By David Mruz
“A Case of Identity” is the third story in Doyle’s anthology Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It uses a simple formula for a mystery that still instills a thrill among readers to seek a solution to the case. The story is introduced, as many of the Holmes’ stories begin, with a discourse between Holmes and Watson. A debate between Watson and Holmes on whether real life can be considered eccentric or dull in comparison to the written tales of authors serves as an introduction to the mystery. Holmes takes the former view of life while Watson believes the latter. Holmes believes that the case presented by the client whom he is expecting would convince Watson of life’s eccentricities. The client, a nearsighted woman, is seeking Holmes talents to locate her missing fiancée. The clues are brought forward at this point, including the missing person’s appearance, the missing person’s typewritten signature, and the client’s remarkable inheritance. An alert reader can use these clues to draw up answers to the questions who, how, and why respectively. With this evidence brought forth, a conclusion can be drawn up by the reader. This is necessary in any mystery as the continual piecing together of clues and the asking of questions by the readers keeps them engaged in the story. The literary element that also adds to the light-hearted yet intellectual tone of this Sherlock Holmes story is that, according to Holmes and Watson’s perspective, the existence of the case affirms Holmes theory that reality is more unusual than fiction. However, as a reader, we can be amused by the story as such cases of false identity do not occur often in reality, thus favoring Watson’s theory in comparing the eccentricities of literature and reality.
Works Cited
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. “A Case of Identity.” 1891. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 1. Ed. George Stade. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2003. 225-238. Print
Tags: Arthur Conan Doyle, David Mruz
28 January 2012 at 6:20 pm |
Mystery stories are always tricky affairs, both to read and write, so I appreciated reading this blog. With mystery, there is always a delicate balance between giving too much information and too little, and Sir Conan Doyle was a master of giving just enough to a reader without giving away the answer. I also really enjoyed what you pointed out regarding the debate at the beginning, and the irony with which Doyle gives the answer at the end.