A study in Scarlet

A study in scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle marks the beginning of a new era, the introduction of the most renown detective character ever-Sherlock Holmes. The book also marks the introduction of Holmes and Dr Watson and the beginning of a companionship between the two.

Our doctor Watson, who has just returned from the Afghanistan war as thin as lath and brown as nut has little to spare and is in dire need of a decent place and a room partner. And this leads him to Sherlock Holmes and in turn both of them to  an apartment at the famous ‘221 B Baker Street’.

The doctor’s description of Holmes is intriguing. The way how Sherlock appears a complete mystery to him at first and the consistent efforts Watson makes to figure out what he actually is, are not only humorous, but they also help one to understand nature of Sherlock Holmes, at least to some extent.

Holmes is man of perfection in his field- a keen observer with art of deduction. A man full of surprises, who never ceases to amaze anyone with his expertise and even the detectives of Scotland Yard-  Lestrade and Gregson seek his guidance when some cases are beyond their reach.

Holmes expresses motive of his life clearly when he says: “There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.”

The book also ventures into the Utah territory, 1847 where John Ferrier and a little girl named Lucy, the only survivors of a large party of pioneers, lie down near a boulder to die from dehydration and hunger. They are discovered, however, by a large party of Mormons, who are strong believers of Christianity and traditions like polygamy.

The two parts intertwine as Mr. Holmes single handedly solve the unusual mystery, but the credit as usual goes to the supposedly two genius minds of Scotland Yard and Holmes rightly says:

“What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. The question is what can you make people believe you have done.”