Analysis of A Study in Scarlet by Doyle - Essay Example

Study in Scarlet A Study in Scarlet portrays the relationship between its settings in the urban environment and the characters in the story. The author attempts to provide a link between thematic elements such as crime and revenge with the urban settings of the city of London. A Study in Scarlet provides us with examples of mysteries in the big city and the problems that are common in metropolitan life. In essence, it provides a shift from the Victorian London to the modern city in which crime and other social challenges occur frequently. In the novel, crime takes place on the dark side of the city where the environment was conducive to crime. In fact, it is ironical that the detective Sherlock Holmes lives in the comfortable area of the city in Baker Street while he solves crimes that occur on the other side of the city. The detective in the story offers an intricate link between the two faces of the city of London. Although the author of A Study in Scarlet grew up in Edinburgh, he chose the city of London as the main setting for his story. London provided a setting in which the differences in men and society would be evident in the Victorian society. The city of London offered multiple layers of being that represented several classes in the society. Essentially, the city was a backdrop of the differences in the society and the occurrences that took place. For instance, there were the dark isolated alleys, the lack of gas lights and the topographical setting that provided the perfect environment for crime. These circumstances enormously increased the crime rates and thus a perfect setting for crime solving by the detective Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet (Doyle 25). However, the other side of London, Baker Street, was an uptown suburb which was safe and well developed. It is evident that the city of London provided two seemingly different environments which espoused the conflict between the dark side of the city and the civilized world haven of Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet creates the link between the two sides. One of the evident connections between the urban environment and the characters in A Study in Scarlet is the portrayal of the detective Sherlock Holmes. The detective considers himself to be special and unique. He tells Watson that “Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I’m a consulting detective” (23). This implies that Sherlock Holmes thinks very highly of himself. The detective sets himself apart from the society by living in high-end Baker Street. It is also symbolic that he lives in an apartment that was above the city from where he could easily observe all the happenings in the streets below. This further segregated him from the common masses in London and cemented his position as an outsider of the London society. Holmes is also individualistic and prefers to stay alone most of the time. Thus, the setting of his apartment in Baker Street offered him a serene environment where he could comfortably enjoy solitude. Watson notes that sometimes Sherlock Holmes could stay weeks on end in his apartment in Baker Street. He notes that Sherlock Holmes could “lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room, hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night” (19). It is evident that the character used the serene urban environment offered by Baker Street to spend his time. Besides, the setting of Sherlock Holmes apartment was critical for his success as a detective. In fact, he may not have able to concentrate and lead his preferred chosen lifestyle had he been staying in the dark alleys of the other side of the city. The other reason why the city of London was an enabler of crime is its topographical setting. The urban setting of A Study in Scarlet offers the perfect environment for the emergence of the theme of crime. Due to the rapid expansion of the houses, the city became a labyrinth since there was no element of planning. People were affected by the dark alleys and passages that donned the city. Even the veterans of the city would have significant difficulty in navigating the city. Because of the labyrinth nature of the city of London, villains and criminals would easily melt into the crowds and get away from law enforcement. In A Study in Scarlet, the detective Sherlock Holmes and Watson believed sometimes they pursued criminals “through an endless labyrinth of gas-lit streets” and this worked against time by making it difficult to trace criminals (24). Even though the labyrinths of the city were confusing, Sherlock Holmes knew the city in a very precise manner. This ability to master the metropolitan city of London in exact details portrays the detective as a person with superb observation skills and memory. As the novel points out, he visited all the areas of London: both the uptown areas and the “lowest portions of the city.” He knew even the slightest details including names of restaurants, location of newspaper vendors and other landmarks. This ability to master the London metropolitan city gave detective Sherlock Holmes an upper hand in solving crimes and thus made his services to be in great demand. It is due to his mastery of London that he was able to solve seemingly impossible mystery cases that he was assigned by Scotland Yard. The city of London is also given a character of its own that actively intertwines with the story. The influence of the urban setting of the story in London critically portrays the crimes in the novel as they occur in the “dark alleys” of the city where criminals easily hide among the masses (9). The life in the uptown area of Baker Street is highly civilized and there are no cases of crime that are reported in this area. The essence of this distinction is that the respectable and civilized area is protected from the dangerous criminal world that is the order of day in the dark alleys of London. Detective Sherlock Holmes and Watson have a safe haven in Baker Street where they retreat to after investigating crime in the other areas of London. Holmes and Watson start their investigations in Baker Street from where they devise the strategy to use. After finishing the investigations, the detective found most of the solutions to the mysteries once he was back to his safe haven in Baker Street. This is a clear indication that the detective created the link between the civilized Baker Street and the criminal underworld in the other areas of London. It can be argued that the novel A Study in Scarlet uses the urban settings of the city of London to portray the theme of crime and its relation to the characters in the story. The civilized and respectable uptown region of Baker Street is devoid of crime, and this is where the detective and Watson live. On the other hand, the dark alleys and labyrinths of the city provided the perfect environment for criminal activity. In order to solve the mystery crimes of the time, Sherlock Holmes had to master both sides of the city of London. It is the mastery of both sides of the city and the superb observational powers that enabled the detective to easily solve the crimes in London City. Works Cited Doyle, Arthur. A Study in Scarlet. New York: A.L Burt Company Publishers, 1969. Print. Read More