Synopsis

“The Adventure of the Speckled Band” is a thrilling mystery written by Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle. Set in the 19th century, the book follows the story of
Holmes and his acquaintance, Watson, on a journey to investigate the peculiar
death of Julia Stoner. Julia Stoner lived with her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby
Roylott at Stoke Moran where she had mysteriously passed.

Helen Stoner, her sister, seeks help from the detective after fearing she may
suffer the same demise as her sister. Holmes and Watson intriguingly accept the
case. Holmes uncovers a sinister plot carefully constructed by Roylott. While
Holmes and Watson investigate, they find unusual features placed in Julia
Stoner’s room. Said unusual features included a bolted bed, a bell pull being
tied in an odd position, and a ventilator which is connected from Julia’s room to
Roylott’s room. A lot of these clues are mainly said to be associated with Julia’s
death.

Later on, Holmes discovers a venomous snake used as a weapon by Roylott.

Holmes puts down a detailed plan to catch Roylott in the act. One night, Roylott
planned to murder Helen by dropping the deadly snake into her room. Holmes
being the quick witted detective, he rescues Helen in no time. The angry snake
turns back on its owner, Roylott and bites him, which ends in a fatal death. The
Adventure of the Speckled Band is a memorable tale that interests the readers
with its sly plot twists and characters.

Narrative Viewpoint

The narrative viewpoint is that of Watson’s. The main reason why the author
might have chosen this option is because this viewpoint particularly enhances
the mysteriousness of the story. As readers read the story through Watson’s
point of view, we can see the insight into Holme’s crime solving along with the
unfolding of the mystery.
Another reason for choosing the viewpoint is also so that the mystery stays
hidden and slowly uncovers itself throughout the story. Other narrative
viewpoints do not convey the sense of camaraderie between the two characters
as much. Seeing Holmes as an admirable character from Watson’s point of view
affects how the readers think of him as well.

Literary Devices

Literary Device Simile

Evidence “Her face is all drawn and grey, with restless

frightened eyes, like those of some hunted
animal.”

Meaning This means eyes that look close to that of a

hunted animal.

Effect The comparison of the eyes of a hunted animal to the

woman with similar eyes.

Literary Device Metaphor

Evidence “The danger lurks not in the room itself but

within it, like a hidden serpent poised to strike."

Meaning Which means the danger being compared to

the serpent.

Effect Gives the reader a vision of the danger while

comparing it to a serpent.

Literary Device Personification

Evidence “One yellow light twinkling in front of us through the

gloom to guide us on our sombre errand."

Meaning This means a guiding light to lead the characters

throughout the story.

Effect Helps the reader visualise the light that is going to

help in the story later on.

Literary Device Metaphor

 Literary Device Metaphor

Evidence “Holmes shook his head like a man who is far

from being satisfied.”

Meaning Comparing Holmes to someone is dissatisfied

using his actions. (Head shaking)

Effect Comparing somebody in this context to Holmes so

it’s easy for readers to have a slight vision.

Literary Device Metaphor

Evidence “A very gentle, soothing sound,

like that of a small jet of steam escaping
continually from a kettle.”

Meaning This means a sound similar to kettle

steaming.

Effect Gives the reader a sense of imagery.

Character Development
Detective Sherlock Holmes → In this story, we work along with Sherlock
Holmes to solve the mystery. Holmes is an intriguing character because he
is always unpredictable. He is also portrayed as a sharp, intuitive detective
who observes his environment and everyday surroundings in detail. His
confidence in his skills helps him guide through the entire story. Holmes is
characterised by his nonchalant and calm nature, with his unwavering
commitment to achieve justice.

Dr. John H. Watson → Holmes works with his intimate friend, Dr. Watson
to figure out the death of Julia Stoner. Dr. Watson is quite intelligent but
lacks deductive skills unlike Holmes. Watson is known for his loyalty and
companionship dedicated to Holmes. Throughout the story, we can see
how he gets more confident in his deductive abilities. Despite Dr. Watson
not being able to achieve that of Holmes’s level of intelligence or expertise,
it is shown that he slowly starts to develop more and more deductive skills.

Helen Stoner → Helen Stoner is a client who seeks help from Holmes to
figure out the death of her sister, Julia Stoner. She is characterised as a
vulnerable and miserable young woman who is deeply distressed by the
mystery of her sister’s death. Her cry for help leads detective Holmes and Dr
Watson to uncover the chilling truth behind Julia Stoner’s death and the
secrets of Stoke Moran.

Julia Stoner → Despite never showing up in the story, Julia Stoner plays a
big role in the case solving. Julia Stoner suffered a mysterious death that
led her sister, Helen Stoner to get help from Detective Holmes and Dr
Watson. The clues given by her moments before she died were used to solve
the case. Although she hasn’t made an appearance, Julia Stoner creates a
build-up of suspense, mystery and intrigue throughout the story.

Dr. Grimesby Roylott → Roylott is the villain of this story. He is prone to

violence and tends to choose aggression over peace. Roylott is characterised
as a cruel man who doesn’t care about life. We know this as we see his
attempts to murder his own child to get her inheritance. Roylott is mainly
known for his hunger for money and power. In the end, however, Roylott
ends in a fatal death.

Setting, Plot, Climax, Resolution, etc.

Setting → This story is based in the 19th century in England. It starts off in
Holmes’s house. The story then later on continues at Stoke Moran, an old,
creepy estate. The surroundings of the estate are mysterious and secluded which
increases the mystery of the story.
Plot → Helen Stoner asks for help from Holmes and Watson about her fear.
In the story, Holmes and Watson are trying to figure out the death of Julia
Stoner. The plot starts to make up its tension after Holmes figures out the
case and gets into the final scene with Roylott.

Resolution → After the death of Roylott, Holmes manages to prevent

further harm to Helen Stoner and her relatives. Holmes has now solved the
case and caught the villain, ensuring that justice is served. The ending is
written to the majority of the reader’s liking and ends on a peaceful note.

Theme → The themes of the story are based on the consequences of greed,
evilness and selfishness, which are all portrayed in Roylott’s character. The
author has achieved a sense of mystery, greed and justice throughout the whole
storyline. The atmosphere of the story is characterised by the detailed
descriptions of the characters, settings and events.

Reading Experience

The Speckled Band is a story that raises a wide range of emotions within the
readers. This gripping mystery provides the reader with detailed descriptions of
characters along with the settings. As Holmes and Watson advance further into
the investigation, they reach Stoke Moran, an old estate. The way the author
describes the mansion gives readers an uneasy feeling of danger. What readers
may experience while reading chapters in Stoke Moran are feeling unsafe,
creepiness, and being tense. The scenes where we get to see Helen Stoner’s
bedroom is by far the most intimidating. There were many hints that intensified
the suspense.

Furthermore, the author writes in a way how readers could pity characters in the
story. For example, most of us probably empathised with Helen Stoner for her
vulnerable and weak character. By trying to relate to Helen, the more we get
into the case, the more it deepens the emotional relationship between the reader
and Helen. Afterward, when we witness Holmes meeting the villain, Roylott, in
a dramatic showdown, the end provides the readers with a sense of victory and
justice achieved. Feelings of satisfaction arise from the reader when Holmes
manages to outwit the villain and solve the case.

In general, “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” pulls out various emotions
from within the reader. Many feelings are portrayed, such as uneasiness,
empathy, satisfaction and victory. The story draws its reader into a captivating
roller coaster ride, with a wide variety of emotions and its unpredictable
suspense makes the readers want to stay and read more to figure out what will
happen next. It is no doubt that the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, succeeds in
achieving the usage of mesmerising narrative writing. The story itself is a
masterpiece that ensures a memorable reading experience.

Questions

1. Holmes might’ve found the case intriguing mainly because of its unusual
nature. The other reason might also be because of the urgency of Helen Stoner
which may or may not have been a pressure point for Holmes to take up the
case. In addition, Holmes thrives off of mysteries in which he must use his
deductive reasoning skills, and this case is no doubt truly one of a kind.

2. The villain, Roylott, has an intense greed for money and power. Keep in
mind that he has remarried and Helen Stoner and Julia Stoner are his step-
daughters. His goal was to secure the inheritance of his two step-daughters to
acquire wealth and power. In order to gain control of the family fortune, Roylott
planned to murder his two children.

3. This atmosphere of the story is created by the vivid descriptions written

by the author. This includes the characters, scenes and settings. For example, he
managed to achieve the mysterious environment by adding in a secluded estate,
the Stoke Moran and the bedroom of Julia Stoner to create uneasiness and
suspense. Moreover, the word “speckled band” as the last words of Julia Stoner
increases the suspense and mystery of the case.