Canon Discussion: A Case of Identity
Jul. 20th, 2014 08:29 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sherlock60This week we’re having a look at A Case of Identity. And as always, I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion started.
“…in your position of unofficial adviser and helper to everybody who is absolutely puzzled, throughout three continents… Oh, yes—Watson travelled three continents checking out the girls; Holmes assists those with perplexing cases. I assume Holmes is solving cases outside Europe remotely though. Or perhaps it’s just Watson’s figure of speech.
"This is the Dundas separation case, and, as it happens, I was engaged in clearing up some small points in connection with it.” It seems odd that Holmes would be involved in what appears to be a straightforward domestic case of abuse. What do you think the “small points” might have been?
"It was from the reigning family of Holland, though the matter in which I served them was of such delicacy that I cannot confide it even to you, who have been good enough to chronicle one or two of my little problems."
In these cases, save for one rather intricate matter which has been referred to me from Marseilles, there is nothing which presents any features of interest.
"I came to you, sir, because I heard of you from Mrs. Etherege, whose husband you found so easy when the police and everyone had given him up for dead.” Any thoughts on any of these cases?
“Mr. Hosmer Angel." It’s such a curious choice of pseudonym—it almost yells out: ‘This isn’t my real name!’ I always wonder if I’m missing some deeper meaning or joke.
”Mother was all in his favour from the first and was even fonder of him than I was.” It’s discomforting that Miss Sutherland’s mother takes part in the deception. I wonder what was going through her mind, and what she felt towards her daughter. They seem to have fallen out somewhat over the mother’s new marriage but surely that wouldn’t be enough for a woman to treat her daughter in this way.
"That fellow will rise from crime to crime until he does something very bad, and ends on a gallows.” Any ideas on what Windibank gets up to in the future?
“If the young lady has a brother or a friend, he ought to lay a whip across your shoulders. By Jove!" he continued, flushing up at the sight of the bitter sneer upon the man's face, "it is not part of my duties to my client, but here's a hunting crop handy, and I think I shall just treat myself to--" Well, I can’t really approve of Holmes threatening to attack Windibank but it’s rather touching that Holmes becomes so angry on Miss Sutherland’s behalf. I just wish though he’d done something more positive to get her out of her unpleasant situation.
“Let the whole incident be a sealed book, and do not allow it to affect your life." "If I tell her she will not believe me.” It has to be said that it’s an unsatisfying ending. Windibank gets away with it completely. Not only does he not get punished, but he gets the result he planned for: Miss Sutherland is going to wait for Hosmer Angel, and not find someone else and move out. Holmes comes up with this excuse that Miss Sutherland won’t believe him but surely he’s under an obligation to tell her anyway. She’s his client—she hired him to find out what had happened.
Next Sunday, 27th July, we’ll be having a look at The Five Orange Pips. Hope you can join us then.
“…in your position of unofficial adviser and helper to everybody who is absolutely puzzled, throughout three continents… Oh, yes—Watson travelled three continents checking out the girls; Holmes assists those with perplexing cases. I assume Holmes is solving cases outside Europe remotely though. Or perhaps it’s just Watson’s figure of speech.
"This is the Dundas separation case, and, as it happens, I was engaged in clearing up some small points in connection with it.” It seems odd that Holmes would be involved in what appears to be a straightforward domestic case of abuse. What do you think the “small points” might have been?
"It was from the reigning family of Holland, though the matter in which I served them was of such delicacy that I cannot confide it even to you, who have been good enough to chronicle one or two of my little problems."
In these cases, save for one rather intricate matter which has been referred to me from Marseilles, there is nothing which presents any features of interest.
"I came to you, sir, because I heard of you from Mrs. Etherege, whose husband you found so easy when the police and everyone had given him up for dead.” Any thoughts on any of these cases?
“Mr. Hosmer Angel." It’s such a curious choice of pseudonym—it almost yells out: ‘This isn’t my real name!’ I always wonder if I’m missing some deeper meaning or joke.
”Mother was all in his favour from the first and was even fonder of him than I was.” It’s discomforting that Miss Sutherland’s mother takes part in the deception. I wonder what was going through her mind, and what she felt towards her daughter. They seem to have fallen out somewhat over the mother’s new marriage but surely that wouldn’t be enough for a woman to treat her daughter in this way.
"That fellow will rise from crime to crime until he does something very bad, and ends on a gallows.” Any ideas on what Windibank gets up to in the future?
“If the young lady has a brother or a friend, he ought to lay a whip across your shoulders. By Jove!" he continued, flushing up at the sight of the bitter sneer upon the man's face, "it is not part of my duties to my client, but here's a hunting crop handy, and I think I shall just treat myself to--" Well, I can’t really approve of Holmes threatening to attack Windibank but it’s rather touching that Holmes becomes so angry on Miss Sutherland’s behalf. I just wish though he’d done something more positive to get her out of her unpleasant situation.
“Let the whole incident be a sealed book, and do not allow it to affect your life." "If I tell her she will not believe me.” It has to be said that it’s an unsatisfying ending. Windibank gets away with it completely. Not only does he not get punished, but he gets the result he planned for: Miss Sutherland is going to wait for Hosmer Angel, and not find someone else and move out. Holmes comes up with this excuse that Miss Sutherland won’t believe him but surely he’s under an obligation to tell her anyway. She’s his client—she hired him to find out what had happened.
Next Sunday, 27th July, we’ll be having a look at The Five Orange Pips. Hope you can join us then.
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no subject
Date: 2014-07-20 03:05 pm (UTC)First, there's that name. Hosmer Angel? It fairly screams "fake name", and foreshadows the "twist" at the end, so much so that I figured out the solution before it was revealed. That's not as satisfying as one might think! Why did ACD chose it when a more generic name would have sufficed and would have better obfuscated things? (At least the target wasn't tipped off. She's obviously the more trusting sort!)
I thought, perhaps, it might be an anagram (for no reason other than I love anagrams) and spent some time trying to puzzle it out. First I noticed how close "Hosmer" is to "Holmes". Drop the "r", and take the "l" from "Angel" and you have it! That leaves "range". "Holmes' range"? Might there be a sly, self-referential joke in there? Other iterations are "shame longer", and "Homer snag el". Those sound rather sinister, and might be telling us something about the sham's intent (if you ignore the tortured French in the second one.) Then there's "heron gleams", which probably reveals nothing about the case but is my personal favorite. It sounds so poetic. ;)
Well, that exercise was fairly inconclusive, actually. But it was a fun way to pass some time on vacation. :-p
Then there's that ending. How unsatisfying! Holmes is often disinclined to wrap things up the way society expects him to (such as in BLUE when he doesn't send the thief to jail), but really, not to report the facts of the case to his client seems odd, and as you mention, unprofessional. Just because she'll ignore them (and why is he so sure of this--suddenly he's an expert on women?) doesn't mean he should just drop the whole thing. It didn't sit well with me.
Oh, well. With 56 short stories (and four novels), you can't expect them all to be dazzling!
no subject
Date: 2014-07-20 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-20 09:31 pm (UTC)Encouraged by your example, I've had a go myself but the best I can come up with is "gosh - real men." Which is amusing but makes no sense in context ^_^
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Date: 2014-07-21 01:55 am (UTC)I like "gosh - real men" quite a bit! One gets the sense that that was exactly Miss Sutherland's response when she arrived at the gasfitters' ball. Clearly, the excitement of being out and about went to her head and clouded her judgement...
no subject
Date: 2014-07-20 03:56 pm (UTC)And why doesn't Miss Sutherland contact Holmes again to ask if he's made any progress? Unless she has her own suspicions, which will be confirmed if Holmes doesn't contact her.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-20 09:15 pm (UTC)And I think you're right that the mother wants to hold on to the money, and wants Miss Sutherland to carry on helping around the house. But it just feels so unpleasant for a mother to be so selfish with regards to her own child.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-21 07:38 am (UTC)