Sherlock Holmes- an adaptable hero

Character traits and adaptability of Sherlock Holmes in today´s

society

Sherlock Holmes- en anpassningsbar hjälte

Sherlock Holmes karaktärsdrag och anpassningsförmåga i dagens samhälle

Ingrid Olsson

Karlstad Universitet

English

Points

Stefan Ekman

Nicklas Hållén

Date

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Abstract

In this essay I discuss how the character Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle´s

mystery stories can be seen as a hero that symbolises and brings hope to humanity. I

am focusing on the character´s traits and his ability to use logical thinking to solve

crimes that seemed impossible to solve and therefore states that almost nothing is

impossible. The original story takes place in the 19th century and I am examining how

the character is adapted in the 21st century. Furthermore I present samples of how the

author by describing the art of deduction through the character teaches the readers

how logical thinking and observational skills combined can solve the unsolvable. The

fact that the character is described as an ordinary person rather than a superhero

with fantastic powers therefore states that society should never lose trust in human

beings and that we can all be Sherlocks. The essay argues that Arthur Conan Doyle

presented a character that proved hope is never lost and we can all learn to observe

and use our logical thinking and that is why the phenomena Sherlock Holmes keeps

on living.

Keywords: Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, characterisation

Sammanfattning

I den här uppsatsen diskuterar jag hur Artur Conan Doyles karaktär Sherlock Holmes

kan ses som en verklig hjälte som symboliserar och skänker hopp till mänskligheten.

Jag fokuserar på karaktärsdragen och förmågan att använda logiskt tänkande för att

lösa de brott som verkade omöjliga att lösa och därmed fastställer att nästintill

ingenting är omöjligt. Originalhistorien utspelar sig under 1800-talet och jag

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undersöker hur karaktären anpassas till 2000-talet. Jag ger också exempel på hur

författaren undervisar läsaren i logiskt tänkande och slutledningsförmåga för att

upptäcka att det som verkar omöjligt att lösa faktiskt kan lösas. Faktumet att

karaktären beskrivs som en helt vanlig person istället för en superhjälte med

superkrafter påvisar att samhället aldrig bör förlora tron på människan och att vi alla

kan bli Sherlocks. Uppsatsen argumenterar för att Arthur Conan Doyle skapade en

karaktär som ger oss hopp och att vi alla kan lära oss att observera och använda vårt

logiska tänkande och att det är därför fenomenet Sherlock Holmes lever vidare

genom tiderna år efter år.

Nyckelord: Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, karakterisering

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Table of Contents

Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------5

Characterisation and narration on detective fiction------------6

Sherlock Holmes´s traits ------------------------------------------------8

Sherlock Holmes´s brain------------------------------------------------13

Sherlock Holmes´s adaptability--------------------------------------15

Holmes and Watson------------------------------------------------------21

Sherlock Holmes- the hero---------------------------------------------23

Conclusion------------------------------------------------------------------26

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Introduction

Arthur Conan Doyle created an icon when he presented Sherlock Holmes to the world

in 1887. The durability of the mystery stories and the fictional character Sherlock

Holmes is remarkable and several adaptations have been made throughout the years

and are still being made today (Clausen 51, James 27f). The phenomena of Holmes

and why he is such a memorable detective has been scrutinised by many people.

When using Google Search on Sherlock Holmes one can find several articles, essays,

blogs and not to mention fan websites regarding the remarkable popularity of the

detective. Some argue that it is the character himself, his personal traits that make

him adaptable and memorable. Some argue that it is the dynamic between Watson

and Sherlock that makes the stories so popular and viable. Some argue that it is the

literary art of the author Doyle, his skills of narration that makes the stories so

intriguing and durable. Others view the matter from a different angle and argue

which impact the fictionalised character have had and still has on our society.

Christopher Redmond enlightens us that the British Police in 1986 used the name

HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System) for their computer system used

for cross-referencing reports and clues in complicated cases (298). Maria Konnikova

has written a book, Mastermind; How to think like Sherlock Holmes, and lectures in

how we all can use our brain and think like Holmes and further one argues that

Holmes is the inspiration of mindfulness (Konnikova).

Holmes is a hero in Victorian England, solving mysteries that seem impossible

to solve. His strength is his extraordinary observational skills and ability to deduct.

Doyle created a hero with no superpowers, merely an ordinary person with

extraordinary human skills adaptable in nearly any place or time. Through Holmes´

companion Dr. Watson´s eyes we get to know the peculiar person and the master

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detective Sherlock Holmes. Dr. Watson´s narration makes Holmes seem almost real,

as a person among us, and we can all learn how to observe and deduct as we are

engaged in his train of thought when laying the puzzle to solve the mystery at hand.

In this essay, I will compare Doyle’s Holmes and the recent adaptations of

Sherlock Holmes in the TV-shows Sherlock produced by BBC and Elementary

produced by CBS to identify the character traits that are retained in different versions

of the character. These two TV-shows are explicitly about the character Sherlock

Holmes and the process of getting to know the character throughout several episodes

has similarities with the same process of the chapters in a book, as oppose to a film.

In addition, I will briefly mention a few other TV-shows that are not explicitly about

Sherlock Holmes but where I believe one can see a resemblance of the protagonists.

My claim is that the longevity of the phenomena Sherlock Holmes is due to the

ordinary features of the character, and that is what makes the character relatable and

adaptable. The adaptability of the character can be seen in several modern TV-shows,

but from slightly different perspectives.

My focus will be on characterisation and I will discuss similarities and

differences between the original Holmes and the modern versions.

Characterisation and narration in detective fiction

P.D James is one of the most experienced and admired writers in the genre of

detective fiction and according to her there are four things to consider when writing

detective fiction: setting, characterisation, narrative and structure. Characterisation is

a vital element since the characters have to convince the readers of the story.

Although the environment and the setting is where the characters come to life,

characterisation can help us see the story through the eyes of the characters, it can

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make us feel that we are part of the story and add credibility to the story.

Identification through setting is particularly important in crime fiction since the

scene of the crime and its surroundings provide clues about the story and where it is

headed. The setting can also set the mood of the story and the characters and/or

emphasize it. James also argues that it is of importance that the detective in the story

has a place where he or she can be at home, so the readers can fully understand and

know him or her (142). In Doyle´s stories the streets and places are real and Holmes´

home 221 B Baker Street is vividly described in order to help us get to know the

character better. First- person narration is an advantage in detective fiction according

to James, not only for the credibility of the story and the characters, but also to add

life to the story and add interaction between the readers and the characters (132,

146). The structure of Doyle´s detective stories starts with demonstrating the

detective´s observational skills through a minor incident such a discussion between

Watson and Holmes for example. Then there is the presentation of the crime or

mystery committed. The mystery or crime is presented as extremely difficult and

lacking clues or evidence. After presenting the case there is the process of looking for

clues, the investigation and then the announcement of solving the case. The finale is

the resolution when the mystery is explained and Holmes presents his train of

thought and logical thinking. This pattern is not unusual for other stories in the genre

and as James points out; Doyle´s use of setting and narration is not unique, it is

rather a known recipe of success within the genre.

Yet, considering the before mentioned, not unknown, not unique recipe for a

successful detective story Doyle´s detective stories have been in such demand over

the years that they are continuously being adapted. Several adaptations have been

made and the character Holmes still intrigues the audience of the twentieth century

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(Clausen 51f). Left to consider then is the main character, the image of the Great

Detective: Sherlock Holmes himself.

Sherlock Holmes´s traits

Sherlock Holmes is characterized as a human being with eccentric features and with

flaws. The character is based on Dr. Joseph Bell who was Doyle´s teacher at the

University of Edinburgh. Bell was a consultant surgeon with remarkable abilities to

observe and diagnose his patients (James 33). Doyle was a patriotic man with great

passion for justice. In addition to Bell´s features, Doyle added his own passion for

justice in the character (James 36). The mix of ordinary features from real persons

might be the reason why the character seem so real to some of the readers that letters

still arrive at his address 221 B Baker Street (Redmond 37, Christopher 51).

Holmes explains to Watson in his own words what he does for a living in “A

Study In Scarlet”:

Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world.

I´m a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is. Here in

London we have lots of government detectives and lots of private ones.

When these fellows are at fault, they come to me, and I manage to put

them on the right scent. They lay all the evidence before me, and I am

generally able, by the help of my knowledge of the history of crime, to set

them straight. There is a strong family resemblance about misdeeds, and

if you have all details of a thousand at your finger ends, it is odd if you

can´t unravel the thousand and first. (Doyle 24)

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Holmes explains that he is a consulting detective whom the police contacts when they

are unable to solve a crime. The logical thinking and simplicity that Holmes

describes, that he gathers fact and deduces from them, is very typical for Holmes as a

character and as a detective (Paul 52).

Dr. Watson is the narrator in Doyle´s mystery stories and he summons up the

personality of the character well in the short story “A Scandal in Bohemia”:

…Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian

soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old

books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition,

the drowsiness of the drug, and the fierce energy of his own keen nature.

He was still, as ever, deeply attracted by the study of crime, and occupied

his immense faculties and extraordinary powers of observation in

following out those clues, and clearing up those mysteries which had

been abandoned as hopeless by the official police. (Doyle 161)

Holmes is described as an antisocial person, lacking of empathic feelings towards

people, not particularly interested in engaging in society, but almost obscurely

interested in solving crimes and with a drug addiction that might have hampered or

strengthened his peculiar personality. Though, when scratching the surface of the

character there is a lot more to him than being the image of a bohemian consulting

detective solving hopeless crimes.

The first meeting between Watson and Holmes in Doyle´s book reveals an

eager Holmes in the chemical laboratory of a hospital in a moment of discovering

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how to examine stains of old blood. The shout outs and the overt joy over the

discovery are the first signs of the eccentric features Holmes possesses.

Holmes observational skills can be described as extraordinary; he sees and

observes everything. When Dr. Watson and Holmes meet for the first time Holmes

greets Watson with the phrase: “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive?” (Doyle

18) By only looking at Watson for a few seconds Holmes deducts this fact. When

Holmes invites us in on his train of thought, how he came to this conclusion, we learn

that little details not noticeable to the average eye easily gave him the facts to

conclude such things. When Holmes on another occasion explains the difference

between observation and deduction he says to Watson:

For example, observation shows me that you have been to the Wigmore

Street Post-Office this morning, but deduction lets me know that when

there you dispatched a telegram. …

Observation tells me that you have a little reddish mould adhering to

your instep. Just opposite the Wigmore Street Office they have taken up

the pavement and thrown up some earth, which lies in such a way that it

is difficult to avoid treading in it in entering. The earth is of this peculiar

reddish tint which is found, as far as I know, nowhere else in the

neighbourhood. So much is observation. The rest is deduction. …

Why, of course I knew that you had not written a letter, since I sat

opposite to you all morning. I see also in your open desk that you have a

sheet of stamps and a thick bundle of post-cards. What could you go into

the post-office for, then, but to send a wire? Eliminate all other factors

and the one which remains must be the truth.”(Doyle 91f)

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Holmes observes every small detail in his surroundings and remembers every fact

about it and makes a conclusion and the readers get an insight into how Holmes lays

his puzzle to either read a person or to solve a crime.

Holmes accommodation is in London, more precisely Baker Street 221 B where

Holmes and Watson rent an apartment from the landlady Mrs Hudson. Holmes is a

modern man of the city, he favours the hansom cab, the railway carriage, enjoys the

opera and much reflects an urbanised society (Paul 46). He is the type of person who

shares a simple flat with his roommate.

Holmes is an eccentric man, a workaholic who when bored due to stagnation in

business uses drugs to stimulate his brain (Redmond 34). When engaged on a case he

is extremely energetic and when not he could lay on the sofa for days glancing at the

ceiling, using cocaine or practicing his aiming skills by firing of his gun to the wall of

the sitting room (James 37) in the pattern VR, Victoria Regina. Holmes is a great

violin player, knows how to defend himself since he has knowledge in singlestick

fighting, boxing and is a swordsman (Keating 30f). He has little interest in people, the

social life or anything else for that matter if it does not serve him clues to solve a

mystery or a crime or as he explains it himself:

I consider that at man´s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and

you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all

the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge

which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up

with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands

upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he

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takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may

help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and

all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room

has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there

comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something

that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to

have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones. (Doyle 21)

In a discussion between Watson and Holmes concerning the Solar System Watson is

baffled learning a man of such knowledge in some areas also had little knowledge in a

commonly known area as the Solar System (Doyle 21). Holmes explanation is that he

believes the brain can only store a certain amount of information and one should be

careful with what you store in your brain. If the Solar System is of no concern for him

he does not bother to store it in his brain in order to have more space left for other

things more useful to him.

Holmes has little interests in women though in “A Scandal In Bohemia” we

learn that he highly admires Irene Adler, also referred to as The Woman, not

necessarily for the fact that she is a beautiful woman but for the fact that she had the

ability to outwit him in a case (Doyle 161). In fact, he tells Watson that women cannot

be trusted and that he despises them. Some people argue that Holmes might be

homosexual and that his affection towards Watson has a deeper meaning (Keating

86).

Holmes´s personality is versatile but his traits are relatable. He has specialised

knowledge in some areas and none knowledge in other areas, he has one trustworthy

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friend, he has one area of interest in his life which he is pursuing and he has flaws like

every other human being.

Sherlock Holmes´s brain

Sherlock Holmes is an intelligent man with a very well trained brain. Holmes brain is

what helps him defeat criminals and villains but his main weapon is his observational

skills and his ability to deduct (Redmond 221). In The Adventures Of The Mazarin

Stone Holmes states: “I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix.

Therefore it is the brain I must consider” (Doyle 1014). Holmes is well aware that his

best asset is his brain and the rest of him is of little importance. Watson says about

Holmes in “A Scandal in Bohemia”: “He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and

observing machine that the world has seen…”(Doyle 161). Watson is very impressed

of how Holmes uses his brain. In every story Holmes eventually presents the readers

with his logical thinking, what he observed and what he deduced from it and apart

from feeling like being a part of the story, we are all able to learn how to observe and

deduct. Even Watson is baffled of how easy it seems to solve a mystery when Holmes

explains his thoughts;

Watson:”When I hear you give your reasons”, I remarked,”the thing

always appears to me so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it

myself, though, at each successive instance of your reasoning I am

baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are

as good as yours.”

Holmes: ”Quite so”. (…) ”You see but you do not observe.”(Doyle, 162)

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When Holmes presents how he came to his conclusion in a case, Watson comments

on how he also should be able to use his brain as Holmes do but Holmes explains the

key difference, that one needs to observe what one see. This logical thinking and

observation skill is what solves the most difficult crimes and what a delight that

human brain powers can be such a powerful weapon when trying to solve crimes.

When Holmes is giving us the answers of how he solved the crime he also provides us

with the confidence that we can do what he does, we can all be heroes, and all we

need is logical thinking (Redmond 221). Maria Konnikova argues in interviews

regarding her book Mastermind: How to think like Sherlock Holmes that we can all

be Sherlocks or at least we can all learn how to train our brain to observe and use our

mind like Holmes.

What Sherlock Holmes offers is not just a way of solving crime. It is an

entire way of thinking, a mindset that can be applied to countless

enterprises far removed from the foggy streets of the London

underworld. It is an approach born out of the scientific method that

transcends science and crime both and can serve as a model for thinking,

a way of being, even, just as powerful in our times as it was in Conan

Doyle´s.(Konnikova)

Konnikova argues that the way Sherlock Holmes uses his brain is an approach to life

and a technique that we all can apply to our daily life, to observe what we see.

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To sum up, Sherlock Holmes´s best asset and secret weapon is his brain which

he had trained to observe. We all have a brain and everyone who are able to train

their brain to observe can all have the possibility to be like Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes´s adaptability

Sherlock Holmes adaptability has proven itself several times over the years and the

popularity of the 21st century´s modern version of the character shows that Sherlock

can be adapted even in today’s society. Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are the

executive producers of BBC´s adaptation of Sherlock Holmes called Sherlock, based

on the book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The first episode was broadcast in 2010.

Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as

John Watson. The story is set in modern London with many of the details true to the

original story. The pilot episode called “A Study in Pink” is based on Doyle´s “A Study

in Scarlet” and it starts with Watson´s posttraumatic experiences from being in a

war. We get to relive the first meeting between Watson and Sherlock where the latter

has just been in the hospital morgue beating up corpses to see how bruises develop

after death. True to the original story but slightly rephrased Holmes utters the

question to Watson whether he has been in Afghanistan or Iraq as a soldier. When

Holmes assumes that Watson is his soon to be new flatmate and Watson wonders

how he knows such a thing and if they do not need to know anything about each other

first, Holmes displays his ability to observe and deduct and tells Watson what he

knows about him. Watson is amazed by this and also expresses his amazement

several times through the episode when Holmes is deducing things from observation.

The address of their shared flat is of course 221 B Baker Street and the landlady Mrs.

Hudson appears often.

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Details and essentials of the main character´s traits are well preserved in this

version but adapted to the modern society where Holmes for example has a website

and a Blackberry. Watson is writing a blog about their adventures and eventually

makes Holmes famous through it. BBC´s version of Holmes has some similarities

with Doyle´s, coldblooded, eager and childishly joyous when he has a case, bored out

of his mind and misusing nicotine patches when not having a case, is socially

awkward and has no friends except for Watson.

In the first episode “A Study in Pink” Holmes says to a member of the forensic

team: “Anderson, don’t talk out loud. You lower the I.Q. of the whole street.” Like in

the original story Holmes is straight forward with his opinions of the police force and

how useless he believes they are. Holmes has an extreme intellect, knows he is a

genius and often expresses his impatience with the people surrounding him for their

lack in intelligence.

Like Doyle´s Holmes BBC´s Holmes has no interest in women and when Molly

Hooper, who sometimes assists Holmes at the hospital laboratory, asks flirtatiously if

he wants coffee after finishing work, meaning that they should go and drink coffee

together, he answers blunt and totally unaware of the invitation: “Black, two sugars,

please. I’ll be upstairs.” (S1. Ep.1, “A Study in Pink”). Holmes did not understand that

Molly asked him out on a date, he just assumed that she would bring him his coffee to

his desk.

However, as in Doyle´s work, Irene Adler makes a real impression on Holmes

even in this adaptation. Irene Adler is presented in the episode “A Scandal in

Belgravia” where the frame of the story and also the name is inspired by Doyle´s “A

Scandal in Bohemia”. The relation between Holmes and Irene Adler, referred to as

The Woman, is not expressed as love or other emotions from Holmes´s side but

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Holmes tells Adler, in chemical terms of course, that she shows every sign of love

towards him. Holmes is impressed and intrigued by her skills as a negotiator and her

intelligence, and in many ways Holmes and Adler are much alike.

The original Holmes use of technology, as when he sends telegrams across the

country during an investigation is shown in an interesting way in BBC´s adaptation

Sherlock. Holmes uses Watson´s cell phone to send clues or directives to the police

force or his clients, so in this version Watson serves as the post-office from where he

sends his telegrams. He is not really reachable himself as he is not using his own cell

phone but he makes use of others cell phones or technical devices.

Also, one consideration is that the producers are making a statement about Holmes

use of technology since there are some examples when he actually is using his

Blackberry but it serves him with already known information or no information at all.

For example in Sherlock-“The Great Game” where he search for information on a

stretch of the Thames and eventually has to do it the old-fashioned way and turn to

the police for the answer since the internet search gave him nothing. In the same

episode he has overheard the murders of the security guard and the astronomy

professor, in a planetarium, discussing the authentication of a painting hence there is

a star too much in the painting´s night sky. When he turns to his Blackberry to check

the date for the Van Buren phenomenon, a supernova (a star exploding and

disappearing), he is laughing confidently since he already knows the answer. The

information from the Blackberry only confirmed what he already had deduced by

overhearing the earlier discussion in the planetarium regarding the star. Apparently

the modern Holmes can and will use technology but it is not substantially necessary

and that is not what helps him solve the crimes per se, yet again it is his brain and

ability to observe and deduct, that has not changed in the 21st century.

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The BBC´s adaptation has similarities with the original character and the

peculiar and eccentric sides of Holmes are slightly enhanced. For example Holmes,

when being called a psychopath, answers: “I am a highly-functioning sociopath” and

the police force also argues that Holmes is so in it for the game that someday, bored

enough not having a case to work on, he will commit the crimes and murders himself.

(S1. Ep.1, “A Study in Pink”). Interestingly this version has almost merely put the

original character, with his special traits and habits, in our modern society with

everything that comes with it and made him use technology in the spirit of how the

original character would make use of anything that could help him solve a crime.

Rob Doherty is the executive producer of CBS´s adaptation of Sherlock Holmes

called Elementary. The first episode was aired 2012 and presents a modern Sherlock

Holmes played by Jonny Lee Miller and a female Joan Watson played by Lucy Liu.

The story is set in modern New York and Holmes is a sober drug addict while Watson

is a former surgeon requested by Holmes´ father to be Holmes´ sobriety companion.

Holmes is a consulting detective for the New York Police and Watson is soon growing

in to the role of being Holmes partner when solving crimes. There are similarities in

the frame of the story and the characters compared to Doyle´s original. What is

interesting is that all of this apparently functions very well in modern New York.

In their first meeting Watson drops her purse, and bit by bit we learn what

Holmes observed from the seconds he had to glance through the content. Not only

does he deduce that Watson owns a car, he also knows where she parked it and why,

which leads him into a sensitive knowledge about Watson´s past as a surgeon. One

modern twist is that Holmes makes a remark about Watson´s dad and his love affair,

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which baffles Watson since it is a private matter, but confesses that he merely looked

it up on Google. (S1. Ep.1”Pilot”)

In this adaptation Holmes eccentric features are emphasized. Though he

understands people well he has little emphatic understanding and shows no mercy

when questioning a relative to a murder victim since he just wants answers and clues

to solve the crime. He loses his temper often, is quite awkward among and towards

people. His workaholic behaviour is well preserved in this adaptation, since he is

constantly losing track of time and can easily be awake for 24 hours with no food

when trying to solve the impossible crime handed to him. Watson needs to excuse

him and explains his behaviour repeatedly, which he is sometimes grateful for but

only when Watson thoroughly explained that she saved him and his appearances,

since social situations is not something he wastes time to interpret even though he

has the ability to do so.

He is not interested in women, apart from his occasional sexual needs, all

though Irene Adler, also referred to as The Woman, intrigues him in a way closely

related to love.

Throughout the series Holmes shows more of an affectionate side, mostly

towards Watson of course, but there is a scene where he is in tears believing he has

lost a newly found companion and friend, Kitty Winter, incidentally a former victim

of a rapist/killer. Winter accompanies Holmes in some cases and Holmes shows a

great deal of empathy and sympathy for Winter due to her background as a victim.

CBS has made their Holmes slightly more affectionate compared to the original one,

but the peculiar and awkward traits are definitely captured.

Apart from the before mentioned TV-shows Sherlock and Elementary, there

are other adaptations where one can draw parallels to Sherlock Holmes. Without a

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substantial claim the TV-shows like House, The mentalist and Limitless and Bones

are easy to draw parallels to. In the TV-show House the main character Dr. House is a

practicing doctor addicted to strong pain medications due to an injury. Dr. House

diagnoses patients that no one else is able to diagnose. Dr. House is sarcastic, has no

empathy towards the patients and lacks social skills, he has only one friend and co-

worker who tolerate him and he is driven by the game to find out the answer what ails

the patient. In the TV-show The mentalist, Patrick Jane serves as a consulting

observer on crime scenes and in investigations for the FBI. Jane is cynical, bitter,

constantly breaking rules but has remarkable observational skills. Jane has no friends

per se but relies on and has a mutual affection towards his boss, a senior agent. In the

TV-show Limitless, based on the film with the same name, Brian Finch works for the

FBI helping them solving difficult crimes. Finch has to take a drug which makes his

brain powers superior and gives him remarkable cognitive abilities which then helps

him solve the case. The TV-show Bones is yet another example where Dr.

Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth as a duo solves impossible crimes. Brennan is

characterised as a highly intelligent forensic, totally unaware of social codes, and

Special Agent Booth contributes with the social skills and logical thinking and often

needs to interpret the environment and the people around them for Brennan.

Without substantial sources to back it up it is not farfetched to think of Holmes, and

Watson for that matter, when watching those series and it might count as another

proof of Holmes adaptability in nearly any time or any place, though slightly

remodelled.

When comparing a book to a film, there are differences in the two medias,

sometimes the environment and the characters are very well described in a book but

when they are not, the readers have to use their own imagination of how it looks. In a

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film, the producer has already visualised some of the characterisation for the viewer.

Holmes has been played in movies several times and when remodelling a great

amount of short-stories into a film or a few TV-shows one have to pick and choose

what to include and what not to include but also what to focus on (Leitch, 208). In

the case of the phenomena Holmes the choice can be done for example in a minor

scale, focusing on bringing the characters to life, or in a larger scale by bringing the

whole story to life (Leitch, 216).

The visual adaptation might also be influenced by earlier interpretations of the

original. For example Holmes is known for his deerstalker cap and his calabash or

curved pipe, but this is not mentioned by the author Doyle and these attributes are

shown briefly in the TV-show Sherlock and with a modern caption in the TV-show

Elementary. The famous expression: “Elementary, my dear Watson” is never

mentioned in the original written stories. Those details are remains from William

Gillette who played Sherlock Holmes from 1899 to 1932 in more than thirteen

hundred performances on stage, radio and silent motion pictures. Supposedly the

famous expression was his, though the expression “elementary” is often used in the

original work, as is the expression “My dear Watson”, but never in the same sentence.

The curved pipe, as opposed to the straight pipe described in the original work, is also

from Gillette who found it difficult to deliver lines with a straight pipe between his

teeth (Leitch, 208-211).

Holmes and Watson

The dynamic between Holmes and Watson surely adds to the successful longevity of

the story. Their relationship defines one another and they bring out the best of each

other and even more so in the modern adaptations. Watson, who is the narrator of

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the stories, lets us see Holmes through his eyes. Watson admires Holmes and is

baffled by his ability to observe and deduct, which when he expresses it out loud

surprises Holmes, since it is the opposite of what people often thinks of him.

Of course one might wonder who Sherlock Holmes would be without John

Watson and how important the good doctor is for the recognisability and the

credibility of the detective. John Watson is characterised as a loyal man with courage

and professional skills as a doctor. He is a family man, self-disciplined and also

represents the social norm (Toadvine 55-58).

—it’s the story of the greatest friendship ever. … It’s just about these two men

and the fact that they adore each other,” thus building on the lines in “The

Three Garidebs” when Watson is wounded and notes Holmes’s emotional

reaction: “It was worth a wound; it was worth many wounds; to know the depth

of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask.”(Joyce, 88)

The friendship between Holmes and Watson is of importance and is prominent in the

story. Francesca M. Marinaro and Kayley Thomas have a similar idea and an

interesting perspective of the friendship between Holmes and Watson and his

importance as a counterweight to Holmes in the final showdown in “The Great

Game”. When Moriarty (Holmes nemesis) declares that he will “burn the heart out

of” Sherlock and Sherlock´s response is that he does not have a heart, Moriarty´s

answer is that “we both now that´s not quite true” and establishes that John is in fact

the heart to Sherlock’s head and possibly also the key to his heart. Moriarty´s

statement then seems to be accurate when Sherlock understands that John was

willing to sacrifice his life for Sherlock but ends up saving them both (Marinaro &

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Thomas, 77-78). Ana E. La Paz describes Watson as the perfect foil to Holmes and

“the two are a crime-fighting team who provide the audience with the comforting idea

that no problem is too difficult to resolve if one has the right help.” (92)

As intriguing as Sherlock Holmes himself is, John Watson might be necessary

in order to understand the character and all of his peculiar traits and way of thinking.

Watson humanises Holmes and assures that deep inside Holmes actually has a heart

and therefore is on the good side. Holmes needs Watson to stay on the good side, to

understand ant to interpret the people and society and to evolve as a person. It would

be quite simple to wright Sherlock off as a narcissistic lunatic if Watson did not

explain the complexity of the character. In Sherlock, “A Study in Pink” -Watson is

amazed when introduced to the power of Holmes deduction and uses superlative as

“quite extraordinary” directly to Holmes, Holmes response is: “usually people just tell

me to piss off”. Watson is one of few people in the story who acknowledge Holmes for

his capability and accomplishments.

Sherlock Holmes- the hero

What Doyle offered with Holmes was a character that gave society hope, a reassuring

feeling that crimes could be fought by man alone and justice could be upheld

(Christopher 61f). In today´s world of terror, threats and cold cases, hope in

humanity is what society might just need. The modern Holmes still provides us with

the reassuring feeling that crimes, how difficult they may seem to solve, some of them

could actually be solved. The modern Holmes uses a few more gadgets of technology

but it is still his brain powers that solve crimes, not a supernatural power or a lethal

weapon or extraordinary violence per se. With logical thinking and knowledge in

science he is as efficient as the forensic team and the police together.

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The original Holmes is cold-blooded, efficient, lacks in social skills and is only

interested in solving mysteries, anything that does not concern a crime or a puzzle of

a mystery is of no concern for him. Sherlock´s version of Holmes is cold-blooded,

efficient, lacks in social skills and is indeed driven by finding the right answer when

solving a crime. However, Sherlock´s Holmes shows affection towards his landlady

Mrs. Hudson and Watson and calls them his friends. As the original character,

Sherlock´s Holmes has little respect for the aristocratic, as he refuses to get dressed

and appears in only his sheets when being called to Buckingham Palace to solve a

mystery. Elementary´s Holmes is efficient, socially awkward, is absolutely intrigued

by solving the puzzle of a crime and shows affection and empathy towards Watson

and for that matter Kitty Winter, the former victim of a rapist. Irene Adler, The

Woman, does not only intrigue Holmes in this version, he is also in love with her, a

feeling the original Holmes not engaged in at all.

When comparing the different versions of Holmes` character in the 21st

century one point of view is that they are Holmes´s in different stages of life. Sherlock

has made Holmes slightly more humane and emphatic towards some people.

Elementary has gone one step further and made Holmes more affectionate and

capable of loving others. In this point of view the character has evolved from a drug

addict, uninterested in feelings and affections or dealing with his inner demons to a

on and off user of nicotine patches, capable of feelings with empathy for those he

believes deserves it and finally in to a recovering drug addict in touch with his

feelings and affectionate to the people close to him.

A character as Holmes is adaptable in nearly any time and any place due to his

traits as a person. He is ordinary, not common per se, but his use of logic sense and

knowledge in science instead of, for example, advanced technology to solve mysteries

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makes him relatable and adaptable almost everywhere. Stephen Joyce writes in his

article regarding Sherlock´s evolution on screen:

In a world of information overload, it is essential that we shut out

irrelevant information and this was as true in Holmes’s time as it is

today. […])

Holmes’s ability to navigate this ocean of information marked him as a

modern hero and this skill is equally vital in the digital age because the

Internet can’t do our thinking for us: We have to know exactly what to

search for if we want to get meaningful results. (Joyce, 82)

Even if Holmes has the opportunity to use technology and has access to more

information in the modern society, he still has to know what information he needs

and what is vital to him.

The use of technology in the modern versions has not changed how the character

operates but it has change how the audience can stay connected to the story and has

opened for an even larger audience.

Sherlock Holmes is not perfect, he has flaws, he is not equipped with

superpowers as Superman or has the glamour of James Bond, there is nothing

mystical about Holmes he is merely a human being. Holmes can reassure us that it is

enough to be a human being to make a difference in the world. Holmes can teach us

when something seems impossible we need to observe what we see to identify the

possible.

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Conclusion

Doyle created a timeless fictional hero that, so relatable that he nearly seemed to be

real but still so peculiar that we are intrigued by him.

The interest in Holmes is significant and the adaptability of the character does

not only regard how to adapt him to the screen but also how to adapt him or rather

his rational and logical thinking in to our life and society.

Sherlock Holmes´s observational skills are remarkable as is his ability to

deduct and be logic. By inviting us in on his train of thought he presents his secret

weapon, logical reasoning, openly for anyone to use and provides us with the glimpse

of hope that we can all be heroes. The humanised hero with flaws, somewhat extreme

in his ways but not pathologically so and socially awkward but yet considering and

loyal to those who really matters to him is a relatively easy to relate to. Add to that his

ability to bring clarity and hope in a world where crimes and lost cases are insolvable

until the master of deduction lays his puzzle and solves the impossible, then you have

personified a true hero and a symbol of hope adaptable almost in every society, and

nearly in any time and any place.

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La Paz, Ana E. “Making the Transition: The Modern Adaptation and Recreation of the

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