Sullivan 1

Susanne Sullivan Professor Lynda Haas Writing 37 13 February 2014 The Conductor of Light The detective story is such a pervasive phenomenon of the contemporary worldthat it is difficult both to imagine what our culture would be without it and also to understand why this is so. (Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction) In 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a new wave of appreciation for the mystery genre with the creation of the Sherlock Holmes stories. People were captivated by the mystery and crime that could be found in every novel. The main character, Sherlock Holmes, was the character everyone adored. Although, another important aspect of the stories that some may over look is the side-kick that Holmes had by his side in every novel. This character is none other than Dr. John Watson. Watson takes it upon himself to chronicle the adventures that he and Holmes go on, this is how the novels are structured; they are to be read as though they are from Watsons personal journal. Watson is also a highly skilled medical doctor that served time in the military; this has helped in developing his intelligence and usefulness to Holmes. What ultimately sets Watsom apart from Holmes is that Watson does not possess the remarkable knowledge that Holmes uses in every novel. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes states why it is important that he have a partner like Dr. John Watson, "It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it." (Conan Doyle Loc. 27). In the novels by Conan Doyle, the character Watson, is important in giving the reader insight into the life of the ever eccentric, Sherlock Holmes. Watson displays the characteristics of

Sullivan 2

a Victorian gentleman, ultimately setting him apart from Holmes, and creating a sort of continuous current for Sherlock Holmes to express his intelligence through. Holmes is the ideal detective because he displays all the fundamental elements that make a successful detective; these are, observation, knowledge, and deduction. Watson is not as superior as Holmes because he lacks the extraordinary deduction that Holmes displays. Holmes can solve the crime without the insight of Watson; in fact he often has solved it long before Watson ever has an idea of what could have been the cause. It is clear that Watson does not possess the knowledge of the great Sherlock Holmes, but he does have the emotions, and thoughts that the reader of the story may possess as well. In Victorian England, the era that Conan Doyle wrote these books, Watson would be perceived as the typical English gentleman; he was intelligent, charming, and intellectual. All these aspects help to develop the profound character that is Dr. John Watson. Holmes may possess the ideal qualities of a successful detective, but Watson has qualities that Holmes could never possess. The novels are written through the perspective of Watson, and how he may interpret a situation. Through his writings, Watson can shape Holmes to be a more appealing character to the audience. This can be seen in the novel The Sign of The Four when Watson is with Holmes at 221 B Baker St. Watson is appalled at Holmes's behavior with relying on a drug to keep his mind stimulated. "Yet upon that afternoonI suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer" (Conan Doyle Loc. 28). Watson decides to express his frustration with Holmes, and after this he describes Holmes's response, "He did not seem offended. On the contrary, he put his finger-tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of the chair" (Conan Doyle Loc. 28). Watson has the reaction that many like-minded people would have in this scenario, and with his questioning of Holmes; Holmes must contemplate why it is he does this, bringing a better light to Holmes's

Sullivan 3

character. Holmes "leaned his elbows on his chair" from this we can assume that Holmes, being the peculiar man that he is, is deep in thought deciding how best to answer Watson. Watson's questions do not change Holmes's view on using drugs, but it does help him to think about why he takes these substances; letting the reader have more insight on his character, and this helps him to appear more humane. Many of Conan Doyle's short stories are compiled into collections with titles like "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" or "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes". With these titles in mind, we also know that he writes the stories through the perspective of John Watson. We, as the reader, spend more time learning about Sherlock Holmes, than we do about Watson. The reason that this is, is because the reader can learn about Watson's character through his thoughts and the assumptions he makes about Holmes's. The reader now is from 21st century, but they can still relate to the ideas of the Victorian gentleman, because of this they have a better insight of who Watson is more so than Holmes. We do not need to know more about Watson, because we can use our own personal ideas to create the character that he is. With a mystery novel, the reader becomes acquainted with many of the typical genre conventions; we familiarize ourselves with these stereotypical aspects, and when something changes, it is very apparent. In the Sherlock Holmes novels, it is typical that Holmes solves the mysteries and Watson is there to help when need be. In the short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle called "Silver Blaze" this genre convention is slightly changed when Watson is the one who finds a clue that Holmes had evidently overlooked. "His eyes were on the trail, but I happened to look a little to one side, and saw to my surprise the same tracks coming back again in the opposite direction. One for you, Watson,' said Holmes" (Conan Doyle Adventure 1). When reading this small passage for the first time, the knowledge that Watson uses may seem

Sullivan 4

insignificant. He observed the area and found a trail that may lead them to the missing horse; it is uncharacteristic of Watson to find a clue before Holmes does. Although, after further analysis, one may ask themselves why did Conan Doyle have this happen in the story? If Sherlock Holmes is so great, why did he not notice this other trail leading in the opposite direction? It may be that Holmes was very content on the trail ahead of him, and did not observe the things around him, but it is not like him to overlook something like this. This example is unique in that Watson was able to serve as the "light" instead of the "conductor". For once Conan Doyle gives Watson the opportunity to help Holmes in seeing a scenario in a different light; Watson was there and was able to see the scene from a different perspective. Watson may often be seen as Holmes's "side-kick", but after further analysis we can see that he is much more than just a person Holmes takes on his cases. Watson is a man of great intelligence, he is a character a reader can relate to and understand, his attractable attitude keeps Holmes sane and "brings humanity to Holmes, who without Watson's sympathetic telling, would come off cold, inaccessible and unpleasant" (The Society). Without the development of Dr. John Watson, the genre convention of a "side-kick" would be irrelevant. Watson brings a whole new light to the meaning of a partner, which in today's pop culture has become very common in most of the stereotypical detective stories. It is now important to have a supporting character in most modern day stories. Dr. John Watson will forever be known as the most notable supporting character that aids one of the most beloved detectives of all time.

Sullivan 5

Works Cited

Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Lit2Go." Adventure 1: "Silver Blaze" N.p., 1894. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes Vol. 5). Vol. 5. N.p.: Fair Price Classics, 2010. Sherlock Holmes. Kindle Edition. Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir. The Sign of the Four. N.p.: Public Domain Book, 2012. Kindle Edition. The Society. "The Wide World of Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock Holmes Society of London. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014 Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction. New York: Praeger, 1997.