The Hound Of The Baskskervilles Character Analysis

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four novels written about his world famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. However, unlike the other books written about Sherlock Holmes, much of The Hound of the Baskervilles is absent of the detective. Instead, the audience is left to work through the mystery of who murdered Mr. Baskerville with Sherlock Holmes’ assistant and friend, as well as the narrator of the novel, Dr. John Watson. There are multiple reasons Doyle may have decided to make Watson the narrator, and to remove Holmes from a large portion of the novel. First, as Holmes is such a dry and clinical person, by making Watson the narrator, Doyle is able to employ more descriptive and entertaining writing. Second,

By having Watson narrate, Doyle is able to write in a more literary manner. For instance, the first time Watson, as well as the reader, is introduced to the hound of the Baskervilles, it is through auditory imagery. Watson describes a “long, low moan” that “sounded incredibly sad” that sweeps over the Moore and grows into a deep roar (50). When Watson hears the howl again later in the book, he describes a “wild and menacing howl” that pierces through the silence of the Moore before dying away in a sad moan (69-70). In both instances, the descriptions are important in developing the tone of the novel, and the atmosphere of the Moore. Were it Holmes narrating, the descriptions would likely result in a more inquisitive and curious tone, rather than one of dread and foreboding created when described by Watson. As the novel is not only a mystery, but a mystery wrapped in a horror aesthetic, it is important that a sense of rising tension and terror is established. By having Watson narrate the novel rather than Holmes, Doyle is able to develop a much greater sense of dread, tension, and anticipation for the