The Hound of the Baskervilles is often the work that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is most noted for because it is so unique compared to his other stories. Most of Doyle’s other stories are not very Holmes to deduce and must simply follow the trail of breadcrumbs to the solution to the mystery. This story presents a situation where Holmes finds himself in a maze of clues as well as having to decipher the truth from superstition. To do this, Holmes must use his deductive method as well as Watson’s observational skills to solve the mystery of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Of all of the people involved in this mystery, Watson and Holmes appear to be the only ones who don’t believe in the superstition of the enormous hound. This becomes an obstacle for the detective and his assistant because every time they try to get information from someone regarding the case and mention the fact that they don’t believe in the superstition, the conversation immediately becomes an argument about whether the legend is true or not. This contrast between the scientific explanations for events and the superstitions is also shown in the story geographically. In the city, the scientific explanation is more logical and widely accepted. In the moor, everyone believes the legend of the hound and may be more inclined to think that way because of the spooky atmosphere and the treachery of the marshes. This atmosphere is in direct contrast with the security of well-lit streets and police that the city has to offer.
Holmes takes his deductions very seriously in order to prevent himself from making a mistake or an incorrect conclusion. In preparation for his intense period of thinking he sends Watson away and requests a large amount of tobacco to be delivered to him. The parts of the scientific method are clearly portrayed by the way that Holmes attempts to control every variable of his environment to ensure correct results. Holmes asks Watson to leave to prevent distractions, smokes tobacco in order to relax as well as cloud up the room so that he can easily focus on his thoughts and his immediate surroundings rather than the room as a whole. His care for these is shown when he asks Watson to shut the window because he believes “that a concentrated atmosphere helps a concentration of thought” (Doyle 28). This is also the same reason that Holmes sends Watson to the moor because he can then relay his observations to Holmes, who can then use the evidence to draw the necessary conclusions without the distractions and nuances of the trip across England.
Holmes also has an interesting attitude towards Dr. Mortimer about the case. Dr. Mortimer obviously believes in the curse of the hound, but still wants Holmes to investigate the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. Holmes finds it ironic that the doctor tells him he can be of no help and yet asks him for his helps all in the same sentence. It is at this point that Holmes begins to politely and subtly poke fun at the doctor’s beliefs, gently alerting him of flaws he may have in his thinking. Doyle does this to show the weakness in Mortimer’s character because someone who operates as a physician for a living, where every medical practice has a scientific explanation for its effects on the body, so readily accepts the idea that a supernatural phenomenon is the answer to a murder mystery. Holmes entirely discredits Mortimer and sends Watson along to get to the source of more relevant facts and details.
A second reason this story is so popular is because it allows Watson to travel on his own to the moor and play the part of Holmes for a portion of the book. This is Watson’s time to shine, and he must use all of his skill and record every fact accurately so that Holmes has all of the information that he needs. Later, during his adventures around the moor, he runs into Holmes. At first he is upset that Holmes felt the need to make the trip himself, as if Watson wasn’t capable of doing this on his own. Watson then relaxes when he realizes that Holmes had come so that they could both observe the facts and then later cross-examine their stories to see which pieces of information were most important.
The end of this story shows how following an advanced scientific method and deductive reasoning, you can use science to explain many things that seem to be supernatural phenomenon.
