The Hound of Baskerville - Free Essay in English Literature

Sherlock Holmes' novels are shrouded by mystery and lots of detective work that exhibits the brilliance and detail to the attention of this investigator. He uses unconventional means to come up with a logical meaning to the puzzles that exist in a plot. In the Hounds of Baskerville, author Arthur Conan Doyle uses both gothic and detective themes to build a plot that is interesting to the reader and solves the mysteries that exist in the story through deductive analysis. Myths exist because of misconception and ignorance of the people they affect. A majority of people believe in myths because they cannot provide logical explanations of strange events that happen in their lives or in their surroundings. However, keen observers, use of recall and deductive reasoning helps an individual to uncover the loopholes in myths.

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Holmes superior observation, recall and deductive ability as compared to the other characters in the story can be seen in the following scenes. The first scene is in Holmes office when he meets Sir Henry Baskerville for the first time. Henry had received an anonymous note that was cut and paste from a newsprint except for the word 'moor.' The reason why this word was written in a gothic manner was that the sender had missed the word 'moor' from a newspaper where he had cut the other print and also wanted to hide his or her handwriting to avoid detection. The other characters Dr. Watson, Dr. Mortimer, and Sir Henry Baskerville had failed to see the connection of the note that was sent to a recent newsprint (Doyle 38-42). It illustrates Holmes observation, deductive reasoning, and recall.

The second scene is the when Holmes and Dr. Watson are following Dr. Mortimer and Sir Henry Baskerville back to Henry's hotel room. Holmes had figured out that there had to be a person who observing Henry's movement and was keen to ensure that he did not travel to Baskerville. It may be that he did not want Henry to subject himself to the danger that had befallen his uncle or he was using this tactic to create fear of Sir Henry. Holmes figured the best way to find out was follow them (Henry and Mortimer) from a distance and assess whether there was anybody following them. They soon see a cab following the two gentlemen (Doyle 46-50). However, they cannot make out who the rider of the cab is. The only thing that they identify is that it was a man who had a beard. The observation and deduction ability of Holmes is also noted in this scene as he is able to note the number of the cab driver, which provides them with crucial information. The cab driver informs them that the identity of the unknown driver was Sherlock Holmes. In a later scene when Holmes is explaining to Watson one of the clues that had led him to solve the case was that the unknown rider at that time had gone to great lengths to hide his identity. He had used a fake name and also a fake beard to implicate Mr. John Barrymore. It meant that he was a person from Baskerville who knew the employees of Sir Henry and also about the curse.

When Holmes if at Baskerville Hall, he reassures Sir Henry that he would soon uncover the mystery of the death of his uncle and subsequently on the myth of the hound. He soon discovers an important clue that acts as one of the final puzzles to his theories of the events, the portrait of Hugo Baskerville, the allegedly first victim of the Hound. He closely resembles Stapleton and it provides an explanation of the curse and why the Baskerville family was being targeted. After this point, the other pieces of the puzzle fall in place (Doyle 179-194). For instance, Holmes and Watson visit to Laura Lyons leads him to uncover how Charles Baskerville was set up to be killed. I believe that Doyle used gothic and detective themes hand-in-hand to build the plot. However, the brilliance of Holmes uncovers the myths by providing the reader with logical explanations. It reiterates the notion that myths are only real to ignorant people who fall into the misconceptions set up. However, for keen observers, who use deductive reasoning and recall, they cannot fall prey to hoax stories.

Works Cited

Doyle, Arthur C. The Hound of Baskerville. George Newnes, 2010.