The Speckled Band

“The Adventure of the Speckled Band” Essay

The story, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle provided a mysterious atmosphere to those who have read it. The story took place in April of 1883 in the home of Helen Stoner and Dr.Roylott, Stoke Moran. Helen Stoner visited detective Sherlock Holmes alongside his comrade, Dr.Watson with a case of the unexplained death of Helen Stoner’s sister, Julia Stoner. Timidly with poise, Helen asked Holmes to help solve the case. Helen Stoner’s step-father, Dr.Roylott seemed to be a suspicious suspect due to his criminal like behavior; therefore it could have been that he was the cause of his step-daughter’s death .The main conflict was that Helen Stoner- feared for her life-

questioned Julia’s mysterious death on the eve of Julia’s wedding. All Sherlock Homes thought of was to keep Helen Stoner away from peril.
Worried about the safety of Helen Stoner, Sherlock Holmes had the idea to investigate Stoke Moran since Helen could have been heading in the direction of her own demise. Helen believed that since she was betrothed, she could end up dead the same way as her sister, who died before her wedding. Helen Stoner left Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson as they prepared themselves to examine Stoke Moran. Once Helen was gone, Dr.Roylott charges into the residence of Sherlock Homes, threatening them when asking about Helen; therefore showing Dr. Roylott as an aggressive man. Sherlock Holmes was circumvented and spoke his mind when he addressed towards Dr. Roylott. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Roylott propelled the story since they fought a lot; additionally the temper of Dr. Roylott further moved the story along. Once Dr. Roylott left, Dr.Watson, loyal to Sherlock Holmes, decided to journey with Sherlock Holmes to investigate further. A little while later, when Dr. Roylott was not home, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson entered into the home of Helen Stoner. Interwoven conflicts occur throughout the story; furthermore the story continued its path. One interwoven battle was the problem between Helen Stoner and Dr.Roylott. Dr.Roylott was abusive; therefore the conflict was both internal and external as Helen struggled with the idea that Dr. Roylott might kill her. A different intertwined scuffle was between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Roylott. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Roylott fought in the story; concluding that they disliked each other. The problem was both internal and external as the struggle took place in the mind of Sherlock Holmes; moreover on the outside as Dr. Roylott showed hate towards Holmes. Lastly, Dr. Roylott scrimmages with society; hence the tussle was external. Dr. Roylott was a violent, abusive person who did not feel sympathy, even when he had hurt those in his community. Dr. Roylott killed, harmed, and upset people without thinking of the consequences. He had been in jail for many years; however he still was not frightened of the penalties that could occur if he lived a life of corruption. The mood in the beginning of the story was an anxious mood creating a nerve-racking environment for the readers. The tone used by the author is a serious tone. The way the author wrote was solemn leaving the readers know that there was nothing comical or amusing about the situation. As Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson explored, they hoped to unravel the case before anything would have become even worse.
When in Stoke Moran, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson inspected both Dr. Roylott’s and Julia’s-now Helen’s- bedrooms. Dr. Roylott had been in struggles with all the characters in the story; consequently he was the antagonist in the story. Helen Stoner and Sherlock Holmes, the protagonist, were both in disagreements with Dr.Roylott in different situations. As Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson investigate the bedrooms, they found clues along the way. In Julia’s bedroom, a fake bell-rope and ventilator was found which had led to conclusions in Sherlock Holmes mind. Dr. Roylott’s bedroom had clues as well, such as a bowl of milk. A metal safe that could appear as a cage was another clue that led to assumptions in Sherlock Holmes mind. Subsequently, after examination, Sherlock Holmes came up with a plan to stay the night in Julia’s bedroom to see what would have happened. Brave, Dr.Watson companied Holmes to execute the strategy. The story’s mood changed to a petrified attitude as the readers did not know what to expect when Holmes and Watson spend the night, not knowing of what might occur. The tone of the author changes to a challenging nature as the readers realized that it could be difficult for Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson to try to solve the mystery under the dangerous circumstances. The mystery unraveled as the assumptions of Sherlock Holmes seemed to be true. Answers came to the investigators as the story moved towards the end. Sherlock Holmes appeared to be persistent as he was heroic when under the hazardous conditions. Waiting in the night, Dr. Watson seemed compassionate with his work since he was ready to take on the mystery with Sherlock Holmes, not ready to abandon him in a time of need. The quiet of the night made a more intimidating atmosphere as Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson waited for more indications of the solution to the incident.
As the night continued, Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson all of a sudden had heard a whistle.

Sherlock Holmes sudden reaction surprised Dr.Watson. Dr. Watson saw Sherlock Holmes hitting the open vent in the ceiling. Next, they both heard a piercing scream; which had both stunned. Both went to investigate Dr.Roylott’s room. Once they entered, they saw Dr. Roylott sitting on a chair with a snake wrapped around him. This situation concluded that Dr.Roylott was responsible for the death of Julia Stoner. Dr.Roylott used a snake-a specked band- to try to kill Helen Stoner as well. The resolution of the story was that, inadvertently, Dr. Roylott died from the speckled band biting him. The solution to the problem with Helen and Dr. Roylott was solved since she could now marry her fiancé without having her step-father intrude. The answer to the problematic situation with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Roylott was that since he was now gone, they would not have any struggles with each other. The solution to the conflict with Dr. Roylott and society was that since now he was deceased, the society would benefit. The society would not be affected with the belligerent behavior of Dr. Roylott. The final reaction of Helen Stoner was content since she would not be abused in any way by Dr. Roylott. The finishing response of Dr. Roylott was that he was dead; therefore he did not have a reaction. Dr. Roylott died with being despised by many. The concluding response from Dr. Watson was that he was slightly surprised by what had occurred. Sherlock Holmes ultimate view was that he knew about the snake already; therefore was not surprised about the outcome. The death of Dr. Roylott did not have much of an effect on the characters in any depressing

way.
Sherlock Holmes concluded that it was treacherous to reason with inadequate information gathered in any situation. The gypsies, along with the word band, which explained the quick glimpse Julia Stoner saw when her match was struck, led Sherlock Holmes in the wrong direction. Sherlock Holmes attention was caught on the ventilator of Julia’s room; additionally with the bell rope which suspended all the way down toward the bed. The encounter of the clamped bed, as well as the fake bell rope, instantaneously gave a suspicion that the rope was used as a bridge for something to pass through the hole and onto the bed. The knowledge of a snake immediately occurred to Holmes; hence realizing he was on the correct path when he knew he had the information of Dr.Roylott having a quantity of creatures from India, the cheetah and baboon. Then Sherlock Holmes thought of the whistle. Sherlock knew that, of course, Dr. Roylott must recollect the snake before sunrise exposed it to the victim. Dr. Roylott had trained the snake, most likely by the bowl of milk which Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson, and Helen Stoner had seen which would have the snake return after being summoned. At the hour Dr. Roylott thought best, he would let the snake escape through the ventilator with the confidence of knowing that it would crawl down the rope and finally end up on the bed. The mystery had been foul play since some clues that were perceived by Sherlock Holmes mislead him to the wrong path to solving the mystery. Some examples of foul play were that the Gypsies were related to the speckled band. This was believed since the Gypsies worked outside of Stoke Moran; furthermore there was a whole band of them. Additionally, the metal bars on the windows were misleading as well. Another example of foul play was the thought that Julia Stoner died of natural causes. The final mood was happy since nothing wrong would happen since Dr.Roylott was gone. The tone was now uplifting; there was a sense of hope for the future of Helen Stoner. A prediction that could be made of Helen Stoner could be that she ends up marrying her fiancé; therefore continuing her life in a cheerful state with no dangerous battles or struggles made by Dr. Roylott. Sherlock Holmes did not feel guilty that he was somewhat a cause of the death of Dr. Roylott!