Mustached, military-man and sidekick. No, I’m not talking about Anthony Edwards in Top Gun but I am talking about geese, and more specifically Dr. John Watson in The Blue Carbuncle. The story begins with Watson calling upon Sherlock to wish some season’s greetings. However, little did he know (we were well aware) he would once again be swept away by Sherlock’s impressive shenanigans. As Sherlock introduces Watson, and consequently the audience, to the case we learn that there are initially two clues: the battered billycock, and the white goose.
Sherlock invites Watson to deduce as much as he can about the man from the hat. Watson replies, “But you are joking. What can you gather from this old battered felt?” (p.115) Presumably still in disbelief that anyone could find any clues simple from one hat, Watson takes the hat and begins …show more content…
The limits of the character’s knowledge/deduction skill become the limits of his power. Watson trying and fumbling at investigation establishes the power dynamic in every Sherlock Holmes’ adventure. Watson’s inabilities are not because of his stupidity; instead they are because of his averageness. His averageness is what is vital to every Sherlock mystery. Detective novels are implicitly exploiting the detective's brilliance and establishing their super-observation. The detective’s vision and initial action in a case begins the surveillance of the entire world within the narrative. When Sherlock Holmes deduces a man's moral and economic history from his hat it becomes evident that he has power/control over the common man and the world around him. Which is important to establish in the Blue Carbuncle because in the end Sherlock acts above the law by letting a criminal, James Ryder, go. We need to know as an audience that Sherlock can deduce morality from even the simplest item, so that we feel good about the ending of the story. Sherlock knows
Sherlock invites Watson to deduce as much as he can about the man from the hat. Watson replies, “But you are joking. What can you gather from this old battered felt?” (p.115) Presumably still in disbelief that anyone could find any clues simple from one hat, Watson takes the hat and begins …show more content…
The limits of the character’s knowledge/deduction skill become the limits of his power. Watson trying and fumbling at investigation establishes the power dynamic in every Sherlock Holmes’ adventure. Watson’s inabilities are not because of his stupidity; instead they are because of his averageness. His averageness is what is vital to every Sherlock mystery. Detective novels are implicitly exploiting the detective's brilliance and establishing their super-observation. The detective’s vision and initial action in a case begins the surveillance of the entire world within the narrative. When Sherlock Holmes deduces a man's moral and economic history from his hat it becomes evident that he has power/control over the common man and the world around him. Which is important to establish in the Blue Carbuncle because in the end Sherlock acts above the law by letting a criminal, James Ryder, go. We need to know as an audience that Sherlock can deduce morality from even the simplest item, so that we feel good about the ending of the story. Sherlock knows