Detective Archetype

The representations of Holmes in the BBC and CBS series are solid. Nonetheless, they have their drawbacks. The Miller-Homes at times let’s his overconfidence get the best of him. Due to him boasting to Watson that he was able to bypass her phone’s passcode; because

The first example of Holmes’ exquisite trademarks is his ability to see things that other people cannot. He uses his powers of observation to solve cases. For example, in “The Red-Headed League” Holmes notes that Mr. Jabez Wilson “has at some time done manual labor… that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China…” To explain his reasoning, he says “Your right hand is quite a size larger than your left… the muscles are more developed… rather against the strict rules of your order, you use an arc-and-compass breastpin…the fish that you have tattooed immediately above your right wrist could only have been done in China.” The fact that these observations are so obvious to Holmes, whilst being unnoticed by Watson and Wilson, make his observational skills something that stands out from other fictional detectives of the time. He uses these skills throughout his cases to his advantage with great success.

When H.H. Holmes arrives in Chicago, he looks like any other ambitious young doctor braving the journey to the Windy City to start a new life. “He walked with confidence and dressed well, conjuring an impression of wealth and achievement. He was twenty-six years old… He had dark hair and striking blue eyes, once likened to the eyes of a Mesmerist,” describes the author. Larson cites a physician, John L. Capen, “‘Great murderers, like great men in other walks of activity, have blue eyes’” (35). In including this citation, Larson clues the reader in on Holmes’ true nature in addition to eliciting a feeling of unease through his diction. With this first impression, the reader is already wary of Holmes and his actions. Larson further solidifies this distrust with the following passages. “The city had impressed [Holmes], he said later, which was surprising because as a rule nothing impressed him, nothing moved him. Events and people captured his attention the way moving objects caught the notice of an amphibian: first a machinelike registration of proximity, next to calculation of worth, and last is a decision to act or remain motionless.” (37) With this quotation, Larson explains how Holmes chose

Although this may be true, Holmes investigates what sparks his interest, with his exceptional analyzing and deductive reasoning. He is actually very well known for it, especially with Dr. Mortimer (Doyle, 9).Whereas, Drew often jumps to conclusion, caused by when she overlooks the little things that may prove to be of interest. “‘There must be some clue I’ve [Nancy] overlooked,’”(Keene, 61). Yet, Drew has this amazing ability for quick-thinking. On the other hand, Holmes has a huge ego and acts like every spectacular thing he does is obvious and elementary (Doyle, 45)., Wwhile Drew is very humble and helpful, “I[Nancy] don’t want a reward, really I don’t … She’d [Mrs. Topham] never offer a reward. Even if she did, I wouldn’t accept it”(Keene, 141). That is, to say nothing of her huge heart and how compassionate and dedicated she is towards others. Nancy Drew risked her life many times for nearly-complete strangers and saved their lives (Keene, 62). In contrast, Holmes is arrogant, ignorant, and has an unhealthy habit of smoking. In the same way, Drew has an irregular habit of constantly talking to herself. Meanwhile, both detectives are very clumsy, careless, and

Understanding and analyzing past serial killers motives is a vital part in stopping future killing sprees. H.H. Holmes and Dr. Harold Shipman, both considered as two of the most prolific serial killers, share many common behaviors that are necessary to be investigated. From childhood through adulthood, Holmes and Shipman are very similar when it comes to experiences, traits, motives, etc. Erik Larson, in The Devil In The White City, develops H.H. Holmes character through describing his unique attributes, which gives an inside look on why Holmes was motivated to kill so many people. Knowing H.H. Holmes motives is crucial in order to stop future serial killers from evading the police for so long like Dr. Harold Shipman.

“They tend to share certain key characteristics. They're manipulative, cold, and lack what we might call a moral compass--they know right from wrong but are not invested in that distinction. Their only concern with their ‘wrong’ behavior is getting caught, but because they are deceitful, callous and not subject to anxiety, they easily elude capture” (Spikol, 5). These sort of criminals were ones that the Chicago Police Department had never been introduced to before, causing them to change their entire perspective on cases once Holmes’ had passed. According to John Bartlow Martin, a writer for the “Harper’s Archive”, Holmes’ murder castle was filled with trapdoors, gas chambers, secret passageways, and even pits of acid used to get rid of bodies and other pieces of evidence. These were all things that the law enforcers had never even heard of in a story, much less seen or thought of in real life. It’s safe to say that Holmes drastically affected the police’s outlook on the cases in the near, and even far, future of criminals after his mystery; or at least part of his mystery had been

Logic Watson! Give me logic Miss Walden!" Not only was this man rude but he was also bossy; just what I needed in my life. At least his friend 'Watson' is nice enough. I wish they would really make up their minds, was it psychology they wanted or was it philosophy? Clearing my throat I spoke, "How about I get you a both, Sherlock if you don't mind telling me what you need this book for it would be a lot easier to help find you a logical selection." Sherlock seemed surprised to find someone complying so quickly after just denouncing a whole branch of science, one I found some truth in. "Well you see, I'm a consulting detective, the only one in fact, and John and I have a case regarding a man with what I believe to be 'Mommy issues' going around kidnapping single mothers. Please be quick about all of this, we need this information now!" Sherlock described. All the while he's describing this all the pieces are coming together for me, Sherlock, the curly hair, Watson, consulting detective: Sherlock Holmes the main all over the papers lately with that silly hate of

Let us begin with Holmes. Holmes lived in Chicago and owned a pharmacy. He had medical training and loved money and women (Larson 36-37). He was able to smooth talk and gave people a sense of happiness. Holmes could convince people of anything, which he used as a way to sell stories as to why the people he killed had just disappeared. He also used this in constructing his building/hotel. He barely paid a dime because he convinced workers that their job was unsatisfactory (Larson 67). The furniture companies would come looking for H. S. Campbell, the alias he used as the owner of the building, and he would tell them he was out on business (Larson 71-72). A man named Belknap, the uncle of one of Holmes’s three wives, described him as “warm and ingratiating, but also telegraph that some important element of humanness is missing”. For a long time this was known as “moral insanity” and later the term psychopath was used (Larson 87-88). Holmes himself was intrigued by Jack the Ripper (Larson 70).

“Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. He could not have defined it. Indeed, for the next several decades alienists and their successors would find themselves hard-pressed to describe with any precision what it was about men like Holmes that could cause them to seem warm and ingratiating but also telegraph the vague sense that some important element of humanness was missing.” (pg 23) There are two levels of power, emotional and physical power. Holmes was the kind of man who had learned to master both. He was stunningly handsome, and emotionally manipulative, a poison for anyone who could get close to him. In this quote, it shows just how addictive Holmes was to the people around him. He’s like candy. After you’ve had a piece or two, deep down you know it’s not good for you, but the feelings it gives you trump all doubt you have. A deadly mix of youthful exhilaration and feelings of lust, and the combined fact that the man they want so badly is a cold serial

Sherlock Holmes was always observing his surroundings more than anybody in the yard. That's what made him a great detective. He noticed how people dressed, walked, talked maybe even the way they breathe. It is relevant for him being able to practice medicine.

Sherlock Holmes is a well-known detective, deeply in which royalty has asked for his assistance in retrieving a photograph from Irene Adler. He is known for the excellence use of skills in solving crimes, of astute logical reasoning and of disguise. Holmes work has consistently involved

Sherlock Holmes’s intelligence is demonstrated in both “The Red-Headed League” and “A Scandal in Bohemia”. During “A Scandal in Bohemia” he first demonstrates his intuitive thinking by figuring out that Count Kramm, the man introducing him on the case, is actually the King of Bohemia himself. This shows that he is able to make a quick determination about people’s lives just by having a brief conversation with them. This allows Holmes to solve mysteries that others cannot by simply looking at a suspect or location associated with the scenario. He uses this ability later in the story to find where the incriminating photo of the king with Adler is. He does this by creating a situation for himself where he will be able to get into Adler’s home. He then fakes a fire to see where Adler goes first so he can see where she keeps her most valuable possession, the photo. Holmes states “When a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values the most… Now it was clear to me that our lady of to-day had nothing in the house more precious to her then what we are questing for” (Doyle 19). This line of thinking shows that Holmes knows how to get people to inadvertently give him the information that he needs by putting them in the right situation and observing what they do. This skill

In the short story The Adventure of the Speckled Band, Dr. Grimesby Roylott killed Julia Stoner and attempted to kill her sister Helen. After learning of the events leading up to these situations and examining the doctor’s quarters, Sherlock Holmes concluded that “doctors make great criminals.” Based not only on the doctor’s education and skills, but with his history, this is a fair assessment.

Sherlock Holmes is a character created by British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock is a legendary detective who solves even the most baffling and meticulously puzzled cases with astute observation, abductive reasoning and with little to no people skills. As a "consulting detective," he favors reason and logic above all else and rarely makes personal attachments beyond those that benefit him. He calls himself a "high functioning sociopath" because he does not make any acquaintance or understand emotions very well, beyond what can be studied.

When someone mentions the occupation of detective, a single image usually comes to mind, a man wearing a cape and deerstalker, holding a magnifying glass and smoking a pipe. This entire image can be contributed to one character: Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is considered by many to be the greatest detective to ever exist, even if he only exists in the pages of books and on movie and television screens. It is impossible to escape the influence of Holmes. Countless references are made to him in all types of media and he is used as an inspiration to may more fictional characters we have all grown to love. The cultural impact of Sherlock Holmes has spread to more than just fiction; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s