Essay, Research Paper: A Study In Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet was written in 1887 by Sir Arthur Doyle.

It was a mysterious case of love, murder, and revenge. Mr.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson used the science of deduction

to solve this mysterious case and catch the killer.

The first section of the book took place in 1878 in London,

England. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson shared an apartment

together on 221b Baker street. The first murder was held in

Lauriston Gardens. The second murder took place in Hallidays

Private Hotel.

The second part of the book occurred in the western part of

the United States. It was a Mormon community in Salt Lake City,

Utah. This was the promised land for Mormons. All around the

Mormon community were mountains and desert.

Mr. Sherlock Holmes was a very intelligent man. He was

strong, thin and over six feet tall. He possessed a hawk-like

nose, a square, prominent chin, and his hands were strong, but

delicate. He played the violin and was a good swordsman. He had

no knowledge of literature, philosophy, and astronomy. He had a

good, practical knowledge of British law, but knew little of

politics. His knowledge of poisons and chemistry was extensive,

as were his powers of observation and deduction. He had the

mental power to take the least amount of data and obtain

information from it that the average person could not detect.

This ability enabled him to help the police solve the case.

Dr. John Watson was very thin and dark skinned. He was a

Doctor of Medicine of the University of London. He served as

Assistant Surgeon in the British army. He was very severely

wounded in Afghanistan and also contracted enteric fever which

ruined his health. He returned to England having no friends or

family. Due to his lack of finances he was forced to seek

lodging at a lower price. By chance he met an old crony who

introduced him to Sherlock Holmes, who was also look for lodging.

This was how their relationship began. Dr. Watson was also a

very nervous and lazy man. At first he doubted Holmes'

intelligence, but he soon converted and became one of his

greatest admirers and staunchest supporter.

Jefferson Hope was a strong, young, hard working

frontiersman. He was a tall and savage-looking young man. He was

prospecting for silver in the Nevada Mountains. On his way to

Salt Lake City he met Lucy Ferrier and fell in love with her.

After a series of unfortunate events which ended Lucy's life, he

became a bitter, angry man who sought only revenge and justice.

The case began when Holmes was summoned to a murder scene at

the Lauriston Gardens. The police found the body of Enoch J.

Drebber, an American from Cleveland. Sherlock Holmes started by

inspecting the scene of the murder. First, he observed carriage

tracks and footsteps leading to the house. Next, he inspected

the body. He saw splashes of blood which lay around, but no

wounds on the body. Then, he examined the body, sniffed the dead

man's lips, and looked at his boots. When the body was removed,

they found a woman's wedding ring.

Detective Lestrade found the word "RACHE" scrawled in blood

in the darkest corner of the room. After Holmes examined the

word upon the wall, with glass and tape, he related his findings

to the two detectives. He deduced that the murderer was six feet

high, in his prime of life, wore squared toe boots, had small

feet and smoked a Trichinopoly cigar. He came to the scene in a

four wheeled cab. He also presumed that in all probability his

face was florid and he had long finger nails. Also, he

discovered that the word "RACHE" was German for revenge.

Sherlock Holmes also spoke to the police officer who had been

first on the scene. He told Holmes that he talked to a drunk in

front of the house. Holmes deduced that the drunk was the

murderer coming back for the ring.

Sherlock Holmes took the ring and advertised it in the

newspaper. He did this to lure in the murderer. He used Dr.

Watson's name in the advertisement. Sherlock Holmes then made a

copy of the ring. An old woman came to claim the ring. Dr.

Watson gave her the ring. When she left, Holmes followed her,

but somehow she disappeared from the carriage. Holmes reasoned

that it was not an old lady, but a young man who had tricked him.

Sherlock Holmes employed the services of the Baker Street

division, composed of the dirtiest and most ragged kids in

London. Holmes used the kids to help locate the murderer.

The police believed that the murderer was Arthur

Charpentier. However, Holmes believed otherwise. Next, the

police found Mr. Joseph Strangerson, a companion of Enoch

Drebber, murdered at Halliday's Private Hotel. At the scene

Strangerson had been stabbed in the heart and they found a small

box with pills in it. Over Strangerson's head was written in

blood the word "RACHE." Also, there was a telegram in his pocket

that read: "J.H. is in Europe." Holmes tested the pills, finding

out one pill was poisoned.

Sherlock Holmes then knew without a doubt who the murderer

was. Wiggins came and told Holmes that the cab was ready. The

cab driver came up and helped Holmes get his boxes and Holmes put

the handcuffs on the cab driver. He told the police that this

was the murderer, Jefferson Hope.

Jefferson Hope, an American prospector, had come to London

seeking to enact justice on Enoch Drebber and Joseph Strangerson.

He had been hunting them for twenty years because they had killed

his fiance, Lucy Ferrier, and her father, John Ferrier. He told

the story of how he tried to escape from the Mormons with Lucy

and her father. However, they captured Lucy and killed John

Ferrier.

Jefferson Hope then told Sherlock Holmes that he gave

Drebber and Strangerson a chance to take one of the two pills and

let God decide their fate. Drebber agreed to taking the pill. He

picked the poisoned pill and was killed. However, Strangerson

grabbed Hope and tried to kill him. Hope had to stab him in

order to save himself from being killed. Jefferson Hope told Dr.

Watson to feel his chest. Dr. Watson discovered that he had an

aortic aneurism. The next night, Jefferson Hope died.

The theme of the story is love and revenge. Jefferson Hope

loved Lucy so much that the only thing that he wanted was revenge

on Enoch Drebber and Joseph Strangerson, the men who killed her.

Jefferson Hope could not marry Lucy because he was not a Mormon.

Lucy's father pleaded with the Mormon leader to let his daughter

go. He was turned down, so Lucy and her father tried to escape

with Hope. The Mormons captured Lucy and killed her father.

Lucy was forced to marry Enoch Drebber. Jefferson Hope killed

both Joseph Strangerson and Enoch Drebber before he died himself.

The book was a mystery as well as a story about love and

revenge. Sherlock Holmes proved, by using the science of

deduction, that he could solve the crime. The story was well

written by the author. This book showed how love can affect a

person's mind. The book was also exciting and suspenseful.