Huang 1

Chanel Huang
Dr. Lynda Haas
Writing 39B
30 April 2014
Sherlock is the Hero
Undoubtedly, the mystery genre is one of the most popular genres both in the past and in
present. Its uniqueness, according to literary scholars Jerome Delamater and Ruth Prigozy in
their book-length, Theory and Practice of Detective Fiction, lies in its double and duplicitous
plot. The plot is double because the story is first narrated as it appears to the bewildered
bystanders who observe the crime and are to some extent threatened by it but who cannot arrive
at its solution (1). Readers, then and now, find the mystery fascinating. In addition to the
double plot, the key of the genre also lays in the role of the genius heroin the case of the
famous Conan Doyles story, Sign of the Four, Sherlock Holmes. In order to accent and
exaggerate on his ingeniousness, his sidekick, Dr. John Watson, and the inept police force play
a crucial role in which, when are juxtaposed to Holmes, enhances his superiority in both skills
and knowledge, allowing the readers to easily categorize him as the hero.
According to literary scholar Kirby Farrell, its Holmes craving for mental exaltation,
much like the one shown in the famous Shakespearean play, Hamlet, that makes Holmes a hero.
His reasoning of how both crime and existence are commonplace implicitly suggests that he is
not trapped within the walls of mortality and, thus, makes him seem almost godlike, as he
transcends death (33). In addition, in The Sign of Four by Sir Author Conan Doyle published in
the Lippincotts Monthly Magazine in 1890, Sherlock Holmes had stated he is the last and
highest court of appeals in detection (5). Farrell suggested that this almost makes him a rival
Huang 2
of God since Holmes is implying that he is the judge of sin and that whatever case that comes
to his hands will be solvedno truth can escape him (34). It is this obsessive discovery of
crime and his almost godlike characteristics that allows him to easily come across as the hero.
John Watson, on the other hand, also plays an important role in enhancing Holmes role
as the hero. As Holmes counterpart, he brings out the best of Holmes. Farrell described as
facets of a single persona, the split-man, since they epitomize humanity dissected into
ratiocinative violence and sentimental virtue, the latter avid of absorption into the former. (34)
Its as if Holmes is the brain and Watson the heart; Watson complements him. As shown in
Sign of the Four, Sherlock Holmes is all about not allowing judgment be biased by personal
qualities while the whole time John Watson was almost obsessively attracted to the client,
Mary Morstan, falling head over heels in love with her. Explained by literary scholar Leroy
Panek in An Introduction to the Detective Storypublished in 1987, the character setting of
John Watson is an average middle-class manwhich is very relatable for the audience group
which consists mostly of middle-class malesso his affection for Miss Morstan is nothing but
the ordinary (9). In contrast, Holmes disinterest would be considered strange; and since this
characteristic is beneficial for the role of a detective, it emphasizes Holmes role as a hero. He
doesnt let sentiment get the better of him. He is different and, therefore, is the hero.
In agreement and in order to further illustrate the importance of Watson, literary scholar
Maria Konnikora had created an analogy differentiating between how Watson and Holmes
thinkthe Watson system and the Holmes system. The Watson system is nave, obvious, and
operating by the lazy thought habits while the Holmes system is specific, mindful, and
requires motivation and effort. In essence, we all operate on a more Watson-like system since
its more natural. In comparison, Holmes specificity to details is highlighted and underlined.
Huang 3
Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson argues that [experts] see things [within their area of
expertise] that are invisible to a novice; they are able to discern patterns at a glance that are
anything but obvious to an untrained eyes (Konnikova 23) Holmes trained eyes often pick
up the smallest differences and, in contrast with Watsons obliviousness, thus, underline his
role as hero.
The inept police force of the Victorian era also underscores the uniqueness of Sherlock
Holmes, thus further contributing to the importance of his role as hero. According to Panek, the
police detectives were not the most accepted heroes in the entire nineteenth century. They were
often ranked low in public esteem, as did the old fashioned thief-taker and the bounty hunter
in the United States. (8) Gradually, the police force in most literature started reflecting the
inefficiency and dishonesty found in the policework in the Victorian Era. Paneks claim that
the presence of half-successful police in the late nineteenth century gave fiction writers a soap
box from which to inveigh against blinkered officialdom and pig-ignorant policemen versus
the amateur detective (8) is illustrated in The Sign of Four. Throughout the novel, common
police characteristics of the mystery genre, such as lack of knowledge, being too quick to judge,
having a blinkered attitude, and the tendency of jumping to conclusions were implied through
the actions and behaviors of Mr. Jones. However, it becomes clear that the convention of the
inept police force is critical in contrasting to the superior talent and adding onto the
ingeniousness of the hero, Sherlock Holmes.
From chapter 6 of The Sign of Four, Athelney Jones, the detective inspector, is easily seen
as a pompous, close-minded man even when he first enters. He refers to Sherlock as the
theorist even though he is well aware of what Sherlock Holmes is capable of. Conceited, he
cannot see how someone can solve mysteries the way Sherlock does, thus believes that it was
Huang 4
due to pure luck. Furthermore, after hardly any observations or investigations, he jumps to a
conclusion, I have a theory. These flashes come upon me at times.Just step outside,
sergeant, and you, Mr. Sholto. Your friend can remain.What do you think of this, Holmes?
Sholto was, on his own confession, with his brother last night. The brother died in a fit, on
which Sholto walked off with the treasure. Hows that? (73) From even the very beginning, he
challenges and mocks Sherlock, suggesting that hes not the only one who can come to a
reasonable conclusion. In addition, this also illustrates how much he cares about what others
think of him since he could have just started investigating the minute he walked in instead of
stating how simple the case was and attempts to mimic the part where Sherlock explains
everything after he investigate. A few lines down he further concludes, Thaddeus is evidently
in a most disturbed state of mind. His appearance iswell, not attractive. You see that I am
weaving my web round Thaddeus. The net begins to close upon him. (74) Essentially, he is
judging Thaddeus and sees him as a suspect merely by his sickly physical appearance. Even
without any investigation, Jones had already weaved his web round Thaddeus and eventually
arrests him without any evidence. He uses words like evidently to imply how easy and
obvious the explanation is and that Sherlock Holmes is not needed here. Arrogant as he doesnt
care if anything falls correctly in his theory, as he just wants someone arrested for the crime for
the press and public to see that the police are doing their job. Jones type of deduction is very
different from Sherlocks, as it requires zero investigation and zero evidence. It was merely
guesswork. In comparison to Holmes method of observing the minute detailssuch as the
poisonous thorn, the tiny footprints, and the ropeand going from there, readers could easily
recognize that Holmes has a better chance than Jones in solving the mystery and are, thus,
drawn to the genius step-by-step deduction method of Sherlock Holmes. Moreover, the
Huang 5
convention of the police force in detective stories exaggerates on the mistakes police detectives
in the Victorian Era tend to make, which allows readers to notice how ridiculous the mistakes
are, thus, shining light on how Sherlock Holmes is the only character shrewd enough to
overcome all the obstacles and unravel the mystery. Literary scholar Panek has concluded, if
readers in the early nineteenth century saw the police detective in literature and life as a
lower-class creature who was either incompetent or corrupt, they increasingly saw, in literature
if not in life, the genius as the hero. (9)
The roles of the police detectives in detective stories and the mystery genre in general and
the heros sidekick have a big impact on how the main character is portrayed to be the hero.
Scholars agree that it not only provides a way for comparison between the oblivious and all-too
ordinary sidekick and the inefficient and flawed deduction method of the police detectives with
that of the heros but also shed light on how nave the average thinking system is and the faults
of the police force during the Victorian Era. These comparisons make the Sherlock Holmes
stand out from the crowd and thus further shaping the role of the hero that he is.



Works Cited
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2013. Kindle
eBook. Online.
Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective
Fiction. New York: Praeger, 1997. Print.
Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green
Huang 6
State University Popular Press, 1987. Print.
Konnikova, Maria. Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. New York: Viking,
2013. Print.
Farrell, Kirby. Heroism, Culture, and Dread in The Sign of Four. Studies in the Novel 16:1
(1984): 32-51. JSTOR. Web.