Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes - The novel's protagonist. Holmes is the famed 221b Baker Street detective with a keen eye, hawked nose, and the trademark hat and pipe. Holmes is observation and intuition personified, and though he takes a bit of a back seat to Watson in this story, we always feel his presence. It takes his legendary powers to decipher the mystifying threads of the case.

Read an in-depth analysis of Sherlock Holmes. Dr. Watson - The novel's other protagonist and narrator. Dr. Watson is the stout sidekick to Holmes and longtime chronicler of the detective's adventures. In Hound, Watson tries his hand at Holmes' game, expressing his eagerness to please and impress the master by solving such a baffling case. As sidekick and apprentice to Holmes, Watson acts as a foil for Holmes' genius and as a stand-in for us, the awestruck audience. Read an in-depth analysis of Dr. Watson. Sir Henry Baskerville - The late Sir Charles's nephew and closet living relative. Sir Henry is hale and hearty, described as "a small, alert, dark-eyed man about thirty years of age, very sturdily built." By the end of the story, Henry is as worn out and shell-shocked as his late uncle was before his death. Sir Charles Baskerville - The head of the Baskerville estate. Sir Charles was a superstitious man, and terrified of the Baskerville curse and his waning health at the time of his death. Sir Charles was also a well-known philanthropist, and his plans to invest in the regions surrounding his estate make it essential that Sir Henry move to Baskerville Hall to continue his uncle's good works. Sir Hugo Baskerville - A debaucherous and shadowy Baskerville ancestor, Sir Hugo is the picture of aristocratic excess, drinking and pursuing pleasures of the flesh until it killed him. Mortimer - Family friend and doctor to the Baskervilles. Mortimer is a tall, thin man who dresses sloppily but is an all-around nice guy and the executor

of Charles's estate. Mortimer is also a phrenology enthusiast, and he wishes and hopes to some day have the opportunity to study Holmes' head. Mr. Jack Stapleton - A thin and bookish-looking entomologist and onetime schoolmaster, Stapleton chases butterflies and reveals his short temper only at key moments. A calm façade masks the scheming, manipulative villain that Holmes and Watson come to respect and fear. Read an in-depth analysis of Mr. Jack Stapleton. Miss Stapleton - Allegedly Stapleton's sister, this dusky Latin beauty turns out to be his wife. Eager to prevent another death but terrified of her husband, she provides enigmatic warnings to Sir Henry and Watson. Mr. John Barrymore and Mrs. Eliza Barrymore - The longtime domestic help of the Baskerville clan. Earnest and eager to please, the portly Mrs. Barrymore and her gaunt husband figure as a kind of red herring for the detectives, in league with their convict brother but ultimately no more suspicious than Sir Henry. Laura Lyons - A local young woman. Laura Lyons is the beautiful brunette daughter of "Frankland the crank," the local litigator who disowned her when she married against his will. Subsequently abandoned by her husband, the credulous Laura turns to Mr. Stapleton and Charles for help. The convict - A murderous villain, whose crimes defy description. The convict is nonetheless humanized by his association with the Barrymores. He has a rodent-like, haggardly appearance. His only wish is to flee his persecutors in Devonshire and escape to South America. Mr. Frankland - Laura's father. Frankland is a man who likes to sue, a sort of comic relief with a chip on his shoulder about every infringement on what he sees as his rights. Villainized due to his one-time harsh treatment of Laura, Frankland is for the most part a laughable jester in the context of this story. Krishna the central character of the novel is an English teacher at the same college he attended as an under graduate student. Krishna's wife Susila is with her parents, some miles away as she had recently given birth to their daughter Leela. (It is an Indian custom that a pregnant mother should stay

with her own mother, and the midwife still takes precedence over a hospital, a doctor or nurse). When the story opens we see a very nervous and anxious Krishna expecting the arrival of his wife and daughter to Malgudi where he is an English Teacher in the Albert Mission College. His visions of the misfortunes that would befall on mother and child on their train journey are almost comical to the point of being preposterous. However, as the days go by Krishna learns that his love for his wife and child surpasses everything he imagined previously. The early years of marital bliss and the deep bond that develops between the husband and wife becomes the center of Krishna's life. He feels Leela, his daughter completes his perfect world. But as all good things must come to an end, so does his, with the mysterious ailment that comes over Susila. In the days before antibiotics were discovered, it was not until late that a proper diagnosis was made as to the exact nature of the ailment, which they later learned was typhoid. After a long period of illness she finally dies bringing nothing but sorrow and misery to Krishna. His grief was boundless and infinite; Krishna almost sank to the depths of melancholy and desolation. He then decided to put all his love and zest for life to bringing up his daughter who in her innocence did not know or question about her mother. He became both mother and father to the child and did not wish his parents to bring her up. Although eventually after a period of time relents and decides that the best course of action is for his parents to bring up Leela. Events take an unexpected turn when he is able to 'communicate' with his dead wife through a medium. This brings him solace and he lives to 'communicate' with her during the weekly 'sittings' as he calls them. It is unknown why Narayan included an episode such as this, full of the fantastic, to an otherwise 'believable' story. However it is a known fact that he was obsessed by the thought of communicating with his own wife, in his misery. This puzzles the reader, especially the Western reader, who is brought up with a solid disbelief of anything from the nether world. Though to the Indian reader, and most importantly to Narayan, who actually experienced this tragedy and wrote after it, the communication between his dead wife and himself was nothing out of the ordinary, but a means of achieving solace and reconciling life and death as we see at the end of the novel. From a man dependent on his wife and daughter for happiness, and later the medium he becomes self-reliant and realizes that happiness- or in his case peace of mind and equanimity comes from within. He strives to achieve this sense of peace, very unlike the effervescent one he experienced with his

wife and daughter, through meditation and 'withdrawing from adult world and adult work into the world of children.' But this serenity, the 'inner peace' that so eludes him at first comes to him when he least expects it, in the middle of the night when he has given up everything - cleansed himself of all worldly possessions, his wife, his daughter, a good income in the form of a respected job and salary. He truly transcends life and death when he is finally able to communicate with Susila his wife, and now his mentor. Narayan explains it thus: "The boundaries of our personalities suddenly dissolved. It was a moment of rare, immutable joy - a moment for which one feels grateful for Life and Death. While literary critics argue about the exact nature of this 'meeting' stating that it is real, unreal, unbelievable & dreamlike; it is more appropriate to view in terms of Krishna's inner self-development. He has finally reached that stage of self-reliance, where he is able to be whole by himself, to find happiness within, where he believes his dearest wife, his companion in life, is with him always. poets and writers. Krishna is not ignorant of the aesthetic value of English literature and is not opposed to teaching it as a matter of pride or principle. He shows great care and diligence in nursing his wife. Even after his wife‟s death he makes heroic efforts to get on normally with life, even though he finds no purpose in living. He is a good father to Lila and strives to make her forget her mother. Susila, Krishnan‟s wife, is a character which interested me a lot. She is the perfect epitome of how a wife should be. Though she was petted and cared for at home she shouldered responsibility and excelled in housework. Her quick wit and sense of humour make her a lovely companion. Added to that is her constant urge to learn new things. Though she has stopped formal education, she reads at home whenever she can make time. Even after she passes away, she is interested in the welfare of her husband and child and watches them constantly. She brings a streak of unpredictability in Krishnan‟s monotonous life starting with the disposal of the alarm clock to her demise. The headmaster is a very important character in the novel. He is the person who makes Krishnan realize that money is not important as long as we do something which brings us emotional fulfillment. (Frankly in the first reading of the novel what interested me in the headmaster was the fact that he did not use a towel!!) What struck me as soon as I read about the headmaster was Socrates‟ quote about wives making philosophers of men.

The headmaster‟s leave alone system of education was an innovation which he hoped would help people fight off the curse of adulthood. Lila, the daughter of Krishnan is another important character in the novel. She arrives at her father‟s place at the age of seven months thereby transforming his life. He learns how to be selfless because of Lila. She learns to live without her mother in a very short span of time and showers all her love on her father. Her antics interested me in the first reading of the novel. In the subsequent reading of the novel, I understood how Narayan brilliantly created the character of the child. He brings to our notice the short attention spans and the tantrums thrown by children using Lila‟s character. Themes The main theme of the novel is life and death. The problems that one encounters in coping with the death of a dear one are depicted in the novel. Both Krishnan and Lila lose an important member in their family. While Lila continues her normal routine, the life of Krishnan is thrown out of gear. It takes a lot of effort on his part and the guidance of his late wife for him to come to terms with his wife‟s death.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of Conan Doyle’s most famous mysteries featuring the detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his friend, Dr Watson. The eerie mists of Dartmoor form the setting to the sinister events at Baskerville Hall. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, the people living in the neighbouring area are sure that he didn’t die from natural causes. Strange sightings of a giant fire-breathing hound and stories from the past have convinced them of this. The new heir to the property, Sir Henry Baskerville, arrives from Canada determined not to let the stories frighten him away from his new home. He braves the loneliness of the moors, takes pleasure in getting to know his neighbours, and is careful to follow the advice and guidance of the great detective, Holmes. Holmes and Watson slowly unravel a tangle of mystery as

the case takes them deep into the heart of the Baskerville family. Chapter 1: Dr Mortimer pays Sherlock Holmes a second visit with the excuse that he left his walking stick behind the day before. The real reason is that he has a serious problem to solve. Chapter 2: Dr Mortimer presents Holmes and Watson with some old papers, which tell the Baskerville Story. In order to recapture the girl who had escaped Hugo Baskerville’s trap, he made a deal with the devil and sent his hounds to chase the girl. Hugo’s friends followed him only to find both the girl’s and Hugo’s bodies lying in the centre of a hollow. A large black hound was biting at Hugo’s throat. Ever since the supernatural hound has haunted the family and it is believed that Sir Charles Baskerville, the latest inhabitant of the Hall, has just been killed by the hound. Chapter 3: Holmes asks Dr Mortimer for more details and the doctor suggests that Sir Charles’s death was the result of some supernatural evil. The local people themselves have seen a spectral hound roaming the moors. Dr Mortimer is mainly concerned about the fate of Sir Henry, Sir Charles’s second brother’s son, who is arriving at Waterloo that day. Sir Henry is said to be the last of the Baskerville family because Roger, Sir Charles’s third brother, is presumed dead in Central America. Holmes promises to consider the matter and asks Dr Mortimer to pick up Henry at the station. Holmes decides they must examine all explanations, not only the supernatural one. Chapter 4: Sir Henry Baskerville visits Holmes and tells him about a letter he has received in which he is warned to keep away from the moor. The other unusual thing that has happened to Sir Henry is that one of his new boots has disappeared. Holmes considers it will soon appear. He also concludes that the person who wrote the letter is an educated person who reads The Times. Sir Henry

and Dr Mortimer walk back to the hotel and Holmes and Watson follow them. They find out that a bearded man is following them in a cab. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Hound of the Baskervilles c Pearson Education Limited 2008 The Hound of the Baskervilles - Teacher’s notes of 5 Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5 PENGUIN READERS Teacher Support Programme Chapter 5: Holmes and Watson meet Sir Henry at his hotel. He is furious because an old black boot of his has disappeared. Over lunch they decide when Sir Henry will travel to Baskerville Hall and as Holmes cannot accompany him, Watson will be going with him. Chapter 6: When they get near Baskerville Hall Sir Henry, Dr Mortimer and Watson see a soldier. A dangerous prisoner has escaped from Princetown and is hiding in the moor. Chapter 7: Dr Watson meets Mr Stapleton near the Grimpen Mire. He tells him how dangerous the Mire is. Dr Watson hears a low cry followed by a deep roar: the Hound of Baskervilles according to the local people. Miss Stapleton mistakes Watson for Sir Henry and warns him not to stay there but go back to London right away. Watson is shocked. Chapter 8: Watson writes a letter to Holmes to tell him about Sir Henry’s interest in Miss Stapleton. He also tells Holmes about Mrs Barrymore, a sad-looking lady, probably badly treated by her husband. Chapter 9: Sir Henry wants to go for a walk on his own. Watson follows him and witnesses a strange scene

between Sir Henry, Miss and Mr Stapleton. Sir Henry has proposed marriage to Miss Stapleton but her brother has reacted rudely. Later Mr Stapleton apologises. Sir Henry and Watson find out that the escaped prisoner is Mrs Barrymore’s brother and they go into the moor to catch him. Chapter 10: Barrymore reveals that on the night of his death, Sir Charles was going to meet a woman at the gate: Laura Lyons. After her husband left her, Dr Mortimer, Stapleton and Sir Charles helped her start a business. Watson learns that another man lives on the moor. Chapter 11: Laura Lyons explains she wanted money from Sir Charles to buy her freedom but she never met him because she got the money from someone else. Watson inspects the huts on the moor but hides when he hears the stranger coming. The man has found him. Chapter 12: Holmes surprises Watson in the empty hut. They share the information they have found: Stapleton’s sister is actually his wife. They hear the cry again and follow the sound only to find Selden’s dead body in a pool of blood dressed in Sir Henry’s old clothes. Stapleton appears, worried about Sir Henry. They suspect the naturalist is connected to the murders but they cannot prove it yet. Chapter 13: Holmes notices the family paintings and discovers Hugo’s face is the same as Stapleton’s: he is a Baskerville. Holmes has a plan: Henry must visit Stapleton on his own as agreed, and express his intention of walking back home. Mrs Lyons confesses that Stapleton promised marriage if she wrote the letter to Sir Charles but then asked her not to keep the appointment. They meet Lestrade at the station. Chapter 14: The three men wait outside Stapleton’s house. When Henry walks out, a huge fierce fire-breathing

creature jumps on him but it is shot down. Sir Henry is safe. They also find Mrs Stapleton tied up in a room. Stapleton runs to the Mire and is swallowed by the mud. Chapter 15: Holmes gives a detailed account of how he solved the case.

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