Sherlock Holmes Research Paper

Not only did Holmes murder adults, Holmes also murdered children for the simple reason that he could do it. Holmes also turned some of his victims into the displays used to show anatomy at school and hospitals. Even after delivering the skeletons, no one suspected they were acquired through

“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

This demonstrates Holmes’s uniqueness as a criminal, which includes the mistaken belief that he’s different or better than others and that rules don’t apply to him. Similar to lying by omission, Holmes is also shown to be unique as a criminal, in the fact that he feels no moral obligation and that rules don’t apply to

Holmes was able to manipulate women, men, and even police officers. The contrast between the two characters helps the reader to envision this as a real crime that could happen today. The normal life of a guy building structures and rides to create joy for children and families, with a hidden killer that could be seen as obvious to many. While reading this, I knew something was off about Holmes and the way he described places. He claimed he moved to Chicago because it would allow him freedom, and that it was a dark place.

Holmes did not have a pleasant childhood which led him into the huge crimes he committed and how he died at a young age. All of these crimes started when Holmes tortured animals at his house in New Hampshire(Serial 1). Most of the murders he committed happened in the “murder castle” he built across the street from a pharmacy(H.H.Holmes 2). But Holmes was later caught and was sent to jail twice. All of the people Holmes killed were just ordinary and innocent people, so why did they have to

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

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).

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.

Emotional thinking is the systematic response in the brain that may influence false alarms when it comes to specific scenarios. These alarms trigger one’s emotional state into feelings such as excitement, misery, and stress. Emotional people are stereotypically known to overanalyze situations and create conflict with the reality of the situation. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one can witness that the two central characters have difficulty when it comes to their thought processes of one another. Victor Frankenstein, an aspired inventor of the famous Creature, must come to terms with the responsibility of his creation. In an similar manner, the Creature uses his emotions to cause misery, and pain to his enemy, Victor. Comparatively, in

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

During the construction of the “Castle” Holmes hired a carpenter named Benjamin Pitezal as his assistant because Holmes deemed him to be unintelligent and easily manipulated due to alcoholism. The victims Holmes prayed on were generally young single woman with no social ties. Holmes used a variety of methods to kill the victims. After killing the individuals; Holmes stripped the corpses of flesh and paid an individual to assemble the bones into skeleton models to sell to medical colleges for money (Wilson & Seaman, 2011). When Holmes failed to pay his debtors he and his assistant went on the run. Holmes was arrested for fraud and bonded out, however while in his jail cell he bragged to another inmate about the insurance fraud who would later reveal the crime and link to the serial killers crimes. The pair moved state to state committing frauds and petty crimes. Holmes convinced Pitezal to fake his own death so the two could collect on a $10,000.00 in another fraudulent life insurance scheme (Schmid, 2006). Holmes turned on his assistant killing not only him, but three of his young children as well. Pitezals wife alerted authorities to her missing children and husband, she was informed the remains of her husband were discovered and the realization of what had occurred with her family was uncovered. Later the

Sherlock Holmes and Dupin are both very good detectives, however they both have their merits and disadvantages. In this essay I will argue that Sherlock Holmes makes a better Detective than Dupin. Dupin is arrogant, selfish, and imaginative, while Sherlock Holmes is Selfless, Confident, and he is also imaginative like Dupin, but he does not let that imagination interfere with is work. Even though Dupin and Sherlock Holmes both have merit with imagination, Sherlocks ability to not let his imagination interfere with his work and his selflessness makes him a better detective, even though he may not always get his case right.

In the story “A Scandal in Bohemia,” we get a glimpse of Holmes’s character, a natural mastermind, through John Watson's narration. As with any narrated scene, our perception of Holmes

In the Sherlock Holmes stories “The Red-Headed League” and “A Scandal in Bohemia” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle explores mysteries through the eyes of Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s assistant. Holmes is able to amaze the people around him with his deductive abilities and can quickly determine aspects of a person’s life by just looking at them. This allows him to solve mysteries that others cannot wrap their heads around. He uses his skill to first help the King of Bohemia recover a picture of him with a former lover. Next, he investigates the disappearance of the Red-Headed League. In both of these mysteries he experiences a unique challenge due to the intelligence of his opponents and the unusual situation surrounding the case. The cunning and cleverness of Holmes, Irene Adler and the conspirators of the Red-Headed League are shown in the stories “The Red-Headed League” and “A Scandal in Bohemia”.

The story is told by Watson, not Holmes. Watson is never likely to be at the same thinking level as Holmes. There are some parts which are kept secret from us, things that Watson does not know, the reader also does not know. ‘Holmes leaned forward and whispered something in the trainer’s ear’. Here Holmes whispers something, so clearly he wants to keep it a secret from Watson. This keeps the reader guessing what Holmes might have said; hence it creates suspense as well as tension. However there are times when Watson is great help to Holmes, in Silver Blaze, when Holmes