The Speckled Band
“’My name is Sherlock Holmes… Pray draw up to it, and I shall order you a cup of hot coffee, for I observe that you are shivering.’
“It is not cold which makes me shiver,” said that woman in a low voice, changing her seat as requested.
‘It is fear, Mr. Holmes. It is terror.’ She raised her veil as she spoke, and we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and grey, with restless, frightened eyes, like those of some haunted animal. Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature grey, and her expression was weary and haggard. Sherlock Holmes ran her over with one of his quick, all-comprehensive glances.” (Doyle 132)
After reading strictly Lady Audley and how women and their actions were interpreted by Robert, the way Holmes interacts with the ladies he encounters is impressive. First, he begins by offering Helen Stoner hot coffee as he notices she is shivering. Then as she removes her black veil, Watson narrates all the details and inferences he can make just by the state of her face. Had Stoner been a character in LA, Robert would have deducted that she was a powerful woman with great acting skills and that he would fear the people she could manipulate.
Unless it was romance, I don’t think men took women seriously during this period. Women were not able to work, they couldn’t really own property, and they were deemed too emotional and sensitive. Sherlock Holmes is a feminist detective in the way that he was able to resolve this issue without ever once concluding that Stoner was mad. Of course, this is the bare minimum, however, that is easier to say as a reader in the twenty-first century where this is the norm. Had it been Robert, or any other detective, they would have thought Stoner was mad and that she had a hidden object the men were unaware of.
That is what makes this novel sensational. They include many of the gothic motifs, like place & time, crisis, and supernatural, and the real, without the sexism/power aspect between the main protagonist and the victims he encounters which allows readers to focus solely on the mystery of the cases Holmes solves.
I think that the question of whether or not Sherlock Holmes is a feminist is very interesting. I agree that the very fact that he never suspects Helen Stoner is mad means that he supports women (relative to the time period). However, women are consistently portrayed as weak and delicate, in need of Sherlock Holmes’s help. In the Speckled Band the women are only worthy of note because they are soon to be married and so their wealth will be transferred from their step-father to their husbands.
You raise an interesting point. Sherlock and Robert, despite having similar backgrounds, one is an actual detective who knows how to treat people, especially women of the time, who were often seen as fragile” and weak. This could explain why Sherlock offered her his coat and was extremely pleasant. He is also paying attention to her words and her facial expressions rather than rushing to the conclusion that she is manipulating him. Also, I agree with you that there is no sexism or attempts to interpret someone before research is done.
I think the parallel you draw here between Lady Audrey’s Secret and The Speckled Band are very interesting. The portrayal of women in literature, especially of the past is always intriguing to critique yet I believe that Helen Stoner is used more at a plot device than a true character or expression of women at the time. Her existence is determined by her experience and how that prompts Sherlocks discoveries, but it would be nice to read about a female character who is given the same weight within a story as a man in this particular genre.
Like the previous comments, i really appreciate the connection between this reading and Lady Audleys Secret. That is not something I had considered when I was analyzing the text. I think you raise a good point about us being 21st century readers and that this may be why we consider certain things about the texts.
I agree with the idea of Sherlock Holmes being a feminist detective, and that he seems to take the women in the novel seriously. I found your comparison of him to Robert in Lady Audley’s Secret very interesting, and how they differ in their views on women. Women were and still are seen more as objects, and I think the way Holmes handles the situation with Stoner is probably wildly different from how a character like Robert would have. As you said, they would’ve thought she was mad and dismissed her. I really like this argument.