Demonstration of how Holmes would not be possible without Dr. Watson

Posted by Winnie Melda on January 16th, 2019

            Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and 20th Centuries. The London-based detective, Holmes is famous for the use of logic and keen observation to solve different cases. He is a famous detective and also very fictional. Dr. Watson was Holmes’s friend who is a fictional character in Sherlock Holmes stories as told by Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle. Watson and Sherlock Holmes are friends, though works as an assistant, flatmate, and the first person narrator of all the four stories.

            Dr. Watson is a unique character, unlike the eccentric Holmes. He is astute but cannot be similar to his friend’s deductive skills. Watson functions as an essential catalyst for Holmes’ mental processes. The author used him as a recipient of the enigmatic remarks made by the detective.

            I think that Holmes could not be possible without Dr. Watson due to his character and role in the stories. Dr. Watson is intelligent who acts as a perfect foil for Holmes. He was the archetypal late Victorian gentleman in comparison to the brilliant, and emotionally-detached analytical machine described as Holmes. Watson was also a doctor and surgeon who offered quality medical services to Holmes. The author explains that Holmes developed an idea that law was very ill to the point of death so that he could attract the attention of Watson. The incident occurred in “the Adventure of the Dying Detective” in which it was to fool Watson to execute his mandate as a doctor (Charles, 1976). Holmes liked make-up, and he also starved himself for few days to assume the necessary appearance. He claims that he is contagious to touch since he knew that the doctor (Watson) would know of his fake medical condition after examination. I think that Holmes was in a deep desire to have Watson as a friend and also as an s a close colleague in his work. He valued the character and roles played by Watson that make him a reliable character throughout the sections of the novel.

            According to Watson, he knew of his limited abilities as well as Holmes’ reliance on him. He was a friend, but also stimulated him to perform his roles effectively. Watson also attempted to solve some crimes on his own without involving Holmes though he uses Holmes’ methods. As such, he was a crucial helper to Holmes in handling the experiences that occurred to him. Mr. Watson was intelligent and ready to defend Holmes on several occasions that reaffirm his importance. He cleared the misunderstandings and mysteries to people that confronted them both. Thus, he was more of support to Holmes, than only an assistant in his work.

            The work that Watson did in consultation with his friend Holmes was complementary to make it a success.  Holmes claimed that he had an extraordinary range of specialized knowledge in which Watson could not reach. In many instances, Holmes was successful in the detective work due to the support given to him by Watson. Dr. Watson also used to challenge Holmes in some instances that made him more focused in his work. For instance, Watson attempted to prove to Holmes that his investigation was unsuccessful due to the use of his unimaginative approach. In another instance, Watson criticized Holmes of his habit of using cocaine though it was legal. He criticized it and proved to be harsh in character to Holmes that served to control Holmes behavior. As such, it appears that Watson was an essential part of Holmes’ life and career.

            Holmes claimed that Watson was not qualified to work as a proper detective though he had significant knowledge about him and hence a definite “strain of pawky humor” (Doyle, 2007). Thus, he could not fully serve as an assistant detective, but his other attributes made him the best person to deal with in all his activities. Watson could not master the art if deductive methods used by Holmes, but he was intelligent to follow the reasoning given in certain issues. Watson was fast to learn some of the skills used by Holmes in dealing with people from whom certain information is required. He claims that he did not live with Holmes for anything since he acquired a lot from him. The statement reveals that Holmes depended on him on several occasions to perform some tasks that required his attention. He fit in the shoes of his friend Holmes thereby making him crucial to Holmes’ life.   

            According to Holmes, Watson had written sensational and was a populist such that he could not give a factual and objective report on the science of his intelligence. He did not treat detection as science but instead compromised it by suppressing some facts. In spite of the many differences that arose in the course of their work, Holmes valued the strong relationship with Watson. Holmes was compassionate and sought to do good to Watson in his distress after a bullet injury though it was superficial. The occurrences in their work and life were essential in shaping their lives in the right direction. 

The scenarios described are a vivid demonstration that Dr. Watson was a reliable character in Holmes’ life.  

Work Cited

Charles H. “The adventures of Conan Doyle: the life of the creator of Sherlock Holmes.” Norton,   1976.

Doyle, A. C. “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” Harper & Brothers Publishers, (2007)   

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in term paper help online if you need a similar paper you can place your order from Cheap Custom Research Papers Online.