The Adventure of the Unraveled Thread (Which Watson Frequently Ties Himself Up With)

The source of fear in The Hound of the Baskervilles is mostly the concern over seemingly unexplainable events and the implications of these events. The characters are worried chiefly about the hound but also the moor, and its inhabitants. Watson and Holmes present really one way to deal with fear. Watson deals with fear by turning to the guidance of Holmes. Metaphorically this indicates the confused man, caught between supernatural explanations and logical ones, turning towards the almost supernatural scientific mind.

Throughout The Hound of the Baskervilles Watson is less critical of the supernatural interpretation of the hound presented by Mortimer. Mortimer and Watson, both men of science are swayed by the belief that this hound may not be just material. Mortimer brings the case to the attention of Holmes because there is not much that he can do. Holmes is skeptical at first and accepts the supernatural theory as another explanation, but certainly not the most plausible. The occupational men of science believing in the supernatural and the wanderer being the logical one may be a statement about who is capable of unraveling events when distanced from any prior biases: everyone. Early on Watson presents some ideas to Holmes, but we find out that these are either off base, partially true, or deduced by Holmes long before Watson.

In a cunning use of Watson, displaying how science based investigation sometimes uses people for its own purposes, Holmes sends Watson along with Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall. Throughout his stay Watson experiences unexplained events and he is left without a solid conclusion. Sir Henry and Watson are easily frightened by the events surrounding them, and are able to deal with the fear of the criminal by relying on a logical plan. Watson comments that their plan is exactly what Holmes would do. Sir Henry’s plan to deal with the fear around him is to turn to Watson. Watson’s plan to deal with fear is to turn to Holmes. This displays the chain of more supernaturally inclined characters turning towards more science minded individuals.

Throughout the text Watson repeatedly wishes that Holmes were present this indicates that fear cannot not be completely overcome without Holmes and his science. Watson is able to combat fear by turning to Holmes. Holmes is able to combat fear by using his abnormal mind. Combatting fear changed from something that just happened (Japanese), or something which was divinely caused (Early gothic), to something that had observable and often correctable causes.  Holmes represents this shift in the psyche that occurred between Walpole and Doyle. Holmes on one extreme can track every incident to its cause, Raymond: A Fragment is on the other extreme, where supernatural spur is reason enough. Watson stands someplace in the middle allowing the mind of the reader to benefit from both perspectives.

By placing the reader in Watson’s mind we can relate to the events that are occurring in the text and use some of that learned reason to combat fear. The events that occur to Watson are frightening, and unclear. If placed in Holmes head all the events would be clearly traceable, would lose their frightening effect and also the ability to teach how to deal with fear. The events are familiar in that they remind us of the unfamiliar in our own lives, but in Sherlock tales the threads can be unraveled which provides hope that the events in our life may also be unraveled.