Blog #39 – Is Wargrave like Holmes?

I didn’t love And Then There Were None.  As the semester has progressed, I have begun to rely on those 10 commandments and on James’s “rules” for detective fiction to be satisfied with a novel.  In order for me to really enjoy a detective novel, I need there to be someone in charge, who is safe from incrimination, and who is smarter than I am (which isn’t saying much).  None of those things were present in this novel.  I hated that the judge was the killer – this is clearly a violation of the 10 commandments.  The detective can’t have committed the crime, yet the judge set himself up as the leader and central “detective” of the novel.  Bad form, Ms. Christie… The judge himself is an interesting character.  He is this interesting combination of vigilantly hero and psychopathic murderer.  None of his victims were innocent – all were guilty of something, and if brought into a court, would have been judged by man, maybe even Wargrave, himself.  However, Wargrave put himself outside the law and condemned them based his ability to “know” when people were guilty. There is something reminiscent of Holmes in this.  Even though the judge’s reliance on instinct contrasts with Holmes’ absolute commitment to logic and reason, Holmes lives by his own code of morality, just as the judge does.  What is it that sets them apart?  Morals, restraint, social constraints, logic and reason, emotional ties?  None of those are much different in one character than the other.  Would Holmes murder someone? Did he murder Moriarity?  Yes, he did.  When he sent Waston back in the “Final Problem,” Holmes knew that he would have to kill Moriarity to protect society from him.  How is that different from Wargrave deciding that he must ensure that dangerous criminals were removed from the streets to protect society from them? Maybe the argument is that Holmes isn’t a murderer because he sacrificed himself for the greater good.  Can’t the same argument be made that Wargrave, who offs himself at the end, sacrifices his life and reputation to deal out justice?  Clearly the two characters are different, and Wargraves’ indulgence of his morbid and immoral fascination with murder is what sets him apart from Holmes.  However, it seems that Holmes’ personality and passion for challenges put him in danger of falling down that slippery slope.

Post #17 – Holmes

Facebook #17 – Holmes – What is with all the suggestions that Holmes and Watson are somehow secretly gay? While I was looking through some images for a blog, I kept coming across this idea in memes. I don’t see it… maybe I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I just can’t see them as gay. Is there a “bromance”? Undoubtedly. Watson is the closest thing to a friend and brother that Holmes is going to have, but are there sparks? Maybe it’s just our 21st century desire to pigeonhole every relationship into some sort of prefab definition.

Post #16 – Holmes

Facebook #16 – Holmes –When I read “The Five Orange Pips,” I discovered something that I didn’t know about myself. I hadn’t realized how dependent I am on the “system” to meet out justice to criminals in order to be satisfied with the end of a story/episode. For me, Karma exacting its vengeance is just not as satisfying as knowing a criminal has been led away in handcuffs, bound for a miserable incarceration. Granted a dead bad guy certainly gets the job done, but I need these stories to reaffirm that the system we have works (even if it’s fictional).