ShmoopTube
Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.
Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos
Respect and Reputation Videos 16 videos
They say that honesty is the best policy, but Jack lies about his identity and still gets the girl. Does that mean we should all lie to get what we...
A cheap shot at a bestseller or a deeper book with connections relevant to the human race? In The Call of the Wild, the protagonist is a dog named...
What is the American Dream? Is it popularity? Or is it being content with what you have? In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, the American...
Sherlock Holmes 9937 Views
Share It!
Description:
Why does Dr. Watson keep appearing in Sherlock Holmes's stories? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
- Form / Novel
- Themes / Justice and Judgement
- Themes / Foreignness and 'The Other'
- Themes / Admiration
- Themes / Drugs and Alcohol
- Themes / Women and Femininity
- Themes / Society and Class
- Themes / Literature and Writing
- Themes / Weakness
- Themes / Appearances
- Themes / Respect and Reputation
- Themes / Technology and Modernization
Transcript
- 00:05
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a la Shmoop: CSI London.
- 00:12
You may not believe it, but off-the-charts smart people. . .
- 00:15
. . .aren't all that different from the rest of us
- 00:16
Oh, sure, they ace their ACT's. . .
- 00:17
. . .and solve the problems of the world. . .
Full Transcript
- 00:18
. . .but they still have to deal with everyday stuff. . .
- 00:22
. . .like grocery shopping. . .
- 00:23
. . .and making friends.
- 00:25
Take Sherlock Holmes. He's one heck of a brilliant guy. . .
- 00:28
. . .who can crack any case. . .
- 00:29
. . .without anyone's help. But he does spend a lot of time with this
- 00:44
guy. So, if Holmes is so darn brilliant, why does
- 00:51
he need Watson? Well, every hero has to have a sidekick. . .
- 00:54
. . .someone who "gets" him and puts up with all his craziness.
- 00:55
Maybe Watson's just there to keep Holmes company. . .
- 00:55
. . .and be his one and only friend.
- 00:56
Then again, Holmes doesn't seem to need people in his life. . .
- 00:57
. . .so maybe Watson is just around to prove how smart Holmes really is
- 01:00
If Sherlock is clever enough to make a smart guy like Watson feel stupid. . .
- 01:08
. . well, then he must be out-of-this-world brilliant.
- 01:13
Or maybe the author. . .
- 01:20
. . .just needed a nice, sympathetic character. . .
- 01:22
. . . to make Holmes a little more likeable. He does come across a little, shall we say,
- 01:36
prickly. . .
- 01:36
. . .and having a friend like Watson. . .
- 01:38
. . . may be Doyle's way of humanizing Holmes Or maybe Watson is just hanging around to
- 01:48
help move the stories along. Holmes has to explain how he solves the crimes
- 01:57
to somebody. . .
- 02:00
. . .so he might as well do it to a nice guy like Watson.
- 02:06
So, why does Dr. John Watson keep popping up in all the Sherlock Holmes stories?
- 02:13
Is he there to be the hero's faithful sidekick. . .
- 02:13
. . .to provide intellectual comparison. . .
- 02:16
. . . to show Holmes' softer side. . .
- 02:21
. . .or to help move things along? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
Related Videos
They say that honesty is the best policy, but Jack lies about his identity and still gets the girl. Does that mean we should all lie to get what we...
Ever wish you could remember everything that you ever studied? How about everything that everyone has ever studied? Yeah, pretty sure our brains ju...
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is an American classic. Hope you're not expecting any exciting shower scenes though. It's not that kind of book.
Do not go gentle into that good night. In fact, if it's past your curfew, don't go at all into that good night. You just stay in your good bed and...
