Novel:
A Case StudyArthur Conan Doyle’s
SUMMARY:
Set in 1887, the story revolves
around the case of Miss Mary Sutherland, a woman with a substantial income from
the interest on a fund set up for her. She is engaged to a quiet Londoner who
has recently disappeared. Sherlock Holmes's detective powers are barely
challenged as this turns out to be quite an elementary case for him, much as it
puzzles Watson.
The fiancé, Mr. Hosmer Angel, is
a peculiar character, rather quiet, and rather secretive about his life. Miss
Sutherland only knows that he works in an office in Leadenhall Street, but
nothing more specific than that. All his letters to her are typewritten, even
the signature, and he insists that she write back to him through the local Post
Office.
The climax of the sad liaison
comes when Mr. Angel abandons Miss Sutherland at the altar on their wedding
day.
Holmes, noting all these things,
Hosmer Angel's description, and the fact that he only seems to meet with Miss
Sutherland while her disapproving youngish stepfather, James Windibank, is out
of the country on business, reaches a conclusion quite quickly. A typewritten
letter confirms his belief beyond doubt. Only one person could have gained by
this: Mr. James Windibank. Holmes deduces "Angel" had
"disappeared" by simply going out the other side of a four-wheeler
cab.
After solving the mystery, Holmes
chooses not to tell his client the solution, since "If I tell her she will
not believe me. You may remember the old Persian saying, 'There is danger for
him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion
from a woman.' There is as much sense in Hafiz as in Horace, and as much
knowledge of the world." In this, however, he can be accused of not fulfilling
his professional duty for which he was paid – namely, to investigate the matter
to which she set him, provide her with the results and let her decide what to
do with them. Holmes does advise his client to forget "Mr. Angel";
Miss Sutherland refuses to take Holmes' advice and vows to remain faithful to
"Angel" until he reappears – for at least ten years.
Holmes predicts Windibank will
continue a career in crime and end up on the gallows.
CRITICISM:
Pragmatism is all about collaboration of science and technology and in the story the case of identity they use both science and technology to solve the mystery.“A Case of Identity” is the third
story in Doyle’s anthology Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It uses a simple formula for a mystery that
still instills a thrill among readers to seek a solution to the case. The story is introduced, as many of the
Holmes’ stories begin, with a discourse between Holmes and Watson. A debate between
Watson and Holmes on whether real life can be considered eccentric or dull in
comparison to the written tales of authors serves as an introduction to the
mystery. Holmes takes the former view of
life while Watson believes the latter.
Holmes believes that the case presented by the client whom he is
expecting would convince Watson of life’s eccentricities. The client, a
nearsighted woman, is seeking Holmes talents to locate her missing
fiancée. The clues are brought forward
at this point, including the missing person’s appearance, the missing person’s
typewritten signature, and the client’s remarkable inheritance. An alert reader can use these clues to draw
up answers to the questions who, how, and why respectively. With this evidence brought forth, a
conclusion can be drawn up by the reader.
This is necessary in any mystery as the continual piecing together of
clues and the asking of questions by the readers keeps them engaged in the
story. The literary element that also
adds to the light-hearted yet intellectual tone of this Sherlock Holmes story
is that, according to Holmes and Watson’s perspective, the existence of the
case affirms Holmes theory that reality is more unusual than fiction. However, as a reader, we can be amused by the
story as such cases of false identity do not occur often in reality, thus
favoring Watson’s theory in comparing the eccentricities of literature and
reality.
