The Hound of the BaskervillesThe Literary Analysis
...ack-and-forth dialogue between Holmes and Watson, reveals the detective to be a man of very high intellect, as he always has the conversational “upper hand” and makes astounding deductions from whatever information is available. In chapter 3, the reader can himself deduce more about Holmes. It seems as if he is perhaps not extremely patient, although he is very thorough. The quick, short bursts of interrogation he uses with Dr. Mortimer on the first pages of chapter 3 illustrate this point. Watson’s personality, on the other hand, is perhaps a bit more easily uncovered as his conversational style narrates the entire story. The way he speaks with Holmes makes it clear that he has the utmost admiration for the detective. In the very first paragraphs his conversation expresses amazement that Holmes seems to have eyes in the back of his head when actually Holmes is looking at a highly-polished silver coffeepot that lets him see behind him. Another point that comes through clearly through conversations early in the book, when the main characters are being established, is Watson’s desire to both please and become more like Holmes. He eagerly engages in a question-and-answer session designed to figure out who the caller was who left a walking stick, and Watson’s words show that he takes some pride in being “Holmes-like” before Holmes tells Watson that he actually has not followed his reasoning quite far enough. The author actually describes Stapleton prior to the reader encountering his first conversation (a different method of characterization), but we don’t know until he begins talking that it is indeed Stapleton. Stapleton’s first conversation with Watson doesn’t give much away about him, and that makes sense, since as it turns out, Stapleton does not want to give away any information. On the contrary he is trying to obtain information as he somewhat informally quizzes Watson about Sir Henry, Sherlock Holmes, and the case. However, just a few pages later, the very smallest hint of the real Stapleton emerges from a conversational exchange between himself and his “sister.” Doyle makes clear by Staplet...