Critical Essay on "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Arthur Conan Doyle

Introduction

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", Arthur Conan Doyle presents the most famous cases of Sherlock Holmes in a diabolical plot. The plot investigates the case of a young bride, Helen Stoner, the stepdaughter of Sir Grimesby Roylott. In the story, Doyle presents the characters using imagery to show the setting of the plot and also develop an appealing tone to persuade the audience of the development of happenings in the plot. The plot develops as a stepfather prevents his twin daughters from getting married thereby diminishing his source of income from his the estate of his deceased wife. Describing the premature death of the case client - miss Helen Stoner - presents an emotional appeal to the audience. This paper will discuss the tone, plot and character analysis in the narrative "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" to demonstrate the way the use of the three helps develop the theme of the story.

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The story is developed to make a pathological appeal to the audience to the rationality of the mysterious events reported in the case. The protagonist Sherlock Holmes is presented as a patient character willing to listen to the problems of a nervous young woman, Helen. He is presented as having an insightful emotional attachment to unveiling the mystery beyond the common motive for crime as a private detective. Doyle presents Holmes as a genius in synthesizing clues into elaborate theories and solutions to past cases presented to him. In the development of this character, Doyle uses imagery to illustrate his character ability and build on a tone of confidence in his work to show his admiration for this character to his audience. Another character developed in the narration is John Watson. Watson is Holmes assistant and best friend trained as a physician. He is presented as an intelligent and passive. Although he is the right-hand man for the able detective, he is never able to draw an amicable solution to the clues about the cases he collects. He is presented as very dependent on Holmes judgment though he supersedes his boss on social abilities. The client in the story is Helen Stoner soliciting Holmes's services investigating the mysterious murder of her twin sister. She is in the quest for justice and she is also murdered with her stepfather being the main suspect. In her short appearance, Doyle presents her as nervous and insecure. Dr. Grimesby Roylott is a medical practitioner who retired from the British Colony of India. Roylott currently runs Stoke Moran an estate once owned by a wealthy family. He is presented as violent, mean, and sadist. He is suspected to have killed a number of people. Doyle develops these characters in contradicting settings to show the unconnected events probing to the series of mysterious murders in the antagonist's life. Although no substantial evidence points him as the murder, the tactical progress of the detective's problem-solving abilities directs all allegations to him as the primary suspect.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Doyle presents a narrative that explores logics to build on his characters' traits and develop the narrations plot around the expeditious evaluation of clues to unearth the truth about the murders of the case presented by a client who also gets murders. In his development of the plot, the author depicts different character traits that show the abilities and personalities of the characters. The plot is developed from facts and speculations to dig into the hidden investigation.

Works Cited

Doyle, Arthur Conan. "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." Doyle Classic Illustrated 185-200