{Sunday Midnight Book Club #3} A Study in Scarlet: Chapter 5
Hello, Internet, and good mornight to you all!
My name is Taffryne, shoppekeeper of Midnight on Memory Lane, and it is my absolute delight to welcome you to the first post for this week's Sunday Midnight Book Club.
'Tis a pleasure, 'tis a pleasure indeed.
As the title of this post says, we're going to be talking about the fifth chapter of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first-ever Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet. I humbly present my thoughts for your enjoyment and consideration. Accordingly, please mind that there will be spoilers ahead!
Page Bound Link: click here!
Disclaimer: All of the original Sherlock Holmes books were written by a well-off, white gentleman in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, there potentially will be relics of their time, be it terminology or depictions, at varying levels of offensiveness. I mean no disrespect to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, nor his legacy; I merely want to make it clear that they were wrong during his time, they are wrong now, and I am wholeheartedly in no way endorsing them on this blog. Everyone has different levels of acceptability, so please advise and feel no judgement if you'd rather not take the risk yourself this time around.
Trigger Warnings: Discussion of Murder, Generic Warning for Sherlock Holmes' Social Skills, Deception and Deceitful Acts
Chapter 5: Our Advertisement Brings a Visitor
Recollection
- Watson is becoming enthralled and obsessive towards the case alongside his interest in Sherlock's behaviour/quirks
- Sherlock uses Watson's name to put an "Articles Found" notice in the paper to try and lure out the maybe-drunk-man presumed to be the owner of the wedding ring found with The Victim's body
- An old woman shows up to reclaim the ring, citing that it was her daughter who lost it
- Sherlock tries to follow the woman (he believes she's just an accomplice of the real culprit), but ultimately loses her when she disappears from a cab on the way home
- Holmes believes the woman was actually a man in disguise and knew Sherlock was following them
First off, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the sheer amount of poeticism that Watson (well, Sir Arthur when he's writing as Watson) uses when talking about his feelings.
"So sinister was the impression which that face had produced upon me that I found it difficult to feel anything but gratitude for him who had removed its owner from the world" (Pg. 25)
Have you ever before heard someone talk about holding such a profound emotion towards the sight of a dead man's face? I mean, I certainly hope not because then we'd have a whole list of additional questions and concerns to get through, but, my point stands. Sir Arthur's writing has such an intriguing way of blending both a pragmatic and almost theatrical style together. It makes for a very entertaining read because it puts you directly into the shoes of the characters themselves. Watson starts off as this very blank-slate of a character to give the perspective through. He observes and reports. As he gets woven into Sherlock's world, though, his voice becomes more eccentric, more dramatic, and even more excited at things. It's like your experiencing in real-time as he shapes into Sherlock's partner rather than just being told so. Hats off, truly.
As for the case itself...what??? This is the late-1800s; how quality could someone's old-lady disguise truly be? Granted, theatre was alive and well, so, that could explain it. However, the disappearing from the cab bit? I know he wasn't directly on their tail the entire time, but how did the cab driver not notice his passenger, I don't know, completely remove themselves from his carriage??? We don't yet know if they also removed their disguise in doing so, but surely someone would have noticed an old woman or young man tossing themselves out of a moving cab.
See, now I'm just more invested in what the heck the importance of this ring is. How did you carelessly leave it behind if you're going through all this trouble to get it back? I deal with memories and sentiment everyday. I know just how life-or-death the attachment of things can get (I have things I feel that way about myself). I wonder if the ring is even the maybe-drunk-maybe-murderer's own possession or perhaps leads an even bigger mystery...
Thanks for Reading!
I hope you've been able to read and enjoy the story for yourself! If you haven't, that's okay too! My thoughts are here to keep you updated and entertained in the meantime.
This caps off this post, so off into the nighttime we go in preparation for the next one publishing very shortly!
May we meet again when the clock strikes 12:00!