Character of Sherlock Holmes “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” is one of a several detective collection written by Arthur Conan Doyle which became well known among numerous people in the world. The protagonist in “A Scandal in Bohemia” as well as in the rest of Doyle’s stories is a legendary detective known as Sherlock Holmes, who always shows a positive energy into solving criminal mysteries. In “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Holmes along with his trustful friend, tries to unravel the riddle regarding the hidden letters of the King of Bohemia.
Sherlock Holmes’s unusual personality makes him an excellent observing person. Also, his insensitivity towards women changes after he meets an outstanding challenger, Irene Adler. Even though Holmes’s work is secretive, he still needs a good friend which helps him with his mysteries. One of the Sherlock Holmes’s characteristics is that he is an unusual observer as well as extremely cunning person. He works as a detective because his guilefulness, smartness, association with facts, and perceptiveness is perfectly developed.
When Holmes sees Watson walking into his house, he immediately deduces from Watson’s manners, clothes, and a track of mud that he was recently wet, saying: “my eyes tell me that on the inside of your left shoe, just where the firelight strikes it, the leather is scored by six almost parallel cuts. Obviously they have been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round the edges of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it. Hence, you see, my double deduction that you had been out in vile weather, and that you had a particularly malignant boot-slitting specimen of the London slavery” (Doyle 22).
Additional evidence which emphasizes Sherlock Holmes’s detective smartness is when he recognizes the false identity of the King of Bohemia. From a letter which Holmes received, he concludes that the paper was written in non-sensational literature and uncovers that it was made in Bohemia; therefore, the letter was from the Bohemian King who did not want to reveal himself (Doyle 24). Having these excellent characteristics, Sherlock Holmes is able once again to finish his job and uncover all the puzzles which are incredibly significant in “A Scandal in Bohemia”.
Sherlock Holmes is a tough character who practically never shows his emotions and feelings toward other persons. However, in “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Irene Adler is someone more for Holmes then just another person in his riddle. “To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex” (Doyle 21), Watson says, observing that Holmes never talks about any other woman like he does about Irene Adler. Nevertheless, it is not that Holmes fell in love with her, only that at this one time he got deceptive by a woman (Doyle 21).
Watson confer that it was not until Irene Adler enters Holmes’s world that he comes to completely appreciate her abilities as a both a woman and an outmaneuver contestant (Doyle 21). The writer adds that: “He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late. And when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her photograph, it is always under the honorable title of the woman” (Doyle 39). At that time Holmes had to admit that Irene Adler is the smartest woman he ever met and that’s why he will never forget about her as honorable person (Doyle 39).
Sherlock Holmes who works as a secret detective must be very vigilant and also do not trust anyone to not get mislead in his job. However, there is this one person whom Holmes trusts completely and this person is his greatest friend, Watson. When the King of Bohemia comes to Holmes’s house he is a little bit disoriented by seeing two men, so he says: “I understand that this gentleman, your friend, is a man of honour and discretion, whom I may trust with a matter of the most extreme importance.
If not, I should much prefer to communicate with you alone” (Doyle 25). In his response, Sherlock Holmes emphasizes that Watson is the most trustful person he has ever known, saying: “It is both, or none, you may say before this gentleman anything which you may say to me” (Doyle 25). It seems like Holmes likes Watson companionship to feel that there is always this one person that will listen to his secret missions and help in solving them. It results in that Sherlock Holmes believes in Watson’s confidence.
Sherlock Holmes was a brilliant detective who made a good use of induction to resolve his criminal riddles. With help of his best friend, Watson, he solved another mysterious mission. In my opinion, Sherlock Holmes is incredibly significant and fascinating character in this story because of his craftiness and smartness he always gets to the end of the mystery. Works Cited Doyle, Arthur. “A Scandal in Bohemia” The Literary Experience Ed. Bruce Beiderwell and Jeffrey M. Wheeler. Massachusetts: Thomson, 2008. 21-39
