Quote Analysis In 'The Hound Of Baskervilles'

H.H. Holmes personifies the stereotypical murder. Throughout his killing spree, Holmes pretended to be a gentleman, even marrying some of his victims. When Holmes was interrogated later, he described himself as Satan.(6) Using a friendly outward appearance, Holmes was able to escape suspicion when the victims’ family questioned disappearances. Holmes gave those families false hope that the victims would be found, or had just run away and had not died. When in reality Holmes had brutally murdered each one and hid all of evidence.

Larson uses extreme detail to make the reader fully understand the evil in Holmes and gain a grasp of Holmes’s mind and inner thoughts. Holmes “admitted to killing 27 people” however, there is no proven number. He at least murdered 9 people but estimates range as high as 200.This means that his violence was not limited to a certain number of people there is a high range of doubt to who died by Holmes’s hand . Next we see the distortion within holmes. He describes himself as “ believing that he is resembling the devil” this further adds to his earlier point of him being “born with the devil inside him”.(109)This further proves the issues holmes has mentally.

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.

Holmes had been born into a wealthy New Hampshire family and was given the name Herman Webster Mudgett (America’s Serial Killers). “If Mudgett or his brother or sister were bad, their strict Methodist parents sent them to the attic for a full day without speaking or eating,. Mudgett’s father was especially abusive after he’d been drinking - which was often” (Spikol). However, his father was a wealthy and respected citizen and had been the local postmaster for nearly twenty five years (Taylor). It is surprising an important member of the community was a child abuser. The abuse of his father may be one of the

Lastly, Holmes has so much bravado.  As the creditors were swaying to arrest Holmes, “Holmes fled”(Larson 325).  This shows he won’t be a man and face the consequences. He won’t fight back. As Holmes fled, he shows the reader this fake courage and fake dignity.

In the short story “A Scandal in Bohemia” Mr. Sherlock Holmes receives a letter of the most secretive importance. In this letter, it was stated that the person is not to be

Watson describes Holmes’s process of looking for clues and evidence of the murder as thus: “…he lounged up and down the down the pavement, and gazed vacantly at the ground, the sky, the opposite houses and the line of railings. […] he proceeded slowly down the path, or rather down the fringe of grass which flanked the path, keeping his eyes riveted upon the ground” (17). This shows that he focuses his attention first on any possible clues from the surrounding area outside and then concentrates on the ground once he’s determined where to look. It is also indicated that he has lowered levels of stress since he was lounging while looking for

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

He scans the room and notices his old flame Irene Adler, who then winks at him. Holmes makes to leave the ring - to the great disappointment of those cheering him on - but stops when his opponent spits on him. Using the deductive logic we saw earlier, Holmes figures out how to use the handkerchief and some well-calculated moves to take out his opponent” (IMDb). This scene does serve to show that Sherlock is still analytical, as he plans the entire fight out in his head before even engaging his opponent, but it completely gets rid of a huge part of Sherlock Holmes’ character where he doesn’t get into fights unless he absolutely has

This excerpt alone can describe the relationship between the detective and his partner, separating Holmes from Watson by interpreting how he observes and infers upon the scene of the crime versus Watson, who is intelligent nonetheless but not as keen as Holmes in identifying such specific details. In terms of this discussion, it can be assumed that Doyle may have intended to use this dialogue to play out the scene in a dynamic way to show the difference between the two. Here, Holmes carries most of the conversation while Watson listens and struggles to follow Holmes’s complicated thinking. Another factor to consider is how Holmes asks Watson many rhetorical questions. This aspect of their interactions compares their sense of understanding as well, suggesting that Holmes has a habit of asking these questions to explain his observations to Watson.

Not only can the dialogue bring life to the story, but it can tell the story itself, as seen in many instances in which Holmes has wrapped up another mystery. Most cases are concluded with a recollection of events and revealing hints that only Holmes knew of, presented almost conversationally from Holmes to Watson. With his first-person account of the mystery, Doyle uses Holmes to clarify any remaining confusion or questions that linger in readers’ minds as the chapter ends. While it is repetitive after several cases, granting Holmes with such large chunks of dialogue eliminates the need for boring, lengthy straight-forward narration. A good example of the use of retelling in dialogue in place for narration can be found in The Red-Headed League. A combination of complex writing and sophisticated vocabulary also follow the genius detectives’ mysteries and help to represent his intelligence through Doyle’s skillful work. Each story is written with extensive vocabulary as well as depth, which also alludes/attributes to Holmes himself. Therefore, Doyle was careful to ensure that the professional nature of Holmes was also conveyed

This excerpt from the story may reveal to show that Sherlock Holmes is very open- minded and confident about his work at all times throughout the story. But in my opinion the passage reveals that Sherlock is very self-reliant and observant. Sherlock points out all the problems about the note that was sent to Sir Henry and he also put out the many possibilities to make himself seem reliable. After all the claims that Holmes made, he puts out the conclusion, “Did the composer fear an interruption -- and from whom?" This shows that he relies on his own power/ position more than anyone else because after all the detecting he knows that he can get down to the main point.

During the time of the shooting, Holmes was using two psychiatric drugs. It is stated in the book that “Drugs distort individual’s thoughts, which enhances irrational

Not only can the dialogue bring life to the story, but it can tell the story itself, as seen in many instances in which Holmes has wrapped up another mystery. Most cases are concluded with a recollection of events and revealing hints that only Holmes knew of, presented almost conversationally from Holmes to Watson. With his first-person account of the mystery, Doyle uses Holmes to clarify any remaining confusion or questions that linger in readers’ minds as the chapter ends. While it is repetitive after several cases, granting Holmes with such large chunks of dialogue eliminates the need for boring, lengthy straightforward narration. A combination of complex writing and sophisticated vocabulary also follow the genius detectives’ mysteries and help to represent his intelligence through Doyle’s skillful work. Each story is written with extensive vocabulary as well as depth, which also alludes/attributes to Holmes himself. Therefore, Doyle was careful to ensure that the professional nature of Holmes was also conveyed through Watson’s retellings. An excerpt of The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle shows the use of vocabulary, stating,

The legendary fictional character Sherlock Holmes was constructed by a basis of a French criminal expert and a famous police investigator. He is known for his prowess in perception and analysis. On the other hand, Holmes sympathy towards people is near absent. Holmes loves to breakdown the story of each person he comes in contact with it. However, he does make a mistake occasionally. Although, there are many positive representations of Holmes, the Downey-Holmes is the best.