Comparing between the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and the Maltese Falcon - Essay Example

These novels are able to grab the reader’s attention and to keep them guessing. Only when the surprising twist in the end of the story is disclosed does one get the amazing feeling of finally understanding the plot and how everything falls into place. The novels have many similarities but they also have a number of differences. Ultimately, the weaving of the stories by their authors makes them both interesting pieces of literature.
There are very strong characters in the central characters, Sherlock Holmes and Samuel Spade. The two are both detectives by profession who have their own detective agencies. Additionally, they also have partners who work with them in solving the mysteries. There is however a difference in the relationship among the characters and their partners. Holmes thinks highly of his colleague, Dr. John H. Watson. The stories of Sherlock Holmes are all within the perspective of Dr. Watson. It is through his eyes that the reader gets a good appreciation of the brilliance of Holmes as a detective. A majority of the novels begin with the phrase “I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes” such as in The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. Or, it may also begin with Watson’s recollection of some other incident which stirred the curiosity of the great detective such as “On glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes” in The Adventure of the Speckled Band. On the other hand, the relationship of Spade and his partner, Miles Archer, is very shaky at the very least. Read More