As the mystery behind finding the pictures which belonged to the King of Bohemia draws to a close, we discover why Sherlock Holmes had previously describe Irene Adler as "the love of his life" and as of "the woman." (Pg 40).
Holmes had returned to Mrs. Adler's household to fetch the photograph which he had located earlier in the week, by setting up a fake fire near her home and seeing what she would grab first, of her belongings before leaving her household. When Holmes left her household, he had hopped into a taxi cab and picked up Watson. As they drove, they discussed the entire situation of Holmes finding out where Adler had the scandalous photos stored. It turns out the taxi cab driver, was a person hired by Adler herself to spy on Holmes. Adler had gotten hints through a source that remains anonymous in this story, that Holmes would be spying and sneaking near her in hopes of taking the pictures. That is why she hired someone to spy right back.
Knowing that the woman had extreme curiosity to see what Holmes was up to, and having the wit to hire someone to spy right back on him, is what helps us understand Holmes so much more. Holmes loves to be near a witty person, regardless of whether or not they outsmart him. But if Holmes loves to be around these witty people, why does he constantly spend time with Watson who just isn't quite the sharpest crayon in the box? In fact, being outsmarted does not damage Holmes' ego. In this case, he simply stated to Watson, "I have a lot to learn."
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
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2 comments:
I'm slightly confused because before you said that Watson was an equal with Holmes but now he's not a sharp crayon?
Well, my apologies about that- I wasn't very clear with my wording, I guess. :)
Holmes and Watson have intellect, but very distinct and different kinds of intellect. Street smart vs. Book smart essentially, and Watson doesn't show much of his intelligence in every day conversation, he only shows it while he is working or if Holmes is forcing him to think.
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