An examination of how Sherlock Holmes abilities and techniques, :: English Literature

An examination of how Sherlock Holmes' abilities and techniques, allied to his personal characteristics, enable him to solve crimes There are many reasons to explain why Sherlock Holmes is one of the world's most famous fictional detectives. However, the main reason for this is that not only are the stories complex, but the actual character of Sherlock Holmes has extreme depth, with some subtle elements of his character only becoming apparent when he is in certain situations. This is why Sherlock Holmes is one of the most, if not the most interesting fictional characters to study. One of Holmes' most famous professional characteristics is his power of observation. An example of this is where Holmes is examining a room "Why, it's a dummyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is fastened to a hook" (The Speckled Band). This is a very unlikely thing for a normal person to observe; but not for Sherlock Holmes! However, Holmes' powers of observation would be worth nothing without his excellent reasoning and deduction abilities. An example of this is connected to the quote above (from The Speckled Band). After Holmes discovered that the bell pull (rope) was a dummy, and taking into account only facts that may be considered, by lesser men, insignificant he solved the mystery of a woman's death. "It would crawl down the rope.... sooner or later she must fall victim" (The Speckled Band). It is by Holmes' use of reasoning and deduction that one of his most famous personal characteristics also comes to light. This is his characteristic of making people around him feel beneath him, in other words, Holmes has a high level of self-esteem. He astounds people with his intelligence. He pretends that he does not mean to do this "I do not wish to make a mystery" (A Scandal in Bohemia). There is but one case that I have come across in which Sherlock Holmes is outwitted by someone, and when he realises that he has been outwitted, he is amazed "Holmes staggered back, white with chagrin and surprise" (A Scandal in Bohemia). He is especially amazed that it is a woman that has outwitted him. This has some, but only a slight, effect on his belittling characteristic "He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late" (A Scandal in Bohemia). Holmes has a great store of knowledge that he has acquired over many years at his disposal, and this helps him greatly in his cases "my special knowledge of tobacco ashes enabled me to pronounce as an Indian cigar" (The Boscombe Valley Mystery). This yet again proves just how intelligent Sherlock Holmes is.