How Did Sherlock Holmes Alter His Identity

He grew up secluded with his two brothers, Henry and Arthur, and his sister Ellen. He also grew up with his parents who were devout Methodists. A common factor about serial killers is that they usually grew up in a strictly religious household. His home life was hard because of his mentally and physically abusive parents, especially his father. Researchers have found out that his father used tactics such as “prolonged isolation and even food deprivation. Furthermore, his father reportedly held kerosene soaked rags over Holmes and the other children’s mouths to “quiet them” when they cried.” (Concordia University). A child’s relationship with their parents is crucial in their development. Psychologists have researched this specific topic for years and drew the conclusion that, “Without the safety net of a secure attachment relationship, children grow up to become adults who struggle with feelings of low self-worth and challenges with emotional regulation. They also have an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety.” (How Childhood Trauma). Because of his parents neglecting, his idea of relationships was skewed, and he became isolated. He had no positive relationship to model after and that really took a toll on his social life. In fact, “It is possible that Holmes...was so traumatized by the abuse that it ultimately led to his inability to form meaningful relationships.” (Concordia University). He was bullied at school for being smarter than the rest of the class and having no friends. His most notable bullying incident was when “ Holmes, blindsided by classmates, was forced into a doctor’s office, where the hands of a skeleton were forcibly placed over his face.” (Concordia University). Holmes had a phobia of doctors and anatomy as a whole, and the event was so traumatic to him that his fear reversed itself and turned into an extreme interest, something that is not uncommon between trauma victims. The

His ambition was to create a game which involved the suffering of others. Killing people created him a sort of pleasure, “Holmes was enjoying himself. He had arranged the insurance fraud for money, but the rest of it was for fun. Holmes was testing his power to bend lives of people” (Larson 355). Holmes always looked for people that he saw as weak and he used them to create his game which to him was to see how far he could go in changing a person’s life. While Geyer was investigating the disappearances of the Pitezel children he said that all criminals had a motive but no one really saw clearly what Holmes’ motive was. Later Geyer was drawn to the conclusion of Holmes wanting to have power over people’s lives. Holmes wanted to control people and produce others a suffering as he did when Carrie Pitezel was put in a hotel by Holmes in front of the hotel her children were in, without any of them knowing, that was his game. In the novel both Burnham and Holmes had ambitions but both had very different ambitions, which led their lives in different paths. Burnham by having the ambition to want Chicago to prosper became America’s best architect. Holmes’ ambition took him to jail and eventually to his death. The novel The Devil in the White City, illustrates that everything is not what it seems using the character Holmes and the creation of the World’s Fair. Holmes was known as a charming doctor that starstruck every woman that he laid an eye upon. It was said by

The Devil in the White City reads, “As word spread that a young, handsome, and apparently unmarried doctor now stood behind the counter, an increasing number of single women in their twenties began to patronize the store”(Larson 46). You can’t build a log cabin without wood, and you can’t be a serial killer without victims. Victims are an essential part to the art of murder. As a result, he had a plentiful picking because he was “young, handsome and apparently unmarried”.  These attributes make Holmes a very charismatic person. While Holmes was being escorted to his death, the novel reads, “This was a difficult moment for his guards. They liked Holmes. They knew he was a killer, but he was a charming killer”(Larson 386). Even though the guards knew Holmes was a despicable person, they still liked him and found him “charming”. His charisma was such a potent attribute, even if people knew the real him...as seen in the text….they stilled “liked him”. They knew he had murdered innocent women and children, but still founded him “charming”. As can be concluded from the examples, Holmes’s charisma served him well in becoming a long time anonymous perpetrator.

Following a massive investigation and numerous interviews with Holmes, forensic psychiatrists would diagnose Holmes with Schizotypal personality disorder. This mental illness makes it difficult for individuals to maintain social relationships and causes the person to isolate themselves from society, causing anxiety, depression, among other symptoms.

For example, as Larson tells a story of how "…Mudgett registered his name as Holmes" (page 44), because of this it demonstrates that H. H. Holmes changes his appearance from what his actual name was. Holmes only changed his name in order to work as a druggist and begin his numerous murders. As the story of H. H. Holmes continues, he lives a double life. Once life that he pretends to be, and the person he really is. Other characters like Mrs. Lawrence, began to get suspicious of H. H. Holmes, but they were never truly sure because many people saw him as a charming person, so his "…sympathy would [be] disarming" (page 125) causing people to lose their suspicion.

He had two children, one son and one daughter. He went out of sight for six years after abandoning Clara and his son. He would always somehow come up with some con as to where he was and what he was doing during the time of his victims' deaths. The police had always questioned him, but had never really pinned anything on him. No one wanted to believe that Holmes was an evil master mind. He was so handsome and charismatic. His tall stature and piercing blue eyes made women often swoon at the sight of him. He could also talk anyone into anything at the sound of his voice and the medical, knowledgeable jargon he used. He even got an old lady to give him her husbands pharmacy after his death sometime after he arrived to Chicago. Other sources said that he killed her and inherited the pharmacy without anyone knowing what happened. Either way the old woman should have been happy that such a noble man was running her pharmacy. He was always the perfect assistant, making sure that her money was going towards helping the company in any way. He would even meet up with venders, creating a stable environment for her and her dying husband. He eventually killed her but when others would ask he stated that she had moved to California, but had no forwarding address (Taylor, Troy).

Random House published Invisible Man in 1952. The story is told from the perspective of a black man on the intellectual and social issues facing the African-Americans in the early twentieth century. Because of his coloring, he is treated as invisible, and – consequently – struggles with his individuality and personal identity the whole of the novel. At the outset of the book, the narrator mainly relies on others to determine his identity. He is easily swayed, easily persuaded, and – in essence – a real yes-man. However, as the novel progresses, he becomes engrossed in the racial, reformist movements of the twentieth century, growing more self-aware and out-spoken. Nevertheless, after experiencing some turbulence, he recognizes that he was really, not at all discovering his identity. His action was in pursuit of the interests of others and not for himself. By the end of the story, he brings the reader full circle, ending his explanation of just how invisible he really is.

Sherlock Holmes, a creation of Scottish Author and Physician Sir Author Conan Doyle, is a fictional detective famous for his prowess at using logic and astute observation to solve cases. Sherlock is a very unique individual and he is so realistic that many people believe he was a real man existed in the late 19th century. In fact, Sherlock possesses a very interesting set of personality and his distinctive characteristics plays a big role in captivating the heart of the audience. So, who is Sherlock? What kind of person could draw many people’s attention?

The short story by Doyle, “The Man with the Twisted Lip,” is based on disguises of wealth and appearance and how these disguises change the point of view that people have in the social classes and what they think about each other during the Victorian Era. Disguises can be used to create an identity for one’s own personal gain or to protect an individual 's identity. Neville St. Claire uses disguise to validate his place as a gentleman. His status as a beggar allows him to become the successful gentleman that he should be, by concealing his true self to the social class system. Sherlock Holmes uses his persona as a protection to keep the people of London safe and out of harms way. Between the two personalities of St. Claire and Holmes is the outcome of what others may think of them; St. Claire knows the identity that he has created is not accepted by the social class while Sherlock Holmes identity is seen as a hero and is accepted by the social class. One uses his disguise purely for monetary gain and the other uses the identity in order to solve mysteries and protect his city. As shown in the “The Man with the Twisted Lip”, disguise is only allowed when the social class accepts the identity.

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

“American children between eight and twelve say they spend an average of six hours a day using digital media, and those between thirteen and eighteen say they spend nine hours a day,” Goldsborough mentions (62). It is apparent that children and teenagers spend an abundant amount of their time on digital media. However, due to the fact that adolescents are spending an excessive amount of time on social media, more and more people are beginning to change their identity. The internet user may get so caught up in the virtual world, that they begin to lose sight of who they are in the real world. Thus causing a myriad of problems. Cyr acknowledges this fact by claiming that technology is causing people to change their identity. Another issue social

Coulson, 2004). Sherlock is a part of the upper class while Watson is seen as a middle class citizen while he is respected but he isn't on the same level as Holmes. He is also respected for his work as a doctor and is known for being hard working. Sherlock is portrayed as a troubled but brilliant detective who is often troubled and socially awkward with people. He also deals with psychological noise with the fact that he sees everything he call it both a gift and a curse at the same time. Holmes and Watson both have different degrees of perceived self and presenting self. In Watson case his is more concerned with his presenting self than Sherlock is (C. M. Shaw& R. Edwards, 1997).

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.

His biggest advantage as a detective in London is use of networking. The Baker Street Irregulars are a group of homeless children Conan Doyle included in his Sherlock Holmes series several times. They are Sherlock’s eyes and ears on the streets of London, as he notes “they can go everywhere, see everything, overhear everyone” (Conan Doyle 93) He can gather them all together with the help of their leader Wiggins, and then inform them of what they should keep an eye out for. They can assemble within a few hours, and are immediately ready to work. They provide unparalleled access to the murkiest parts of London’s underground. It is in The Sign of Four that Holmes notes “this is just the case where they might be invaluable” (Conan Doyle 89). Holmes manages to navigate the problems that the modern cityscape of the late 1800s throws at him, namely limited means of transport, by spreading his eyes and ears thinly across London. While it may be helpful to the cause, Holmes ultimately uses the Baker Street Irregulars to do his dirty work for him. This goes against the belief that Sherlock Holmes is a detective who avoids the harming of innocent people by using his mighty intelligence to solve crimes.