Book Analysis 1 – Part 2

ID Number: 1037250.01
October 21, 2021

Assignment B: Conflict Essay

The Hound of the Baskervilles, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Sherlock Holmes

as its main character struggles with a man vs. man conflict, as he is tasked to find the real killer

of Sir Charles Baskerville. It is believed that Sir Charles dies because of the hound-like beast that

has haunted the family for years, and not because of a man. The conflict begins when Sir Henry

Baskerville, new heir to the Baskerville estate, hires Holmes and Watson to take on the case. He

tells Holmes about the curse, but Holmes does not believe in myths and rumors. Later, Sir Henry

receives a mysterious message from an unknown sender who warns him not to go back to

Devonshire if he values his life. Other events happen such as Sir Henry losing one of his boots,

and being followed by a mysterious man. This strengthens the basis of the conflict which is

Sherlock Holmes vs. the unknown culprit. Sir Henry decides to return to Devonshire, ignoring

the warning of the unknown sender, and Watson accompanies him while Holmes finishes up a

case in London. The recent happenings in London confirm that the death of Sir Charles is not

caused by just a myth, but a man-made event after all.

The conflict intensifies when Watson and Sir Henry arrive in Devonshire. The atmosphere is

tense as Devonshire is in a state of emergency with armed guards at every road looking “dark

and stern”1, after a criminal has escaped from prison. Watson and Sir Henry meet with the

caregivers of the estate, Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore, and the Baskerville’s neighbors, Jack and

1
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, inc., 1994) page 40. All
subsequent references are noted in the text.

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Beryl Stapleton who are siblings. The tension increases after Beryl Stapleton mistakes Watson

for Sir Henry, and strongly urges him to leave Devonshire immediately. Meanwhile, Jack

Stapleton introduces Beryl as his sister to Sir Henry and her earlier frantic warning to Watson is

never mentioned. Watson is surprised at this change of behavior of Beryl Stapleton in front of her

brother Jack and is curious about the reasons behind this. Back at the Baskerville estate, Watson

also grows suspicious of Mr. Barrymore as he roams around the halls every night and stares at

the window. Both Watson and Sir Henry confront Mr. Barrymore and interrogate him on his

strange behavior. Mr. Barrymore confesses that he looks out the window every night to signal to

the escaped criminal that there is food and clothing for him. It is revealed that the criminal is

Mrs. Barrymore’s brother and she only wants to take care of him. Knowing that the criminal has

caused harm to the people in town, Sir Henry decides to capture him and Watson joins him to

keep him safe. During the pair’s pursuit of the criminal in the moor, they hear a piercing cry of a

hound. This brings fear to both Sir Henry and Watson, since the myth about the hound could be

true after all. It is during this time that Watson spots a mysterious figure of a man on the tor. The

man is tall and slim but unrecognizable to both Watson and Sir Henry. Watson believes the

mysterious man could be a key lead to the case and updates Holmes by writing him detailed

reports. As the story progresses, Watson finds the hut in the moor where the mysterious man has

been living. It brings him great shock to find out the man is Sherlock Holmes himself. Holmes

reveals that he has been in Devonshire the whole time, and has been observing and collecting

clues from afar. With Watson’s written reports and Sherlock’s observations, the details of the

case begin to clear up. Holmes shares his suspicions that Jack Stapleton is the man who followed

Sir Henry in London and is the mastermind behind the use of the hound. It is also revealed that

Beryl Stapleton is not his sister, but his wife who is left with no choice but to go along with his

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vicious plans. As Holmes and Watson continue to share their findings, they are disturbed when

they hear a shriek from the moor. Terrified that something might have happened to Sir Henry, the

pair rush out and find the dead body of the escaped criminal. The pair suspect this is Stapleton’s

doing after seeing that the criminal is dressed in Sir Henry’s clothes. Watson urges Holmes to

catch Stapleton right away, but Holmes is careful and is waiting for the right time. Another

revelation happens back at the Baskerville estate, when Holmes and Watson find striking

similarities between the portrait of Hugo Baskerville, relative of Sir Henry, and Jack Stapleton.

They connect the dots and conclude that Jack Stapleton is a relative of the Baskervilles and an

heir to the estate, making his motive clear. Later, Holmes interviews another key player in the

case, a woman named Laura Lyons who has intimate relations with Jack Stapleton and a friend

of Sir Charles, who is used by Stapleton to lure Sir Charles to the moor on the night of his death.

Thus, the collected evidence of Holmes and Watson all point to Jack Stapleton as the culprit.

Later, Jack Stapleton invites Sir Henry for dinner in his residence, and Holmes suspects that

Stapleton plans to make his move during this time. Holmes and Watson prepare for Stapleton’s

arrest by calling Lestrade, a trusted police friend of Holmes, for backup during their plan. The

plot developments in the story have contributed to the rising actions of the conflict and are now

developing into the climax between Holmes and Stapleton.

The climax occurs the moment Sir Henry leaves the Stapleton residence and turns back to see

a vicious hound coming towards him. Immediately, Holmes and Watson rush to save Sir Henry

from the hound. Upon seeing the “enormous coal-black hound” with its “smoldering glare” (111)

it is indeed frightening. The scene is tense as the demonic looking hound pins Sir Henry to the

ground while Holmes shoots and kills it. They succeed in saving Sir Henry, who is traumatized

by the event, and Holmes directly goes after Stapleton. As the team arrive at the Stapleton

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residence, they spot Beryl Stapleton tied up. After being released, Beryl tells Holmes and Watson

that Stapleton might have fled to his hideout in the mire. However, as the detectives go to the

place, they find nothing and no one. Holmes concludes that because of the tumultuous weather,

Stapleton could have fallen to his death when he escaped. After saving Sir Henry and solving the

case, the resolution happens when Holmes and Watson return to London. It is revealed that Jack

Stapleton is indeed a Baskerville with a criminal record whose main motive is to get his

inheritance. He is the mastermind behind the hound and trains it to identify Sir Henry’s scent

through his missing boot. Although Holmes never gets to catch Jack Stapleton and put him in

prison, Holmes saves the life of Sir Henry and stops any other future danger from happening to

the family. Holmes’ consistency and intelligence allows him to successfully beat the antagonist

and solve the man vs. man conflict. The conflict has been answered and this mystery is officially

classified as solved.