Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is both the detective who uncovers the human explanation behind the Baskerville mystery and an ideal of disciplined observation for the young narrator. Though Holmes appears to remain in London, he secretly investigates in Devon, helps expose Stapleton’s scheme, and demonstrates the value of noticing what others overlook.

Identity and Introduction

The narrator admires Holmes as the kind of detective he would want to be if he were a proper detective. He describes Holmes as very intelligent and values the way he solves the mystery. That admiration is personal as well as literary: the narrator sees a kinship between Holmes’s attention to overlooked details and his own habit of observing closely.

Investigation and Solution

Holmes sends Dr. Watson to Devon with Sir Henry Baskerville and James Mortimer, while saying that he will stay in London. In fact, Holmes travels to Devon in secret and conducts an investigation of his own. His concealed presence explains the figure Watson sees on the moor, which initially seems mysterious but is Holmes himself.

Holmes discovers that Stapleton, a neighbor and distant Baskerville relation, is behind the danger to Sir Henry. Stapleton hopes to inherit Baskerville Hall and has brought a large dog from London, disguising it with phosphorus so that it glows in the dark. The dog frightened Sir Charles Baskerville to death. Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade of Scotland Yard confront the scheme; Holmes and Watson shoot the dog, while Stapleton escapes into Grimpen Mire and dies in the bog.

Observation and Method

The narrator quotes Holmes’s maxim, “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” For the narrator, this line captures the detective’s distinctive ability: Holmes notices evidence that other people miss. The narrator connects that method to his own purpose in writing, treating careful observation as a way to understand events rather than relying on assumptions.

Holmes also rejects supernatural explanations, including curses and the Hound of Hell. The solution confirms that the apparent monster is a real dog used in Stapleton’s plan. The contrast between an eerie appearance and a discoverable human cause makes Holmes’s refusal to believe in the supernatural central to the narrator’s appreciation of him.

Influence and Narrative Role

Holmes functions as a model for the narrator’s detective ambitions, but the admiration is not uncritical: the narrator notes that Holmes’s success depends on intelligence and sustained investigation. The account also attends to the difference between the original stories and their popular adaptations. It points out that Holmes is not described as wearing a deerstalker hat in the original stories and does not say “Elementary, my dear Watson” there; those familiar features belong to illustrations, films, and television rather than the original text. These corrections fit the chapter’s interest in distinguishing evidence from what audiences assume they know.