Elementary, My Dear Reader: Sherlock Holmes in Literature and Film

 by Katie Struck

            Intelligence is the most attractive quality that a person can possess. People that think critically and use their knowledge to better the world outlast those who only rely on outer appearances or superficial qualities. Sherlock Holmes is one of those iconic characters that shows what some critical thought and reasoning can accomplish. In fact, he’s such an iconic character that other popular characters in pop culture have been based on him such as The Doctor from Doctor Who, Shawn from Psych, and Dr. House from House. There will also be a second Sherlock Holmes movie, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, coming out on December 16th, 2012 which is the sequel to Sherlock Holmes. In anticipation of this mystery action flick, enjoy my thoughts on how the classic Sherlock Holmes character from Doyle’s short stories to the revamped movie character.

            Since Sherlock Holmes is an extremely intelligent man who rejects emotions, he does not make many close friends; however, the best friendship of Watson and Holmes in the both short and the movie is a very caring relationship built on mutual trust and respect. Holmes regularly asks for Watson’s thoughts on clues and encourages Watson when he says that there is no way he could infer information like Holmes does. Also, they call each other “brother” and “my dear fellow” showing that they are more than just friends; they’re family. While both men seem to live separate but connected lives in the short stories, Holmes seems less willing to part with Watson in the movie. He even bribes a fortune teller to tell Watson that his marriage to Mary will be filled with horrific doilies, warts, and figurines. Watson expresses his annoyance at Holmes’ immaturity, but still follows Holmes to the slaughterhouse to help him. In the end, both men would be there for each other when it is important even if it means risking their lives for each other.

            Sherlock Holmes is a man who uses his wit and intelligence as weapons to catch criminals and solve mysteries; as a private consultant, Holmes sees his fair share of violence. In the short stories, Holmes encourages Watson to bring his army pistol with him when they run into trouble, but Holmes does not really rely on weapons. He can knock a gun out of someone’s hand if he needs to, but he’s not a physical fighter. He fights people with logic. On the other hand, Holmes in the movie seems to revel in his martial arts skills. In one of the beginning clips of the movie, Holmes immobilizes three characters through sequentially plotting how to injure them in the fastest, most effective way possible. He also ends up beating people with police sticks and boxing for money. This decision by filmmakers may have been an attempt to make a heavily intellectual character more traditionally tough and violent. While I love a well-choreographed fight scene every now and then, the movie may have been more palatable to me without turning one of my favorite characters into just another action hero.

            One quirk that Sherlock Holmes is famous is focusing on the small details and his logic to solve large mysteries. In the short stories, he constantly surprises strangers by knowing details about them that they thought would not be obvious through Holmes’ powers of observation and deduction. He knows where people have travelled from the mud splatters on their clothes. He theorizes about suspect’s marriage satisfaction from whether their clothes seem clean or not. Finally, he sees a person’s class status in their handwriting. This quirk of Sherlock Holmes’ translates well from books to the movie. There is a scene where Holmes, Watson, and Watson’s fiancé are at a restaurant and Watson’s fiancé questions whether Holmes can really learn that much about a stranger from small, observable details. Holmes then proceeds to deduce that Watson’s fiancé is a governess with a tall pupil who flicked ink at her. Also, he correctly stated that her pupil’s mother lent her a ruby and diamond necklace to wear because of her son’s behavior. He only made a mistake when he incorrectly assumed that she had left her previous fiancé when in reality her previous fiancé had died. It’s somewhat comforting that even a great mind like Sherlock Holmes can make large errors of judgment.

            Although I prefer the traditional Sherlock Holmes character, I do have a fondness for his modern reincarnations. In Doctor Who, I see the Doctor’s heightened intelligence in solving problems and his concern for his companions as reflective as Holmes’s wide range of knowledge and his concern for Watson. I can watch Psych and laugh at Shawn’s attempts to dramatically disguise observational skills as psychic powers. In House, I can revel in the strange seemingly unexplainable symptoms and diseases of patients the Dr. House has to decide how to treat. Finally, I look forward to seeing Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in theaters and seeing the continued celebration of logic and reasoning.