Review #2 Sign Of Four

This week I read Sherlock Homes The Sign of Four pages 4-36. Something I really appreciated the way Doyle describes Sherlock’s quick thinking. I Knew from watching the movies that he was very quick witted, thinking several steps above his opponents, seconds before they make a move. When I started the book I was very curious about how Doyle would show this due to the fact that the books are all written from Watson’s perspective and in a movie all you do is add a narrative voice, allowing the audience to understand his thoughts. However this scene really came to show Doyle’s how well he writes due to the fact that in order to get Sherlock better understood and at times read his thoughts, he must think of creative circumstances to put him in. I feel that Sherlock’s vast knowledge was shown well in when they were blindfolded in a cab “I lost my bearings and knew nothing save that we seemed to be going a very long way. Sherlock Holmes was never at fault, however, and he muttered the names as the cab rattled through squares and in and out by tortuous by-streets. “Rochester row,” said he. Now Vincent square. Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road. We are making for the Surrey side apparently. Yes, I thought so.” (Doyle. 23) I find this a brilliant technique to show Sherlock’s thoughts by putting them in a situation where he is A. needed to share them out loud ( for rarely in the books he shares his “secrets”) and B. is in a situation where his expertise are at dire need. Now the reason I say this is if it were any other case, he wouldn’t really need to show his knowledge or immediately use it he would probably solve the case then and there, and then actually make an arrest based on others actions that lead to conform his original suspicion. In this scene however Doyle beautifully demonstrates Sherlock’s skills through changing the situation and putting him, where he needs to know where they are in the vast city of London, just by listing to his surroundings and then his knowledge is conveyed to us by rattling off the streets in a matter of seconds.

Here is an example of a scene that shows his quick wittiness, through his thoughts, something Doyle is unable to do writing as Watson, and thus must devise more imaginative ways to show Sherlock ability.