The Red-Headed League

1113 Words5 Pages
The Red-Headed League presented by Doyle has an ingenious plot and captivating characters: Holmes and Watson. The story unfolds in more of a modern-day detective story. It is in the interest of the readers to match the wits of Holmes in solving the mystery of the story. Here the Watson the less intelligent friend to Holmes tells the story, and he is amazed just like any other reader when Holmes give the solution. Sherlock Holmes embodies values of intelligence and individual achievement. This story gives the reader the idea of a society undergoing rapid change. Sherlock Holmes is the most recognizable figure in Doyle’s “ The Red-Headed League”. The readers expectation of him is that he is capable of solving any puzzle presented to him with pure reasoning and a great mind. The story confirms this to some extent but again complicates his image as the reader can discover the many sides of Holmes. Watson identifies that Holmes has a “dual nature” and this is evident throughout the story. Holmes instantly shifts from investigating the clues at Wilson’s house to…show more content…
The narrator is Watson, who plays a limited role and does not contribute to solving the case. In fact, he is irrelevant and is the center of the story’s form. Watson helps the readers understand and see only what he experiences. His good nature and warm feelings for Sherlock Holmes enliven the story from a recounting of a crime to a comprehensive study of human behavior. The readers are put into Watson’s shoes by Doyle by transforming the story from a mystery into a survey about humans. Warm descriptions of Watson about Holmes enable the readers admire Holmes even though it is difficult for them to understand his complex reasoning. Despite the contradicting image of readers about Holmes, Watson helps in redeeming him by suggesting that Holmes is objective at benefiting humanity. Even though, Holmes admits that his solutions to the cases are for his

More about The Red-Headed League

Open Document