Sherlock Holmes is the main feature of the stories. He has an amazing talent to draw up conclusions from the infinitesimal details. For example, from looking at Jabez Wilson he noticed that he has done some manual labour, he noticed this by the way Wilson’s right hand is slightly larger than his left where his muscles have been developed. In addition, this shows Holmes’ intelligence and expertises compared to his assistant, Watson, whom isn’t as experienced as Holmes. In the time that he worked out that Wilson was wearing, Holmes discovered superficial founding’s. For example what look like to Watson as a heavy brassy Albert chain, was actually indeed an indication that Wilson was actually a Freemason. This also shows that Holmes looks beyond the obvious facts and tries to come up with other justifications.
Holmes tends to act on a slightly different code to most other people. He maybe one of the best detectives around, but he isn’t your typical detective. For example, Holmes has the most peculiar behaviour for the example, in The Red Headed League, he pulls Watson ‘abruptly’ into the room. Normally you wouldn’t expect this from a ‘normal’ person.
Furthermore Holmes’ pipe is mentioned in all the stories I have read. In The Red Headed League, Holmes went to take his pipe when he was supposed to be solving a crime with Watson. He pacifically told Watson that the case was a ‘three pipe problem’ and then asked Watson not to talk to him for 50 minutes. It could be that Holmes is addicted to his pipe, or he may have just needed to relax him whilst he thought of what to do next. Holmes’ pipe is quite a main feature of him. Holmes’ demonstrates that his pipe is what makes him ‘tick’. Where ever Holmes is at his office or his house, his pipe tends to be not that far from him.
I have mentioned that Holmes is an intelligent detective, who notices the smallest detail. Holmes has a talent of linking his clues to the scene of the crime, and the criminals, unlike his acquaintance, Watson. Holmes and Watson are partners who go along together to solve crimes. Being the expert in solving crimes, Holmes is the dominant one who controls the case. Although Watson is his partner, he doesn’t inform Watson to what his intentions are, he would keep his findings to himself whilst Watson endeavours to what the solution is. For example, in The Speckled Band, Holmes knew that Dr Grimsby Roylott had a collection of animals from India. He may have had a hunch that, one of his animals may have caused the death of Helen Stoner’s sister, but didn’t let did not tell Watson his hypothesis. This maybe is because Holmes has had many successful cases in the past, and with his experience he may have found not compulsory to enlighten Watson as he knew what he was doing.
Sherlock Holmes has treated his clients slightly differently to each other. This may have been because of that all three clients went to Sherlock Holmes for his assistance with different cases or because of his client’s status in society. For example in The Red Headed League, Jabez Wilson was looked down upon by Watson; this maybe was because Wilson was a prawn broker. Victor Hatherly, form The Engineer’s Thumb was told to lie down and he was offered breakfast and some brandy. Hatherly’s occupation was an engineer. Compared to Wilson, being an engineer is more respectable than being a prawn broker, whom at the time may have been seen as greedy.
Today many people still believe that Sherlock Holmes was a real detective who was alive in the Victorian times, not realising he is actually a fictional character. Holmes has proved to be a sensational character that is intriguing. The fact that the settings in the novels are actually real places might have helped triggered off the assumption that the stories are written on a detectives real life.
