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Sherlock Holmes
What makes a good detective? Are there certain traits that can help a detective
be successful in investigating mysteries? While there are many qualities that can help
an investigator effectively investigate and solve a mystery, one quality that is
extremely important is being observant. In the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles,
by Arthur Conan Doyle, the protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, has great powers of
observation and deductive reasoning which help him to solve the mystery in the story.
If being observant is a good trait for an investigator, what does it mean to be
observant? Being observant means that someone is quick to notice things.
(“Observant”) This is quality is especially important in crime investigation. Detectives
need to be observant in order to find and interpret the clues that can help in solving
the mystery or crime. A detective may use powers of observation to locate physical
evidence, or these powers may help the investigator to discover information about
suspects that can lead to a solution. Being observant is a big advantage for Sherlock
Holmes when it comes to solving mysteries.
Sherlock Holmes is a consulting detective who is sought out by both private
citizens and the police when there is a mystery to be solved. He is a highly intelligent
individual whose keenly observant nature and logical reasoning allow him to find and
decipher clues that others would not even notice. It is this attention to detail that
helps Holmes to discover clues that others overlook. His powers of observation also
lead Holmes to discerning details about the crimes and suspects that are not easily
apparent to others. Holmes’ keen powers of observation become apparent right
from the beginning of the story. When the story opens, Holmes and his sidekick, Dr.
Watson, are examining a walking stick which had been left behind by a mysterious
visitor who had dropped by when Holmes and Watson were gone. They want to
determine who had left the stick and perhaps why the individual had come to visit. His
attention to detail allowed Holmes to determine the identity of the person who had
left the walking stick behind.
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The walking stick had an engraved message which read, “To James Mortimer,
M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H.” (Doyle, 9) As a result of his examination of
the walking stick, Holmes was able to discern a great deal about the walking stick’s
owner, James Mortimer. The engraved message told Holmes that James Mortimer
was a medical doctor who had once been a house-physician or house-surgeon at
Charing Cross Hospital. Since the walking stick would have been presented to
Mortimer on a special occasion, Holmes concluded that the walking stick was
presented to Dr. Mortimer because he was leaving the hospital. Holmes examined the
overall condition of the walking stick and, from the worn ferrule, determined that the
doctor walked a great deal which would be typical of a country practitioner. (Doyle,
10) Thus, Holmes surmised that the reason Dr. Mortimer left Charing Cross Hospital
was to establish a rural private practice. Since Mortimer was at Charing Cross long
enough to make friends who would present him with a gift, and yet was young enough
to leave to open his own practice, Holmes deduced that Mortimer must be middleaged. (Doyle, 13) Furthermore, Holmes consulted a medical directory and was able to
verify Dr. Mortimer’s age and learn details about Mortimer’s medical career. Finally,
Holmes noticed bite marks on the walking stick which informed him that Dr. Mortimer
owned a dog. The size of the bite marks caused Holmes to believe that the dog may
be a curly-haired spaniel. (Doyle, 14) As the story unfolds further, there are numerous
other instances where Holmes’ keen observations and reasoning skills help him in his
investigation.
In conclusion, one trait that helps Sherlock Holmes to be a successful detective
is his powers of observation. Because he is so observant, Holmes notices clues that
others may overlook. As a result, Holmes is able to use those clues to arrive at
understandings about people and events which may not be apparent to others.
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Works Cited
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. New York: Looking Glass Library; Distributed
by Random House, 1961. Print.
"Observant." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2014. Web. 07 Jan. 2015.
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