dr watson Flashcards
A wondrous subtle thing is a love… in our hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other
the theme of- love and friedship
Watson uses sentimental language to convey his sensitive nature as the adverb “instinctively” shows the deep connection Mary and Watson have which is further accentuated by Watson’s use of personification to make the reader envisage such a ‘wonderous’ moment taking place that is almost magical. perhaps Watson describes it in such a magical way to not only shows his love but to also depict that this relationship may never come to pass as may will be of a different class when they find the treasure.
by holding ‘hands’ Watson represents Mary, as the representative female, as becoming weaker and more dependent upon him throughout the novel. the reader has a challenge in deciding whether his attitude should be attributed to his narrative perspective or whether it is the intention of Doyle to show that women need masculine support and protection
Watson’s attraction to Mary Morstan is used as a hiatus that breaks up the main detective plot. He leads the romantic sub-plot, increasing the appeal to the magazine and readership making the novella multi-dimensional
the assonance of the ‘our’ sounds divulges that Watson is indulged in such immense levels of love that it takes him to another dimension where only he and mary exist and their love is everlasting as relating to the adjective ‘subtle’ with its connotations of peace suggesting that he finds the idea of love peaceful.
at this point in the Novella, there is a clear distinction of how Watson is used as a foil to Holmes or vice versa. this metaphor is embedded within the dark and eerie atmosphere of chapter 5 and Watson and mary hold ‘hands’ to comfort each other. perhaps Doyle does this to insinuate that Holmes is ‘positively inhuman’ as he is not affected by the tense thick atmosphere instead he is ‘alone’ and remains analytical. this shows that Holmes is always focused and sees love as a distraction as he is able to focus on the case and Watson is not as he is focused on his fears and protecting Mary. However, it could be argued that Doyle is showing the positives of love. possibly, he is implying that without someone to confide in and connect to we would go in ‘fits of the blackest depression; just as Holmes does. Maybe his character is unusual and paradoxical because he is missing a part of him which is human connection
My conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest
the theme of duality
emotion
he feels obliged to question Holmes’s drug use as he is an amazing detective that has unique methods. Doyle does this to imply that being around a dural person like holmes evokes an intense atmosphere that is reoccurring and almost painful.
also, this shows that Watson is a far more sensitive character than holmes. which contrasts with the expectations of a man in the victorian era
the noun ‘courage’ is what we associate with bravery, However, in this context, Watson seems to fear having such characteristics against Holmes
adjective ‘protest’ insinuates that Watson feels the need to supress Holmes’ ego but he cannot because he knows that Holmes is almost always correct
the adjective ‘nightly’ indicates that Watsons ‘conscience’ took a sinister turn
the metaphor “my conscience swelled nightly within me” implies that Watson feels like he is unable to express his ideas and opinions around holmes so he just bottles up his emotions and does not discuss them as holmes is a “cold” and “unemotional” character
My mind ran upon our late visitor - her smiles, the deep rich tones of her voice
love and friendship
the use of personification shows how amazed and interested Watson is in mary which makes the audience of the victorian era see watson as week due to the display of emotions.
shows a sharp contrast between Watson and holmes as holmes is cold and unemotional and does not see clients in any other way other than a “unit” whereas Watson immediately describes her beauty using long complex sentences such as “She was blonde young lady, small, dainty, well gloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste” to create a semantic field of love which reflect on all the emotions he is feeling just at the thought
the analeptic view of her used here emphasizes how obsessed and shocked he is to meet a beautiful and amazing girl. this emphasizes how Sherlock sees love and emotion as a distraction as Watson is now focused on mary. Conan Doyle complements mary here as the dash accentuates Watson’s deep feelings all the more, but he focuses on marys appearance which reflects how women were treated in the victorian era- valued only by their beauty. to a victorian reader, this would be seen as a complement but to the modern-day reader, we see this as sexist.
If Holmes could work to find the criminals, I had a tenfold stronger reason to urge me on to find the treasure
love and friendship
wealth
this indicates to the audience that Watson is focused on impressing mary as if he were to find the treasure he would be on the same level as her. She sees love as a much greater reason to complete a task. emotions bring purpose in Watson’s view. this relates to Doyle’s perception of emotions. he found love to bring purpose and fulfillment as his last words to his wife were words of love. this suggests that Watson is a character used to symbolize one side of Doyle.
this emphasizes the contrast between Holmes and Watson as holmes love investigating and finding “criminals” and Watson is focused on finding the treasure for mary.
the adjective “ tenfold stronger” shows how determined Watson is to find the treasure and also implies that Watson sees love and emotion as a powerful reason to find the treasure as he wants to impress mary and gain her acceptance.
He was bright, eager and in excellent spirits, a mood which in his case alternated with fits of the blackest depression
dujality, rationality
by using the lidt of three ‘bright’, ‘eager’ and ‘excellent’ Doyle accentuates Sherlocks happy emotions whilst on case. this suggests that without ‘brain work’ Holmes is miserable as he needs work to stimulate his brain at all times.
the superlative ‘blackest’ indicates that the at times Holmes’ depression takes an extremely sinister turn
this is juxtaposed by the negative adjective ‘black’ with its connotations of evil and darkness to indicate that Watson dislikes Holmes when he is not on a case as he becomes unstable. alternatively, this can link to how at times Holmes is an amazing teach and friend and other times he becomes an impolsive ,cold: unemotional and arrogant person
Holmes behavior conforms to the conventions of detective fiction as his strange quirks intrigue the reader of the victorian era. Modern readers would view Holmes as a character with some sort of behavioral disorder as it is not normal for a man to change so drastically.
this makes us identifuy that Holmes’s character is paradoxical as such an intelligent man who is ahead of his time in forensic science takes drugs and his behavior always alternates. the use of a long complex scentence indicates that Watson finds it hard living with such a dural character.
Whoever had lost a treasure, I knew that night I had gained one
love and friendship, wealth
this is a reference to Watson and marys love. By using the ‘treasure’ which is a motif throughout the story to denote the destructive impact of desires this insinuates that’s Doyle is trying to portray the immense levels of adoration that Watson has for mary- his desire is almost destructive.
this metaphor suggests that Watson feels like he can now finally be with mary as he will be worthy of her as she will not be of a higher class. this shows the class divide in the victorian era. also shows how many always where meant to be more superior than women
The romantic sub-plot concludes with Watson suggesting a possessive connection to Mary.By using the noun ‘treasure’, Watson suggests that Mary is beautiful, unique and valuable to him – he is unconcerned about real treasure or wealth; he just wants to have Mary to love. This would make readers like Watson even more, as he shows a great desire for love as well as a strong, protective nature.
‘We were driving to an unknown place, on an unknown errand’
rationality,
The repetition of the adjective‘unknown’adds to the mystery and intrigue of the story, as the reader sees the events through Watson’s eyes – things that are unknown to him are unknown to us as well. in addition, they are in a strange carriage with people they do not know, heading to a destination they have no idea about – it makes the reader wonder if this will lead to positive or negative outcomes. this wonder makes us admire Holmes all the more as he is not affected by his environment which insinuates that he is in a world of his own that separates him from Watson and the reader.
‘A dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city… I lost my bearings and knew nothing’
rationality and emotion, science
Watson notes the differences between Holmes and himself throughout the novella.Here, the pathetic fallacy shows that Watson feels lost (in terms of their literal location and the case itself). He notes that he knows‘nothing’, but does not seem to be worried about this – instead, he trusts that Holmes can guide him to the correct location and to the correct conclusions about the case.
‘What was I, an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking account, that I should dare to think about such things?
wealth, gender and social views
Watson shows himself to be a very romantic character – he longs to be with Mary but does not feel that he is good enough for her. In Victorian society, wealth and status were key. In Watson’s eyes, his weak bank account means that he cannot offer Mary the luxurious and comfortable lifestyle he feels that she deserves.
the adjective ‘weak’ acts as an intensifier to distance Watson further away from mary. By doing this the victorian readers don’t see the possibility of Watson and Mary marrying in the end which adds to the satisfactory ending of the novel
by using a long complexed sentence coupled with the rhetorical question Doyle insinuates that Watson sees his attraction towards mary as an unsolvable mystery as he has a ‘weaker banking account; so he believes that he should not even think of ‘such things’ the victorian reader is made to sympathize with watson as the stereotype of men being the breadwinners in the 19th century is holding him back from being with mary. perhaps Doyle’s intentions are to criticize the social class system because if men and women were equals within society Watson w=would not be restricted and would feel free to fall in love with the women of his dreams.
; she was a unit, a factor- nothing more’
coming from Watson these words sound negative and powerful, he is trying to condemn his thoughts of Mary ever being with him
echoes the words of Holmes
paratheatrical dash reflects Watson’s feeling towards Mary and how he is saddened by the fact that he could never be with her. Doyle does this to accentuate social class difficulties as Watson has had to turn to Holmes’ aloof unsympathetic methods of thinking to make him retract from feelings of love.
this is the beginning of the romantic subplot
‘seventeen… seven and twenty now’
when watsons ‘mind ran upon our late visitor’ he is seen to use Holmes’ methods of deduction to work out her age and find out more about her rather than focusing on the case. he lets romance get the best of him which is why Holmes says the ‘emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning’
Holmes and Watson going back to their interests once Miss Morstan leaves - ‘what a very attractive woman!’ ‘had lit his pipe again’
Holmes is more interested in himself and stimulating his mind, not marys appearance unlike Watson
they are seen to both return to their interests,
watsons interests lie in romance and Holmes’ interests only serve to keep him busy. However, smoking a pipe is a normal habit for people in the victorian era, possibly Holmes does not feel as though his mind has been fully stimulated, so he remains board and ‘lit his pipe’ to try and give himself some relief
watsons response to mary about the pearls ‘finest pearls that i jave ever seen’ Holmes’ response ‘your statement is most interesting’
Watson is again much more human than Holmes but also cares for materialistic properties.
maybe Watson just used this as an opportunity to connect with mary.
holmes stay on a case that shows that he does not care for materialistic things. indicates that he is just using mary as a source of entertainment.
social balance to the thoughtless and rambling Holmes
‘two graceful, clinging figures… hall light shining through stained glass’
the adjective ‘clinning’ again weakens mary morstan from watsons perspectove as a women in the victorian era was seen as vulnerable and weak. suggesting that the eventz that have taken place are not safe for mary
the adjective ‘graceful’ insinuates that watson is mesmorised by marys beauty which adds to their cliche victorian romance. Alternatively, watson finding mary alluring is emblematic of how a womans value in the victorian era was there beauty
throughout the novella light is seen to be symbollic of hope. by using light at this point of the novella doyle foreshadows the clearing of the case
‘stained glass’ metaphorically represents that mysterious nature of the case.
‘Soft sea of sound… In dream land with the sweet face of Mary morstan’
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