368 Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
of rational deduction and strict adherence to class
standards, remains an ideal Victorian hero. How-
ever, Doyle adds the more complicated figures of
Sir Henry Baskerville and Miss Stapleton, proving
that heroism may not be as static a concept as his
protagonist suggests.
Sherlock Holmes’s reliance on scientific rea-
son, or deduction, to solve even the most puzzling
of mysteries reinforces the Victorian belief in the
power of science and technology. Holmes rep-
resents, as James Mortimer explains, the “precisely
scientific mind” of Alphonse Bertillon, a French
criminologist responsible for developing a method
of identifying criminals through body measure-
ments, combined with a “practical” understanding of
man’s affairs. Through “scientific use of the imagi-
nation,” observation of details no one else would
observe, and a careful consideration of all possible
hypotheses, Holmes demonstrates the power of rea-
son to explain even the most seemingly inexplicable
mysteries and to restore order to the community.
In this sense, he represents a traditional Victorian
view of heroism.
Doyle’s emphasis on the restoration of order sug-
gests a second ideal of the Victorian hero exempli-
fied by Sherlock Holmes. For the Victorians, social
order and class values were believed necessary to the
peaceful maintenance of society. Holmes is in many
respects the ideal representative of a system based
on such solid class values. Even after glimpsing
Holmes only from a distance, Barrymore recognizes
his class status, describing the unknown figure of
Holmes as “a kind of gentleman.” Although Holmes
has become more active than usual in his pursuit of
the criminal and has taken to living at times in an
abandoned stone hut, “his chin [was] as smooth and
his linen as perfect as if he were in Baker Street.”
Holmes’ inescapable class status marks him as a
traditional Victorian hero, maintaining social order
not just through his pursuit of justice but through
his adherence to class structure, as well.
Sir Henry Baskerville similarly represents the
Victorian ideal of class as an inherent and unchang-
ing characteristic. Despite his adventures in America
and his “appearance of one who has spent most of
his time in the open air,” Sir Henry retains “some-
thing in his steady eye and the quiet assurance of his
bearing which indicated the gentleman.” However,
he emerges as a more modern hero than his class
background might initially suggest—for instance, he
rejects the traditions of his ancestors in promising to
install electric lamps around Baskerville Hall, with
“a thousand candlepower Swan and Edison.” In his
depiction of Sir Henry, Doyle suggests a hero who
functions as a counterpoint to the staid Victorianism
of Sherlock Holmes.
While Sherlock Holmes’s trademark confidence,
if not arrogance, never fails him, Sir Henry is
depicted as a more realistic hero, one whose fears
and uncertainties are on clear display. Watson ini-
tially views Sir Henry as one of a long line of “high-
blooded, fiery, and masterful men,” a man who
possesses the bravery necessary to face his possible
fate at the hands of the Hound of the Baskervilles.
It is in Sir Henry’s nature, Watson suggests, to
live in precisely the place of greatest danger to him.
In fact, it is Sir Henry who leads Watson after the
violent Notting Hill criminal, with no concern for
his personal safety.
Sir Henry’s courage is soon tested when he
first hears the cry of the hound on the moor. His
confidence is now shaken as he recognizes the dif-
ference between contemplating his fate in the safety
of the city and facing it in the darkness of the moor.
He continues on in his pursuit despite his fear, but
his admission of his terror marks him as a more
conflicted hero than Sherlock Holmes. Sir Henry
will suffer for his bravery, needing a long journey
to recover from his shattered nerves. His flawed but
heroic nature suggests a new type of hero for a new
age.
Doyle moves even further beyond the traditional
image of Victorian heroism in depicting the small
but brave acts of Beryl Garcia, known to the resi-
dents of Dartmoor as Miss Stapleton, the sister of
Jack Stapleton—but in reality his wife. Despite her
long-standing fear of her husband’s brutal treat-
ment, Miss Stapleton repeatedly engages in small
acts designed to save the Baskerville heir, first warn-
ing him in writing and then attempting to warn him
in person to leave Baskerville Hall. However, like Sir
Henry, Miss Stapleton is not a purely heroic figure.
She fails to report her husband’s murderous actions
to the authorities, and her final act of rebellion