 |
| Sir Arthur Conan Doyle |
1. Write a character study of Sherlock Holmes( try to avoid using the illustrative examples which are given in the story) ?
A- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave the world a legacy that would be passed down to generations, would become almost a folklore, and be remembered as a cult classic. He gave us Sherlock Holmes, THE detective of English Literature. Akin to all his novels, in “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Doyle has portrayed Holmes as the perfect and ideal detective whose power of reason and deduction surpasses all the norms and limits of human brain, and defies logic.
Another factor that adds to the vivid imagery of Sherlock Holmes in “A Scandal in Bohemia” is the fact that Doyle has used Dr. Watson as Narrator in the short story. In Watson’s mind, Holmes is ‘the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen’. We might say that at times, Watson’s descriptions about Holmes are biased, but in no ways are they exaggerated. There are a few features of Holmes’ character that have been particularly focussed upon in this story.
As we come across Holmes for the first time in the story, we are introduced to his unusually perfect power of deduction which is both unbelievable in the first instance yet exceedingly elementary upon closer look. As Holmes describes his process of deduction in guessing the whereabouts of Watson and what has he been indulged in over the past few days by observing things as little as the smell of iodoform and mark of nitrate on his hands, we cannot help but marvel at his wisdom. He further goes on to correctly guess where the anonymous letter that was delivered to him came from judging by its texture. Further, when the “gentleman” arrives, Holmes is able to make out the number of horses driving his carriage by the sound of their hooves. Also, further into the story, we see him making out that the gentleman was the King of Bohemia himself,with relative ease and finally he comes up with a brilliant plan to find where the photograph was hidden in Irene Adler’s home which is a brilliant display of his power of observation and knack of keeping the note of even the smallest details and changes. His power of deduction even penetrates into human emotions as he can almost conjure up in his mind how would a person react to a particular situation in a particular scenario which helps him to plan his moves accordingly.
Doyle’s Sherlock is also the master of disguise. Not only in “A Scandal in Bohemia” but in all the other novels, disguise was a powerful weapon used by Sherlock in his exploits, and is evident when Watson says--”Accustomed as I was to my friend's amazing powers in the use of disguises, I had to look three times before I was certain that it was indeed he.” Sherlock dons the attire of a drunken looking groom, ill-kempt and side-whiskered, with an inflamed face and disreputable clothes to gather information about Irene Adler, and dresses up as a clergyman the second time to retrieve the photograph from Adler’s home. It wasn’t merely that Sherlock donned the clothes of the part he played. His expressions, his manners, his very soul imbibed the essence of the character and varied with each role he assumed. As Watson rightly remarks, the stage lost a fine actor and science lost an acute observer, both invaluable, as Holmes became what he loved i.e. a specialist in criminology.
Another interesting facet of Sherlock’s character is his undying and unshakable trust in Watson. Even though Watson lost communication with Holmes as he entered his marriage and took to the civil life, Sherlock greets him with the same warmth when they meet at his room in the Baker Street. He immediately involves Watson in the investigation, and when the King of Bohemia arrives and asks for privacy to open up the matter to Holmes, he retorts saying that its either both or none, which exemplifies the amount of trust he vests in Watson. All through the further investigation, Watson remains his right hand. Sherlock Holmes can be called the perfect friend who is nuisance to be with, but is nevertheless devoted towards his best friend Watson with all his heart and soul.
Last but not the least, we find a very unusual side to Sherlock’s character in “A Scandal in Bohemia” and that is his admiration for Irene Adler. For a person who always talked about women’s intelligence with sarcasm and revelry, Sherlock was unusually moved by Adler’s intelligence, so much that he used to call her “the woman”. In his eyes, she eclipsed and dominated the entire womankind. Even though he didn’t have any feeling akin to love for Adler, yet her intelligence and the fact that she outplayed him in the case influenced him so much that he agrees to the King of Bohemia saying that Adler is on an entirely different level. Thus Sherlock Holmes admits to and admires a woman for the first time in his life, which is both unusual and perhaps a welcome change for Doyle’s faithfuls.
“A Scandal in Bohemia” manages to catch the different moods and escapades of Sherlock Holmes and intricately describes all the aspects of Sherlock’s character.
2. Authors of detective stories often rely for their effects on a certain amount of trickery , coincidences , or implausibility . Is this true of Conan Doyle in "A Scandal in Bohemia" ?
A- Detective stories have always been a hard genre to master, but the authors who have been there and done that have a cult of their own. Be it Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, every author of detective stories has his own unique style of expression. But all of them do rely on certain amount of tricks, coincidences, and implausibility for maintaining an apt atmosphere and keeping the reader involved. Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia” is no exception to this fact.
As Watson passes through the Baker street, he finds Sherlock’s room lit. He finds Sherlock pacing up and down the room as suggested by his silhouette, with his head sunk and hands clasped behind. Accustomed as Watson was to his habits, he says that Sherlock had woken up from his drug-created dreams and was hot upon some new problem. The imagery provides an atmosphere of mystery and implausibility to the reader absorbing him in.
Sherlock’s powers of deduction is a very influential and powerful tool that Doyle uses in his stories to maintain the atmosphere and add unprecedented twists and turns to the story. When Watson first meets Sherlock after a long time, he is amazed to find that Sherlock knew that he has put on seven and a half pounds since last time, had got himself wet on a country walk a few days back, and had a very careless servant girl. The reader at first finds it almost magical for Sherlock to know so much about a person whom he has not met in months. But when Holmes start describing the process of his deduction, starting from the parallel cuts on his shoes leading upto the deduction that he had gone out in the wild. His explanations make the facts look unbelievably simple yet hard to notice. He further goes on to correctly guess where the anonymous letter that was delivered to him came from judging by its texture. Further, when the “gentleman” arrives, Holmes is able to make out the number of horses driving his carriage by the sound of their hooves. Also, further into the story, we see him making out that the gentleman was the King of Bohemia himself,with relative ease.
Further, Sherlock Holmes is portrayed as the most perfect disguiser in his novels. The way he chooses his characters in accordance with the situation has a remarkability of its own and makes the subject unsuspecting. As he dons the look of a drunken looking scruffy groom so perfectly that even Watson has to triple-check to be sure its Holmes, we are introduced to his amazing power of disguise. As he laughs uncontrollably while lying back in his chair, we wonder as to what is so humorous about the situation. He finally unravels the mystery telling that he had been probing around Briony Lodge, trying to gather information about Miss Adler and his probation takes unexpected turns. He learns about a man named Godfrey Norton, who was a lawyer by profession, thus supposedly an important factor in the case. As Holmes comes across Adler right afterwards, and follows her, the story takes another tricky and unexpected turn as Norton and Adler get married in a Church with, amusingly, Holmes as their best man. Thus, Adler’s lawyer is her fiance which explains quite a few things. In order to recover the photograph from Adler’s home, Sherlock comes up with another plan. As he asks Watson to throw up the window in his hand a plumber’s smoker-rocket upon his signal with which he intends to fake a false alarm of fire. The readers wonder what a false alarm would have to do with this case and when Sherlock emerges from his room disguised as an old clergyman, it doesn’t help the reader’s imagination. Arthur Conan Doyle almost has the power to tease us with such descriptions of his, since they are not lacking in information on any part, nor do they provide substantial evidence of what must be going on in Holmes’ mind. Anyways, he does succeed in doing what detective novels should do i.e. keep the readers on the edge all the time. Soon, we learn the brilliancy of Sherlock’s mind once again as we realise what his plan was. Dressed as an old clergyman, he collapses and falls infront of Adler who then takes him inside her home. Once in, he signals Watson to raise a fake alarm of fire as he grabs the smoker rocket and fills the room with substantial smoke. The smoke and the shouting make Adler reach for the thing she held most dearly to her heart, i.e. the photograph, in order to save it from being burnt down. Sherlock carefully observes Adler and finds out where the photograph is hidden but is unable to recover it as he doesn’t have time. As he heads back home, a familiar voice wishes him good night in the dark of night. Holmes is unable to recognise whose voice it was, which is unusual, but was too tired to pay any heed to it.
But as we are still trying to imbibe Sherlock’s implausible and flexible intelligence, the story takes a final tricky turn. As the King of Bohemia, Holmes and Watson reach the Briony Lodge the next day, they are surprised to find Irene Adler gone. Her maid looks at Sherlock and says that he must be Holmes and her mistress told her to hand him a letter that she had given her. It comes as a shock for the readers since there were no means by which Adler could have known Sherlock Holmes. He is too perfect to leave a trace. Adler sheds light on the mystery and tells that she had been warned by her well-wishers months ago that if there is any man whom the King of Bohemia would employ, it would be Holmes. She had his address, and she knew it was Holmes when she took him inside her house to keep him unsuspecting. She does admit that Sherlock did make her reveal what he wanted to know, i.e. the place where the photograph was hidden, and having realised her mistake, she found it too dangerous to stay in Briony Lodge any further. She wishes Holmes good night on her way to meet her husband, Norton, and they leave the city for a happier life. She still has the photograph with her but vows never to use it against the King since she had forgotten her past and started afresh. Moreover, it will be a safeguard for her life. She encloses a photograph of hers with the letter which Sherlock keeps with himself-- a defeated Sherlock Holmes who can’t help but admire the wit of Irene Adler.
The story is filled with numerous coincidences that are humorous to implausible. The timing of Watson meeting Holmes matches perfectly with the timing of the King’s arrival, which is unusual. Sherlock too, while probing around Briony Lodge and gathering information about Norton and Adler, comes across the man and the lady herself, and to add to it, vouches their wedding as their best man! And perhaps the biggest coincidence of the story is that the womankind, about whose wit and intelligence Sherlock talked with sarcasm and humour, catches the better of Holmes as he is humbled by a lady, Irene Adler, in something in which he was undefeatable.
3. In a society in which women's roles were subordinate to men , how does Irene Adler stand out ?
A- Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia” is more of a demonstration and justification of the admiration Sherlock Holmes has for Irene Adler than anything else. As Watson says, Sherlock called Adler by the name of “the woman” which strongly suggests that how much he revered her. For him, she eclipsed and predominated the entire fairer sex. Even though he didn’t have any feeling like love for her, which is too big a distraction for his perfectly balanced mind, the very fact that Sherlock Holmes, the person who made fun of women’s intellect and intelligence innumerable times in Doyle’s works, admires Adler so much and keeps her on the highest pedestal of intelligence itself justifies Adler’s mettle.
As we are introduced to Irene Adler who is being a nuisance for the King of Bohemia, threatening him to ruin his marriage with the photograph they got clicked together during the days when he courted her, we can’t help but imagine Adler as nothing more than a woman who is bent upon taking revenge from the King at any cost. Sherlock too doesn’t expect her to be much a trouble and comes up with a simple plan. Firstly, he dons the look of a disguised groom and reaches Briony Lodge where he learns about Godfrey Norton, a lawyer, and finally bumps into Adler. He follows her only to reach a church and witness her marriage with Norton as their best man. This explains things quite a bit. Having married Norton, she had found a husband and lawyer in the same man and this would help in her being safe and the photograph too. Even till here Irene Adler has nothing exceptional to her character. She is just another woman seeking safety.
Sherlock comes up with another plan to find the location of the hidden photograph. As he asks Watson to throw up the window in his hand a plumber’s smoker-rocket upon his signal with which he intends to fake a false alarm of fire. The readers wonder what a false alarm would have to do with this case and when Sherlock emerges from his room disguised as an old clergyman, it doesn’t help the reader’s imagination. Soon, we learn the brilliancy of Sherlock’s mind once again as we realise what his plan was. Dressed as an old clergyman, he collapses and falls infront of Adler who then takes him inside her home. Once in, he signals Watson to raise a fake alarm of fire as he grabs the smoker rocket and fills the room with substantial smoke. The smoke and the shouting make Adler reach for the thing she held most dearly to her heart, i.e. the photograph, in order to save it from being burnt down. Sherlock carefully observes Adler and finds out where the photograph is hidden but is unable to recover it as he doesn’t have time. As he heads back home, a familiar voice wishes him good night in the dark of night. Holmes is unable to recognise whose voice it was, which is unusual, but was too tired to pay any heed to it. It is really unusual of Adler to fall so easily in such a trap but having seen Adler and judging by her character all through the story, it rather acceptable.
But as we are still trying to imbibe Sherlock’s implausible and flexible intelligence, the story takes a final tricky turn. As the King of Bohemia, Holmes and Watson reach the Briony Lodge the next day, they are surprised to find Irene Adler gone. Her maid looks at Sherlock and says that he must be Holmes and her mistress told her to hand him a letter that she had given her. It comes as a shock for the readers since there were no means by which Adler could have known Sherlock Holmes. He is too perfect to leave a trace. Adler sheds light on the mystery and tells that she had been warned by her well-wishers months ago that if there is any man whom the King of Bohemia would employ, it would be Holmes. She had his address, and she knew it was Holmes when she took him inside her house to keep him unsuspecting. She does admit that Sherlock did make her reveal what he wanted to know, i.e. the place where the photograph was hidden, and having realised her mistake, she found it too dangerous to stay in Briony Lodge any further. She wishes Holmes good night on her way to meet her husband, Norton, and they leave the city for a happier life. She still has the photograph with her but vows never to use it against the King since she had forgotten her past and started afresh. Moreover, it will be a safeguard for her life. She encloses a photograph of hers with the letter which Sherlock keeps with himself-- a defeated Sherlock Holmes who can’t help but admire the wit of Irene Adler. After the letter has been read aloud, even the King exclaims at her wit and tells that she was always quick and resolute. Sherlock responds by saying that she was on a very different level, much higher than any of them.
Irene Adler always knew Sherlock Holmes would be the one who would spy on her, if anyone would be employed to spy by the King of Bohemia at all. She knew it was Sherlock when he appeared infront of her as an old clergyman. And she played brilliantly with Sherlock Holmes, taking herself totally in and leaving him unsuspecting. The story was written in late 1800s when the women had roles much more subordinate to men. In such a scenario, Irene Adler was a class apart and she did outplay the entire fairer sex in intelligence and wit. After all, earning the admiration of Sherlock Holmes was not a trivial thing.
4. Obviously Conan Doyle is the author of 'A Scandal in Bohemia' but who relates the events of the story to us ? What are the possible disadvantages of using Watson as the narrator ?
A- “A Scandal in Bohemia” has a rather unusual aspect to it. It uses Watson as the narrator to describe the escapades of Sherlock Holmes. Even though Watson was Sherlock’s right hand and best friend and could explain Sherlock and the faculties running through his mind better than anyone else, there are however some disadvantages of having used Watson as the narrator.
As it is clearly evident,”A Scandal in Bohemia” is more of Adler’s story than it is Sherlock’s story. It is one of the few incidences, actually might be the only one, in which another character catches the better of Sherlock Holmes and puts him to silence. “A Scandal in Bohemia” is almost a celebration of Adler’s wit and intelligence. But as we know, in the eyes of Watson, Sherlock Holmes was THE perfect detective. He had perfect powers of deduction and was the perfect disguiser. We come across his undying admiration for Holmes when he says that even though Sherlock admired Adler, still he didn’t have any feeling akin to love for her. He justifies this by saying that emotions like love were something that were not meant for this most perfect reasoning and observing machine.
Although such devotion of Watson towards Holmes gives a new facet to the descriptions of the novel, yet it undermines the fact that Sherlock Holmes did lose to a woman in the story. Watson’s views on Holmes are strongly biased due to the fact of him being his best friend.
As we come across Holmes for the first time in the story, we are introduced to his unusually perfect power of deduction which is both unbelievable in the first instance yet exceedingly elementary upon closer look. As Holmes describes his process of deduction in guessing the whereabouts of Watson and what has he been indulged in over the past few days by observing things as little as the smell of iodoform and mark of nitrate on his hands, we cannot help but marvel at his wisdom. He further goes on to correctly guess where the anonymous letter that was delivered to him came from judging by its texture. Further, when the “gentleman” arrives, Holmes is able to make out the number of horses driving his carriage by the sound of their hooves. Also, further into the story, we see him making out that the gentleman was the King of Bohemia himself,with relative ease and finally he comes up with a brilliant plan to find where the photograph was hidden in Irene Adler’s home which is a brilliant display of his power of observation and knack of keeping the note of even the smallest details and changes. His power of deduction even penetrates into human emotions as he can almost conjure up in his mind how would a person react to a particular situation in a particular scenario which helps him to plan his moves accordingly.
Doyle’s Sherlock is also the master of disguise. Not only in “A Scandal in Bohemia” but in all the other novels, disguise was a powerful weapon used by Sherlock in his exploits, and is evident when Watson says--”Accustomed as I was to my friend's amazing powers in the use of disguises, I had to look three times before I was certain that it was indeed he.” Sherlock dons the attire of a drunken looking groom, ill-kempt and side-whiskered, with an inflamed face and disreputable clothes to gather information about Irene Adler, and dresses up as a clergyman the second time to retrieve the photograph from Adler’s home. It wasn’t merely that Sherlock donned the clothes of the part he played. His expressions, his manners, his very soul imbibed the essence of the character and varied with each role he assumed. As Watson rightly remarks, the stage lost a fine actor and science lost an acute observer, both invaluable, as Holmes became what he loved i.e. a specialist in criminology.
As we can clearly see above, Watson is so absorbed in the aura of Holmes that he almost forgets the fact that Holmes did commit a mistake in undermining Irene Adler’s abilities since she was a woman. To retrieve the photograph, he comes up with a simple plan. Dressed as an old clergyman, he collapses and falls infront of Adler who then takes him inside her home. Once in, he signals Watson to raise a fake alarm of fire as he grabs the smoker rocket and fills the room with substantial smoke. The smoke and the shouting make Adler reach for the thing she held most dearly to her heart, i.e. the photograph, in order to save it from being burnt down. Sherlock carefully observes Adler and finds out where the photograph is hidden but is unable to recover it as he doesn’t have time. As he heads back home, a familiar voice wishes him good night in the dark of night. Holmes is unable to recognise whose voice it was, which is unusual, but was too tired to pay any heed to it. Watson describes the above scene in a tone that depicts the perfection with which Sherlock Holmes executed the plan, so much that the reader almost forgets that Holmes did make a mistake in his plan. Also, he does not stress upon the anonymous “Good Night” which has a tricky little part in the end of the story. As the King of Bohemia, Holmes and Watson reach the Briony Lodge the next day, they are surprised to find Irene Adler gone. Her maid looks at Sherlock and says that he must be Holmes and her mistress told her to hand him a letter that she had given her. It comes as a shock for the readers since there were no means by which Adler could have known Sherlock Holmes. He is too perfect to leave a trace. Adler sheds light on the mystery and tells that she had been warned by her well-wishers months ago that if there is any man whom the King of Bohemia would employ, it would be Holmes. She had his address, and she knew it was Holmes when she took him inside her house to keep him unsuspecting. She does admit that Sherlock did make her reveal what he wanted to know, i.e. the place where the photograph was hidden, and having realised her mistake, she found it too dangerous to stay in Briony Lodge any further. She wishes Holmes good night on her way to meet her husband, Norton, and they leave the city for a happier life. She still has the photograph with her but vows never to use it against the King since she had forgotten her past and started afresh. Moreover, it will be a safeguard for her life. She encloses a photograph of hers with the letter which Sherlock keeps with himself-- a defeated Sherlock Holmes who can’t help but admire the wit of Irene Adler.
Thus we can see clearly that it was Irene Adler and not Sherlock Holmes who played buff in the entire story. Even as the story concludes, the King suddenly starts lauding Adler whom he had been trying to get rid off a few days back, which suggests that it might be the King, and not Adler who was at fault in their relationship. But Watson does not care stressing upon this fact and due to his undying allegiance towards Holmes, she remains more of an Unsung Hero during the entire story.
5. Discuss the manner in which Conan Doyle uses surprise , mystery , and suspense in the story ?
Note-- There is no need to prepare this question separately. It is totally like question no. 2.
6. Discuss subversion of women in the story.
A- Doyle's "A Scandal in Bohemia" follows the story of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes on his adventures to retrieve a damaging photograph. In the society Watson describes, the apparent role of women is miniscule for emphasis focuses on one woman who is the object of Holmes' detective inquiries. In "A Scandal in Bohemia," society places women at a subordinate level pushing them to the background therefore never allowing us, the reader, to know them.
Watson describes women as second-class citizens at the start of the story without directly saying so. When Watson says, "My own complete happiness, and home-centered interests which rise up around the man who first finds himself master of his own establishment were sufficient enough to absorb all my attention," he declares that his wife makes no important family decisions. Since Watson is the "master" or ruler of his own "establishment," he insinuates that the members of his family are not his equals. Watson's wife is a trivial character, clearly evident because we never hear from her and never learn her name. On one occasion, Watson spends the night at Sherlock's home on Baker Street without once thinking to inform his wife. Watson's behaviour shows what little respect he has for his wife. This blatant disregard for his wife's feelings illustrates the insignificance of this woman.
The King of Bohemia displays another example of the lack of respect given to women. His concerns do not center on his future wife becoming aware of this affair but rather tarnishing his own image. The King fears the revelation of this scandalous photograph for it lies on the hands of a woman. His interests to dominate this woman are evident in the callous actions the King directs towards Irene Adler. The King states, "Five attempts have been made. Twice burglars in my pay ransacked her house. Once we diverted her luggage when she travelled. Twice she has been waylaid. There has been no result". This disregard for Adler's privacy questions the King's overall motives. Does he really want the photograph or do his actions focus on hurting Irene Adler? The King wants the upper hand on this beautiful, yet intelligent woman. The King's attitude towards his future wife and his former lover, Irene Adler fits into society's narrowly defined roles of women.
In this society, women were the nurtures and the protectors of the children and what some deem as only monetarily valuable items. The female instinct to nurture reflects in the personality of Irene Adler. Watson acknowledges this nurturing instinct when he says, "but I know that I never felt more heartily ashamed of myself when I saw the beautiful creature against which I was conspiring, or the grace and kindliness with which she waited upon the injured man". This willingness to help is a quality Watson, as well as other men in society, felt should be a quality all women possessed.
Women also serve as protectors of those people or things, which cannot help themselves. Holmes explains to Watson a woman's natural behavior upon encountering an obstacle by saying, "A married woman grabs at her baby; an unmarried one reaches for her jewel box".This line implies that marriage and babies go hand in hand. Was a woman only married to procreate? It seems Sherlock Holmes thought so. He did not say an unmarried woman reaches for her child but she would reach for a jewellery box, a material thing. The unmarried woman reaches for a baby and not a jewellery box. In a society in which women's roles were subordinate to men, Irene Adler is the only woman in this story who actually has a personality. Her character unfolds throughout the story. She serves as a significant part because most of the plot centres on her. The King fears this woman scorned will seek revenge and as a result tarnish his image. His apprehension towards his marriage announcement is solely because of a woman, whose independence scares him. Throughout the story, Sherlock Holmes tremendously underestimates the intelligence of this woman. He automatically assumes she will lead his directly to the photograph.
Rather than succumbing to the deceit of Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler outsmarts the clever detective using his own tricks. The narrowly defined roles of women were evident for the only means to discuss women in this story is through their relations with men. No woman, not even Irene Adler, has her own story. After all in the end, even Irene Adler runs away with a man. Out of the five female characters mentioned or alluded to in this story, only one is given a name and personality. This lack of female representation shows how dominant males were in the society of the story and in the society of the real world. “A Scandal in Bohemia” was written during the late 1800s when concerns over Women’s Rights have started being voiced in the United Kingdom. It is historically believed that Doyle was not a great supporter of this movement which more or less may be the reason behind the subversion of women in his stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment