lying, and manipulating people in order in order to gain access to information. In every instance, some form of defense is provided, leading many to write such behavior off as justifiable in the noble pursuit of science. That being said, many of these injustices are directly related to finding information out first instead of for the purpose of utilizing for the greater good of science. Some see his retelling of his story as admirable as he is whole-heartedly “believing he sees the world true, and ‘telling it like it is.’” Others are not so kind to Honest Jim and feel he has created a “violently exaggerated picture” of the importance of recognition in scientific

discoveries.
Crick and Watson represent the scientists which most related to the modern world, craving recognition and prestige. The varying ideals and values surrounding each man would lead to enough failures to finally uncover a truth. Despite the differences between Bragg, Wilkins, Crick, and Watson, their group efforts led to the groundbreaking discovery of the structure of DNA. It is indisputable after reading The Double Helix that a discovery of this magnitude was not achievable by a single entity in a lab coat, multiple minds, bodies, and ambitions were necessary in uncovering the secrets of DNA. Or, in the minds of Watson and Crick, this group was necessary in the winning of the Nobel Prize.
All of these scientists were essential to the discovery of the structure of DNA, and illustrated the invaluable nature of teamwork within a scientific community, but there were still issues with their characterizations. In the words of Robert L. Sinsheimer, “This book is filled with character assassination,” as all of these scientists were dissected by Watson and then rebuilt with specific purposes to serve his story rather than the story of DNA. While it was refreshing to see depictions of scientists outside of labs and in the real world, complete with real world dramatics, many of their reconstructions came about solely to make Watson look better as he danced around problematic ethics and impolite scientific practices. Furthermore, Watson’s obsession with “winning” would reveal even more ethical issues as he dealt, sometimes almost childishly, with Linus Pauling.
Linus Pauling was hailed as the world’s leading chemist and James Watson would find a significant amount of joy in watching him fail. The “youthful pleasure” Watson took in “testing his powers against the best there is” would become a common theme in Watson’s story. Despite his connection to Pauling, as Americans attempting to make a name for themselves in a primarily Euro-centric field, Watson distances himself from Pauling as often as possible, citing himself as “not a typical American.” Furthermore, much to the chagrin of many reviewers, Watson’s need to be “first” would lead to very questionable ethical dilemmas as winning began to take precedence over scientific courtesy. Not only did every paper become a competition to see who could get published and recognized first, but Watson and Crick’s refusal to share important data with Pauling violated many ideological practices set forth by the scientific community. In the eyes of many for Crick and Watson, “to drink a toast to the Pauling failure,” was of poor taste and fought against the ideologies previous set forth by Watson of the value of teamwork toward a common goal. Many took umbrage with this hypocrisy and began to question whether or not Watson’s words could be trusted.
Despite its benefits in illuminating the lives of scientists beyond the lab Watson’s memoirs also reveal less than noble realities of science. Alex Comfort hails Watson’s writing as having a “Novelistic Insight” because he writes scientists in the story “—not as caricatures, …but as people.” Though this is debatable as other characters, such as Rosalind Franklin is not a mere “formidable lady researcher,” but instead is distinctly described as an antagonist. She goes so far as to attempting to attack Watson as he bullies her for information in her own lab, which then provides justification for Watson and Crick to steal her DNA X-Rays. These would end up holding the key to Crick and Watson’s discovery, but her early demise would give her none of the credit, save for an epilogue some felt was dishonest. The abhorrent treatment of women throughout the story revealed deep-seated misogynistic tendencies running rampant through the scientific community.
Various reviews prove that, much like scientific discovery, there are always going to be varying interpretations of the presented data. Watson’s book, indirectly proves in his book that, not only are multiple perspectives necessary in establishing a scientifically sound theory, they are essential in the process of writing a wholly honest book about the development of said theory. His refusal to acknowledge these other perspectives, save for a few mentions of their subjectively positive attitudes, led to the book to be hotly debated and critiqued as a “fragmentary and incomplete” history of such a massive discovery. In the end The Double Helix becomes less about the history of science and more about the inane gossip within the history. Whether or not this book holds scientific value is irrelevant, as it proves countless times that its main purpose is not scientific. Watson wrote these memoirs to seal his name in the history books as the heart of the discovery of DNA. Whether the cementation of his name in history is for better or for worse is not important. The book, the man, and the discovery live on just the same.