Essay Example on Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson: Solving Mysteries Together

The major characters in Dr. Cannon Doyle's short stories are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The introduction of "Scarlet" demonstrates that the two characters are qualified and hardworking professionals. Dr. Watson works as a medical surgeon at Northumberland Fusiliers in the fifth regiment. On the other hand, Sherlock Holmes is a specialized private detective with the extraordinary ability to solving the criminal mystery. The two characters live in the same apartment and cooperate on their criminal investigation cases, but they portray similar and different characteristics. Holmes has incredible knowledge and skills in his work; hence he can solve most cases accurately. Although Doyle portrays Holmes as more intelligent, he fails to understand basic science on earth rotation. However, Holmes has shortcomings of addiction and arrogant "I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection" (Doyle 12). Unlike Holmes who is not concerned about others, Watson is caring because is concerned about his friends' addiction. Although Holmes and Watson may live and work together in the criminal department, they have similarities and differences that help them to complement each other.

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Holmes and Watson are both learned and each graduated with a degree from popular universities. They are highly respected in their respective working areas. When the stories were introduced, they seemed different and had nothing in common, but this changed in the course of the stories. The stories describe the physical features of the two characters as a representation of their abilities. Both of them are tall and strong, But Holmes is taller than Watson. In the story "In the Study of Scarlet", Watsons seems to admire Holmes's physical and mental ability when describing that "His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination" (Doyle 8). Watson also describes Holmes's eyes as sharp and piercing, showing the expression of alertness. Watson is also an intelligent man, having graduated with a medical degree from London University, but the "Sherlock" presents him as a fool who does not understand major things happening around the earth. However, Watson is keen on his work and collects every detail in a crime scene to solve the mystery (McLaughlin 15). They share a close friendship because they spend most of the time together working to solve police cases. Moreover, their friendship plays a significant role in the domestic realm because they live in the same apartment.

Holmes and Watson had similar perceptions about women, and the first woman Doyle introduced in the play was Miss Morstan. Doyle describes Miss Morstan as a sweet and important woman with sympathetic blue eyes (Doyle 55). She brought her father's case to Holmes because he had been missing for ten years. Holmes was less interested in her as a woman because he believed they belonged to different levels. Holmes is arrogant and stereotypic because of the belief that women are no match to men when it comes to intelligence. He believes that women are fooling being with narrow reasoning hence he foregoes marriage. However, Miss Morstan demonstrates different features from the traditional assumption of Holmes. For instance, she is agitated to solve the case, and she provides all details that can help the detective with the case. Unlike traditional women, who stay home to look after children and husband, Morstan is a professional woman because she accompanies the detectives to different sites in search of her father. She fails to understand the scientific processes carried out by Watson, but she contributes sensible ideas that are crucial to the investigations (McLaughlin 20). Holmes notices that his assumption is wrong when she refers to her case as incomprehensible because she had no lead even though she had collected reasonable details. Holmes becomes excited and rubs his hands while leaning forward to concentrate on the case and prove to Miss Morstan that he was the best. He was shocked to realize that the case of mysterious and took time before coming up with suspects (Doyle 56). Although her father had been gone for ten years, she has been receiving pearls for the last six years and the suspect wanted to meet with her. She came to the investigating department because she was worried that the sender had bad intentions towards her.

Watson's perception about women does not change in the play and he develops a romantic attachment to Morstan. Doyle differences the two characters by demonstrating Watson a romantic and an individual who follows his heart. On the other hand, Holmes is portrayed as a rigid, cold and logical man. He analyzes every situation using scientific methods; hence he cannot fall in love. Watson is not dedicated to finding hard facts, hence he offers less help to unfold mystery such as murder. However, his romanticism character is significant in their career because he offers emotional support to Holmes as he keeps changing his moods due to addiction (McLaughlin 22). The relationship between the two major characters diminishes the traditional domestic domain in Sherlock stories. Watson marries Morstan but he is not dedicated to his family because he spends most of his time assisting Holmes to solve the mysterious cases. Moreover, Watson is not dedicated to having children that would carry on his name because he is only focusing on career success. Watson is a womanizer and had married many lives, but his love for his job kept them apart. Doyle notices that Watson's experience with women extends over nations and continents. He does not behave like a married man although he is married to Morstan. Therefore it can be concluded that Watson and Holme's dedication to work keeps them away from social duties. They only contribute by helping people to come up with solutions to their cases. Homes have no domestic ties because he dedicated all his life to the detective career, and remain unmarried (Doyle 55).

Conclusion

In conclusion Holmes and Watson are the major characters in Doyle's short stories. They are both intelligent men working in the most prominent detective offices. They are respected for their ability to solve mysterious cases using scientific and philosophical analyses. Although Doyle portrays Holmes as more intelligent, he fails to understand basic science on earth rotation. Holmes is observant and dedicated to finding hard facts to unveil mysteries in various cases, but he fails to understand subjects such as politics, literature, and philosophy. Holmes is also arrogant and has mood disturbance due to addiction while Watson tries to support him emotionally. They appreciate women at the beginning of the story, but Holmes felt that women are not as intelligent as men. Although Watson is romantic, he also disrespects women because he behaves like a bachelor and has married different women. They both refrain from family ties and dedicate their lives to their careers. In Sherlock Holmes stories, Doyle assigns Holmes and Watson similar and different characteristics to help them complement each other in their careers.

Works Cited

Doyle, Arthur Conan. A study in scarlet. Vol. 1. Penguin, 2001. 1-57

McLaughlin, Rebecca. "A Study in Sherlock: Revisiting the Relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson." (2013). 1-32. Web https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=honors_proj