Women in Holmes

A detailed Summary of Women in Holmes

In the Victorian era, a woman was to be seen and not heard. They were emotional rather than logical, and weak. This presented the perfect victim for a Victorian gentleman to rescue. As "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" were written in this era, and were written to make money rather than a statement, it is not surprising that the female characters invented by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were generally victims.

Mary Sutherland of "A Case of Identity" is a good example of a typical Victorian woman; she is weak and emotional. She also doesn't hide her emotions very well as Holmes points out that "Oscillation upon the pavement always means an affaire de cœur" (192) upon seeing Miss Sutherland across the street. In this case, she is represented as naive and innocent, she has been duped by her own mother and stepfather. She is also very loyal saying "I shall be true to Hosmer. He shall find me ready when he comes back". (196)

Holmes figures out that the true identity of Hosmer is that of her stepfather posing as a suitor, and leaving on the wedding day so as to keep Miss Sutherland in his house, and thereby controlling her inheritance. He chooses however not to tell his client what he has disco

vered saying "If I tell her she will not believe me. . . 'There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman'"(201). This reinforces the Victorian belief that women are emotional rather than logical. A logical person such as Watson or Holmes can see how Miss Sutherland has been taken advantage of, but with her being emotional, all she believes is that some tragic occurrence pulled her true love from her on their wedding day, and that he will return to claim her as promised.

Irene Adler of "A Scandal in Bohemia" is the first woman to escape Sherlock Holmes' grasp. She had an affair with the Crown Prince of Bohemia, and years later she was threatening to ruin him with their picture. While going over his case, the King tells Holmes "You do not know her, but she has a soul of steel. She has the face of the most beautiful of women, and the mind of the most resolute of men"(166). She is also the first woman who is not victimized by any of the men involved in the case.

Hatty Doran of "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" is quite the opposite of Miss Sutherland. Though she is female, she does show some strength in controlling her emotions. She loved a man in her youth, married him, thought he was dead, and proceeded to marry her father's choice for her. However, when she saw her first husband at her second wedding, instead of falling apart she managed to breakfast with her family for a while before running off. As she was an American, the audience would not expect her to be of the same class as a Victorian lady, and her life with the coal miners would make her less prone to showing her emotions. "We can't command our love, but we can our actions"(298) she said as she explained that she would have done her duty to her seco

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Approximate Word count = 1213
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English