The characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have left an impact on American and British thoughts like never before. There were the Dickens days, when literary excellence swept across minds of readers, and next came Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with his fiction series of his detective Holmes, and his partner, Dr. Watson.
The two characters have been introduced, and even been compared in the beginning of the series, with Sherlock Holmes being given the superiority of observation, and Dr. Watson assisting him through his cases in the series. Sherlock Holmes is no doubt a ‘hero’, as he has been able to detect many instances that were left unsolved or remained unknown by others. The character had the potential to solve the cases that came up to him with least of effort, and with intelligent tackling, he was able to gain a name in the circle of detectives. He was also known as the ‘second highest expert’ in Europe, and due to his capabilities, was consulted by many for their mysterious cases. Holmes had the ability to join the broken pieces of the puzzles that were set before him, with his credulous skills in detection. He believed in nothing till all facts were known to him (Doyle, A., 2008).
In one instance of the series Holmes declares that a wound that had been caused to an afflicted person of the story was by his own knife. This fact remained in disbelief till the very end, and none of the fellow detectives could accept the idea put forth by Holmes, and they seemed irrelevant and unwanted for the case at hand (Doyle, A & Roberts, S.).
Evidence of the heroism of Holmes also lays in the fact that people who were reading him, adored his character, and when Sir Arthur stopped writing the series upon reaching a saturation point with Holmes, they began writing to him, and made “Lets Keep Holmes Alive” clubs, in hope of its continuation (Pierce, J.). However, he discontinued the series, with the end of it coming about with the detective’s death.
The character of Sherlock Holmes was one of inexhaustible energy, despite his usage of cocaine at times, when not indulged in a case (Book Review: Sherlock Holmes, 2008). This being an essential aspect of the detectives life and routine, presents a modern day “hero” outlook, as in today’s world, the possession of high energy and the use of drugs is common practice.
Holmes will forever be superior to all, including Dr. Watson and us readers, sue to his cleverness, as portrayed in the fiction series. His smartness and wit is what makes him a hero in the view of readers, and has gained immense repute with the methods of handling the toughest and most mysterious of cases laid before him. Despite his partner’s incompetency, he manages well on his own thought process, and gives good proof and evidence for whatever he encounters through the case at hand. With a lot of confidence, as shown in the first chapter, ‘Sherlock Holmes’, he has confronted others with great optimism and surety of the claiming he has made. This is a portrayal of present day heroism additionally, that the entire approach towards a case is made by Holmes with an optimistic mind, and extreme assurance.
It is evident from the series that Sherlock Holmes definitely deserves to be called a “hero”, due to his priceless devotion and aptitude in his works.
Works Cited
- Book Review: The Sherlock Holmes Stories 2007.
- Doyle, A. & Roberts, S. Sherlock Holmes. Web.
- Doyle, A. Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Boscombe Pool 2008.
- Pierce, J. Sherlock on Ice. Web.