Sign of Four (Draft)

 

The Sherlock Holmes stories created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are by far some of the greatest mystery stories ever created. Holmes was so widely popular because he used, “scientific reasoning to astonish people”. At first look Holmes method seems scientific, but his techniques use more reasoning then scientific facts. Holmes researches and puts stories together like “Psyche”, studies evidence the way “Monk” does and solves injustices just like in “Law and Order”.

In the “Signs of Four” we learn that Holmes uses cocaine and heroin to numb the pain of his mundane life. The drugs give him the sense of “satisfaction” that he only feels when on cases. He needs the drugs to fill his time and “keep his mind busy” when not on a case. (Doyle 123)
Sherlock Holmes calls himself the only unofficial consulting detective. While he was telling Dr. Watson what it is he does he says, “I examine the data, as an expert, and pronounce a specialists opinion. I claim no credit in such case. My name figures in no newspaper. The work itself, the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar powers, is my highest reward” (Doyle 124).

Holmes methods are not scientific because he uses reasoning and logic to astonish people. If his methods where scientific, the show “CSI” for example would be a modern da ja veu of The Sherlock Holmes stories, which was based in the 19^th century.

Sign of Four Draft

    Sometimes nothing can be more important to solving a case than the tiniest detail; Sherlock Holmes understood this. One of Holmes greatest assets to his detective skills was his ability to not skim over details. Also, he would try and determine the relevance of details to a person or case. An example is when Mary Morstan presented the case of her missing father to Holmes and spoke of the letter that she had received that day. Before anything else Holmes wanted to see the envelope the letter had arrived in to determine the post mark date, type, and quality of paper. (Doyle, 133) Another universal characteristic of Holmes method was the hypothesis he formed about the case and people involved. In The Sign of Four, Holmes is constantly re-evaluating the case as it becomes more complex and he acquires more evidence. When Thaddeus Sholto brings Holmes, Watson, and Miss Morstan to Pondicherry Lodge and discover his brother dead in his chambers, Holmes gains an entire new perspective on the case. After only a short time of investigation, Holmes is able to determine that Jonathan Smalls was involved in Bartholomew Sholto’s death, that he had a peg leg, and a small partner to assist him in stealing the treasure. (Doyle, 165) Holmes method also included many specialized talents and abilities that separated him from other detectives.
Sherlock Holmes was a very well educated man that was comfortable with science and research. Many of his skills that made him a great detective relied on his considerable knowledge in various fields of expertise. Sherlock Holmes published monographs on topics such as the differences in ashes from: cigarettes, pipes, and cigars; as well as shoe prints and the form of the hand that resulted from work in different professions. (Doyle, 126) With his specialized knowledge Holmes could analyze evidence and use that to create a profile of someone. This is something other detectives such as Athelney Jones were unable to do without his knowledge. Despite his considerable knowledge, Holmes did not know everything, and in order to reconcile this, he made use of databases to conduct research. In The Sign of Four Holmes is stumped by who Small’s peculiar partner could be, however; after consulting a gazetteer he determines that his “savage” associate must come from the Andaman Islands. (Doyle, 186) Despite this, scientific knowledge and research alone cannot determine every case, which Holmes knew.
On top of his research and detective skills, Holmes was quick witted, physically active, and a people person. One of his greatest assets was his ability to socialize and make friends with people in all walks of life. His social skills were highly developed and this often aided him greatly when solving a case. At Pondicherry Lodge, the gatekeeper was not going to let Watson and Holmes enter until he recognized Holmes from a boxing match. Near instantly he allowed them entry because of his fond memory of fighting Holmes. (Doyle, 152) Another great asset to Holmes when solving a case is his use of intelligence and information gathering. Early in the story, Holmes is able to tell exactly where he is located in London as they travel to Thaddeus Sholto’s home for the first time. This makes apparent that Holmes has an intimate knowledge of London, its regions, and its people. (Doyle, 140) Another technique was employing the Baker Street irregulars, a group of kids that ran wild in the streets, to locate the Aurora and Mr. Mordecai Smith. The Baker Street irregulars could go anywhere, see anything, and overhear anyone because they are often ignored by most people as wild kids. (Doyle, 184) Also, once the Aurora was found, Holmes proved that he was a master of disguise. Concealing himself as an old fisherman with a hacking cough, Holmes visited the place where the Aurora was beached and awaiting to be put back out on the river. This gave Holmes enough time to inform the police in order to set a trap for Smalls and the Aurora when they tried to make their escape. (Doyle, 195) These and many other practical skills greatly assisted Holmes in solving his cases.

The Sign of Four – Draft

When Sir Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, he did a very good job. Holmes is definitely one of those characters that stand out above other fictional heroes. We first learn in A Study of Scarlet Holmes’ habit of observation when he states that he knew that Watson had just come from Afghanistan. Watson, absolutely taken aback, wanted to know how Holmes could have know when he had never told him. Holmes answered: “Gentleman of medical type but with a air of a military man. Clearly an army doctor, then. He has just come from the tropics, for his face is dark and that is not the natural tint of his skin, for his wrists are fair… His left arm has been injured…Where in the tropics could an English army doctor have seen much hardship and got his arm wounded? Clearly in Afghanistan.” (Doyle, 18)

Holmes theory is that anything could be solved through careful observation and deduction. He wrote in an article that “from a drop of water, a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara…the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study…” (Doyle, 16)

In Signs of Four, Holmes uses his observation skills accordingly. When Mary Morstan showed him the letter she received, he immediately examined the envelope and stationary, noticing that it was quality paper, indicating that the write wasn’t poor. Watson suggested that the man “of business habits and some force of character.” (Doyle, 135) But Holmes noticed that the d could be an a and that “men of character would always differentiate their letters.”

draft

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduces the character, Sherlock Holmes and describes in detail about the Holmes’s personal qualities and his skills of deductive reasoning. The introduction reveals the information to the reader that Sherlock Holmes is addictive to drugs like cocaine and morphine. It is obvious from the reading that Dr. Watson is an assistant to the detective, Sherlock Holmes. However, the text does not emphasize on the relationship between Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes. Careful Observation of the reader on the material would reveal that in fact, Dr. Watson plays a very important role in describing the Holmes’s distinctive method of deduction and observation. It does seem like that Sherlock is excessively proud of his professional skills of a detective. He takes the simple concepts and proofs and finds ways to get to the final destination. He pinpoints and examines the objects which an individual would think is of no use in detection.  He analyzes each and every aspect of a case and elucidates it to his assistant to get a better approach. He explains the detection in this way, “Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner”. Holmes believes that the only thing imperative in good detection is the relationship between the effects and the causes. He observes the simple things and then deduces it to make his points.

                Sherlock Holmes is presented as a very clever and an intelligent man in the stories of Doyle. He uses the techniques which are indifferent and productive. He can conclude better results than police investigators.  For example, He sent out the street kids to investigate instead of a detective. That’s a decision that can only be made by an individual who takes every step warily. Holmes’s most important quality is that he always interprets the conclusions from other’s points of views and perspectives. To solve the case, Holmes can do anything. Once, Holmes misrepresented himself as an old man to look for a boat. He did this so perfectly that even Dr. watson did not recognize him. All these indifferent qualities make him the best detective and the most popular character around the people.

The Sign of Four

When most people talk about mystery detectives the thought of Auguste C. Dupin, and Scooby -Doo comes to mind. But perhaps the greatest mystery detective ever created was Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle whom created Holmes in a series of short stories which was released to the general public in the mid 19th century.  Since the publication of the stories, Conan Doyle’s stories are still very popular today because of the wide variety of unique techniques used by Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson.  Some of the techniques Holmes used in his cases were deductive reasoning, testing out his own theories himself. These techniques are best described in Conon Doyle’s famous story The Sign of Four. These abilities allowed Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to say one step ahead of his competitors.

 In the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mary Morstend presents Holmes and Watson with an interesting case of her missing father and of the jewels.  As Mrs. Morstend goes into the romantic details of the story, Holmes reveals his ability to stay focused to the reader by ignoring the useless details, but yet paying close attention to small details which many people may have missed.  When Mrs. Morstend presents him with an envelope, Holmes notices every small detail of the envelop as he remarks to him self :

Sign of Four Paper Draft :: Traian Dragomir

In the Sign of Four, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduces Sherlock Holmes through the eyes of Dr. Watson. The detective is very mysterious and very unpredictable. He is a scientist interested in solving mysteries. But it’s not the cases that make the story interesting, but the methods Sherlock Homes uses to come to his conclusion.
At the beginning of the story, Sherlock Holmes is a drug addict. When Dr. Watson expresses his concern personally to Holmes, the detective explains him that conventional living bores him very much. Doing drugs excites his state of mind just like any difficult case. He cannot live without some intellectual challenge daily.

Holmes’ methods of making observations, hypothesis, and theories are based almost entirely on physical evidence rather than the context of documents. For example, rather than reading a letter for clues, Holmes examines the paper type. Sherlock is portrayed as a very intellectual man who can comes up with ideas and clues from the smallest details. From a watch, he described Dr. Watson’s brother’s character and habits to amazing exact detail.

Mary Morstan is Holmes’ newest client. Hospitably, Sherlock listens to her story but finds it very interesting when she mentions pearls from an anonymous, but generous, destination. Sherlock, interested in her case, decides that he and Dr. Watson will escort Ms. Morstan to the mysterious meeting.

During Sherlock’s investigation, he doesn’t make much use of the police force because he thinks they are inexperienced and not very educated. On the other hand, he uses the street orphans of England. His knowledge of society allows him to know that these kinds of children are somewhat “invisible” to the normal society. Thus, it will be very easy for them to get around the city without anyone noticing them. This isn’t the only type of camouflage Holmes uses. To find out more about the boat his suspect plans on running away with, the detective disguises himself in an old man and engages into conversations. Because people think he’s just like any other ordinary man, they have no reason to hold back any information thinking it’s harmless.

Sign of Four Paper Draft — Zack Long

Sherlock Holmes, a fictional character in the novels and stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is a brilliant detective that has simplistic yet unique ways of solving the cases is the stories. For example, when Holmes reads a piece of paper that could be a clue to a case, he examines the paper to determine the kind of person that would send the paper, that is to say is it high quality paper that a wealthy man would send, or a poor man. As seen in the story The Sign of Four, Holmes is handed a letter and envelope from his client, Mary Morston, and he immediately checks the envelope and states “The envelope, too, please. Post-mark, London, S.W. Date, July 7. Hum! Man’s thumb-mark on corner—probably postman. Best quality paper. Envelopes at sixpence a packet. Particular man in his stationery. No address.” Without even reading the letter he already learned something: the date it was sent, the paper was fine quality and the envelope’s worth which means that the man has some form of wealth and is using his own stationary.

 

            Another technique Sherlock Holmes, has is using kids to wander the streets in order to gather information. Since the children are just people no one pays attention to while they are running around and playing they can probably find some information that Sherlock couldn’t find searching by himself. Also Holmes has a great ability of disguise; he disguised himself as an old man to look around a wharf to look for a boat called the Aurora. His disguise was so good that when he returned to where Watson and Jones were discussing the case and they did not recognize Holmes in his disguise.

Sign of Four draft

On the surface, Holmes could be conceived as a scientist, however his techniques are more versatile than that of a scientist. Similar to a scientist, Holmes researches, collects, and studies evidence. Next he makes deductions based on his findings and employs the most logical and likely solutions to solve his case. When Watson walks in, he instinctively notices the dirt on the sole of his shoe, notes that this particular dirt is from a fixed location, analyzes the area surrounding, and makes the most probable deduction that he had mailed a telegram. Out of boredom, Watson prompts him to analyze a watch that he recently acquired. In predictable fashion, Holmes analyzes the physical evidence that he can find on the watch: initials, pawnshop markings, scratches, type of watch, and date. He then makes deductions and accurately concludes that the watch had been Watson’s father’s, pasted down to his brother who pawned the heirloom for money and booze, based on the careless scratch marks that covered the watches surface.
 At this point, the police seem annoyed that Holmes is always lurking in “their” territory and imposing his theories in “attempt” to solve crime. Little do they know the talent and desire that Holmes has for solving crime. The Baker street irregulars help Holmes by providing other sources to help him solve his new case: a theft with corresponding homicide. They are homeless children that have the ability to go completely disregarded by the common people of London, which makes them perfect spies. He then sends them off to find a steamboat called the “Aurora” by paying them to run off and search the premises of the river. The dog seems especially helpful by sniffing the traces of suspect Jonathan Small.

The Sign of Four Draft- Rachel K

Sherlock Holmes has over the years captured many people’s imaginations through the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There is a mystery not only in the adventures but Holmes’ persona as well. He is a peculiar person whose soul love is solving cases. Everything else bores him and that is his only downfall it seems. He is unfamiliar with keeping polite small talk and women do not interest him in the slightest. “What a very attractive woman!” I exclaimed, turning to my companion. “Is she?” he said languidly; “I did not observe,” (Doyle, 135). He is seen as a sort of superhuman character who can detect what is normally unseen to the to the average person. In The Sign of Four and many other Doyle stories, the police are made to appear as if they are not sure of what is going on and Holmes usually has to help them solve their own cases. It creates even more of an “untouchable” air around Holmes character. What makes these stories so fascinating is the process of unraveling the story and the fascination with such a strange character.

Holmes’ is most well known for his extraordinary way of solving problems. His job is being a private detective aided by his friend Dr. Watson who writes up the cases for him. Holmes’ many successes come from the methods employs to solve a case. He can figure out problems by scientifically dissecting information and creating theories to go along with them. Holmes’ focus on the minutiae allows him to see what most cannot and with an added knowledge of things so trivial, he is able to pinpoint a crime scene or even a criminal. “It is the impression of a wooden stump. You see here on the sill is the bootmark, a heavy boot with a broad metal heel and beside it is the mark of the timber-toe” (Doyle, 158). In this passage, it is not apparent how Holmes’ can have such an extensive knowledge of an anatomy of a boot but throughout the novel he surprises everyone with his knowledge of obsolete things, which come in very handy to solving his cases.

Another method to his success is how he can get along with anybody. In Sherlock Holmes’ job, it is important for him to gather information and help from all sorts of different people who rush to help when his name is spoken. “A friend of Mr. Sherlock Holmes is always welcome’, said he. ‘Step in sir. Keep clear of the badger, for he bites’… ‘What was it that Mr. Sherlock Holmes wanted, sir?’ ‘He wanted a dog of yours’, ‘Ah! That would be Toby” (Doyle, 160). In The Sign of Four, he also enlists the help of the Bakers Street Irregulars who are a bunch of kids that run around London wild. Nobody pays them much notice so they are the perfect spies to employ for a small fee.

In order to receive information on a case first hand, Holmes must sometimes go undercover. He travels to a shipyard to inquire about the Aurora, which is the vessel expected to take the two suspected criminals, Smalls and Tonga, away from the crime scene and free to enjoy the treasure. He not only dresses as an old fisherman with a horrible cough to get the information he needed but also succeeds in tricking both Watson and the Police captain into thinking that was his true identity later. He puts his whole being into his work and that is what makes him so skilled at it. 

Draft

Science is a commodity of our everyday life. The Sign of Four is a portfolio of use of science in our life. In the Sign of four case Holmes doesn’t only use scientific observation but also he uses different other methods to reach to the end of it. Holmes general monotony towards life makes the beginning of story distinct than any others. The story starts with Holmes doing drugs. Although he states that he does it as because he does not have anything else interesting to do. However whether he is doing drugs or not Holmes has this over confidence on himself throughout the whole story . At the beginning of the movie Holmes seemed like an arrogant, unsympathetic, over confident personality. When his client Mrs. Morstan was describing her problem, Holmes didn’t bother to pay any attention. He was rude to her. Rather paying undivided attention to her he was complaining about the mess inside the room. However after a while we can see Holmes started paying attention to Mrs. Morstan as the story was getting interesting. At the end of the story Holmes says that it is to maintain neutrality  to the case, he avoids any emotional attachment to the case. That’s why when Watson says about Mrs. Morstan, Holmes says she is nothing but a unit to him.

In the Granada TV adaptation, Sherlock Holmes character came out differently. In the book the author only described that Sherlock Holmes does drugs to occupy his mind from the monotonous lifestyle. However in the TV adaptation, Holmes turns out to be ignorant, rough and inconsiderate. The facial expressions in the TV adaptation more of a over confident rude guy, than a detective.

Holmes uses different method in his investigation. However the notable point is he does it for his enjoyment and ask no credit for it. His methods are following:

- Observation

- In good terms with all level of people.

-Find the facts behind the incident

-Use of famous quote to narrow down suspects

- No emotional attachment to the case

- Create a mental picture

- Think from a person’s point of view

- Think the people in his case as an unit.

- Use database.