Holmes Vs Dupin paper.doc - Warden 1 Dupin VS. Holmes: The...

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Dupin VS. Holmes: The Showdown
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe have very distinct yet famous writing
styles. When one thinks of Poe, one thinks of The Tell-Tale Heart or The Pit and the Pendulum .
On the other hand, when one thinks of Doyle, one immediately thinks of Sherlock Holmes.
Despite Poe’s apparent creation of the mystery genre through his character C. Auguste Dupin in
The Murders in the Rue Morgue , Sherlock Holmes is still easily the most recognizable fictional
detective of all time. This fame can be attributed to the techniques that Doyle and Poe use to
characterize Holmes and Dupin, along with the different writing styles they both utilize and the
way they develop the relationship between the narrator and the reader. Aside from that, Holmes
has had a longevity that Poe was never able to accomplish with Dupin mainly because of the
limited number of stories written. All of these reasons show Holmes’s popularity is merited
simply because Poe helped create the genre as we know it today does not mean Dupin should be
celebrated like Holmes.
Characterization is one of the most important parts of any story and Doyle seems to
understand that fact. When The Speckled Band begins, one can see right away that Holmes’s
persona is one that an everyday reader can relate to and admire. From the moment Helen Stoner
arrives at 221b Baker Street, Holmes recognizes the urgency of the situation when he tells
Watson, “…It seems that a young lady has arrived in a considerable state of excitement, who
insists upon seeing me…Now, when young ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the
morning, and knock sleepy people up out of their beds, I presume that it is something very
pressing they have to communicate” (Doyle 35). One can see that Holmes is a caring person;
however, that is not the only positive trait that readers relate to. Holmes shows his emotional
attachment several times throughout the case, especially towards the end of the story. Holmes
detests the actions of Dr. Roylott so much that even though his actions directly cause Roylott’s

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death, he says, “…I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience”
(Doyle 66). Readers love to see justice served to the “bad guy” and often times do not feel
remorse- just like Holmes in this specific example. Though Holmes comes from money, he
instills the image of a fairly normal person upon the reader. His hobbies, such as boxing or
playing the violin, allow the reader to connect to him on a more personal level. However,
Holmes is mainly known for his brilliant ability to solve complex mysteries. Watson explains it