Portrait of a literary hero
My favorite literary hero is the detective Sherlock Holmes. Reading the stories of Conan Doyle about Sherlock Holmes, I do not cease to marvel at the brilliant ability of the detective to disclose complex criminal crimes. As an athlete, rejoicing in his strength and agility, finds pleasure in the exercises that make his muscles work, so Holmes is proud of his ability to unravel any puzzle.
Surprisingly, many readers believed and believed that the hero Conan Doyle was not a fictional character, but a living person. This can be explained not only by the skill of the writer. Conan Doyle had a living model that helped, undoubtedly, make the figure of Sherlock Holmes more real. The prototype was the teacher Conan Doyle, Professor Joseph Bell. Dr. Bell often amazed his students and patients with the ability to put not only the appearance of a person on a diagnosis, but also to tell about his life. As Conan Doyle later recalled, the professor with an imperturbable look diagnosed the
Details about Sherlock Holmes, we learn from the words of his faithful companion, Dr. Watson. With Holmes it was easy to get along, he led a calm and measured lifestyle. Sometimes he spent whole day in the laboratory, and sometimes he went for a walk all day. His energy was no limit, but at times Holmes lost his strength. Then he lay on the couch for a long time without saying a word. Holmes was tall. The look was sharp, piercing. The square chin testified to his resolute character. Holmes played the violin perfectly. Watson was astonished by the ignorance of a companion who knew nothing about modern literature, about politics, or about philosophy.
Holmes did not read the special scientific literature. However, some subjects studied with remarkable zeal and in some areas had extensive and accurate knowledge: “The knowledge in botany was sketchy, in geology – deep, since it deals with mud stains from anywhere in the circumference of fifty miles from London, in chemistry – the original in anatomy – unsystematic, in the criminal and judicial
Nothing escaped the astonishing observation of Sherlock Holmes. His observations he hurried to share with Dr. Watson. “You know my method,” he tells Watson, “it’s based on observing small things.” For example, in the story “Blue Carbuncle” Sherlock Holmes, after examining the found hat, masterfully recreates a portrait of her owner. It is quite difficult to follow the course of his reflections, but these reflections eventually lead to a clue to the mystery of the blue carbuncle: the large size of the hat indicates a great mind; a loop for elastic bands, attached to the hat, confirmed that the owner had been rich three years ago, and now black days have come for him, and so on.
But the most attractive image of Sherlock Holmes does kindness towards people. He did not work for money. Sometimes he refused to help his rich and noble people, if he believed that they did not deserve it. At the same time, enthusiastically spent weeks investigating an interesting case of a poor man. Sherlock Holmes did not always strive to put the criminal in the hands of justice. So, in the story “Blue Carbuncle” he does not call the police, but expels the offender to the street. On the one hand, Sherlock Holmes believed his tears of remorse. And on the other hand, he realized that the prison would not only not re-educate the offender, but would finally establish him on the path of crime. Any person should be given a chance to analyze and correct the error: “Maybe I hide the swindler, but I save his soul.” The same chance Sherlock Holmes gives to a man who earned a living by begging for alms. The fraudster suffered, worrying that his unseemly acts would become known to the children; children will despise their unworthy father.
The hero, created by the writer’s fantasy, became a living person for many readers. It is known that readers, who fell in love with Sherlock Holmes, showered Conan Doyle with letters containing requests to the famous detective to investigate this or that confusing event. In modern England, there is a kind of cult of this literary hero: an apartment-museum, in which Sherlock Holmes supposedly worked and lived, is open to visit, a monument to the heroes of Conan Doyle is set up in London. And no one will convince admirers of the talent of Sherlock Holmes that the hero was not a real person.
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