Integrative Essay
This particular story is an interesting genre or case of passage where Holmes is pitted as a messenger informing Watson of the on-goings. The readers find an interesting bit of the character traits of Watson. That is, he is a married doctor who lives in his house with his family. The statement can be illustrated by this assertion, “"it was in June, `89 - there came a ring at my bell my wife laid her needlework down "A Patient!" being that his wife informed him of what had transpired, he says that he was coming from his errands having gone through a weary day.
The book version of this genre was authored by Arthur Conan Doyle. The book presents Isa Whitney as being an opium addict and more of a freak. He is pitted to have had a first taste of the drug after having read Confessions of an Opium Reader, a book by Thomas de Quincey.
Watson begins with a tragic tale about a guy name Isa Whitney, who happens to be an opium addict as a result of reading the “Confessions of an Opium reader” by Thomas De Quincey. In the story, we can decipher how an on the night of June 1989, a woman name Kate arrives at Isa Whitney’s house late in the evening, who also happens to be a friend to Mrs. Watson. Kate is desperately seeking for help because her husband has been missing for the last two days, and she requires Watson to visit the opium den located on the east side of London, to help find him because it is a relatively unsafe place popular with all sorts of crime.
Watsons embarks on her journey out to the slums during the middle of the night to establish how much Isa Whitney owes the den owners. During this period, Isa is completely high and has lost track of time, and just drugging his butt out of the opium den. However, as Watson tries to find out how much Isa owes, they meet a tall bent and wrinkled aged man who suddenly touches the skirt of his coat and orders, Watson, to continue walking and not to look back without causing any unnecessary attention (Doyle 17).
Watson is afraid, perhaps, due to his personal security and obeys the commands. Watson looks over his shoulders and recognizes Holmes before his comrade reverts to his old concealed character. Holmes again orders Watson to assist his drugged friend to enter the cab before waiting for five minutes when they can have some brief conversation. Holmes continues pretending with his drunkenness by staggering two blocks away while strolling next to Watson, before shortly standing up soberly and resuming his regular appearances. Holmes asks Watson if he has already added some opium to his routine cocaine addiction. However, this is not the situation since Holmes has a different case to answer which forces him to disguise himself in a bid to hide from the opium den owner because he would get killed on the spot. Watson agrees to collaborate and stay with Holmes the entire night helping him out with his case. Overwhelmed by depression, Holmes feels encourages because at least he has someone to share with his grievances.
The story shows how St. Claire disguised and cheated his wife, Mrs. St Claire, how he has been a successful person in the person in the society. His success was achieved by wearing expensive suits to work, whereby, in reality, Mr. St. Claire made a living by working as a beggar. One day, Mr. St. Claire was accompanied by the wife to work, however, Mr. St. Claire realized that the wife was around and that she was on the verge of knowing the reality. Mr. St Claire faked his death so that the wife could not know the truth (Jaffe 16).When London was preparing for Christmas, there was a theft report of a priceless jewel. John Horner, who is a plumber and also an ex-convict was the main suspect and immediately arrested.
At the crime scene, there was a hat involved as a primary defense object. When the story continued, we could see how this particular hat had been brought to Holmes by one of his closes acquaintances, Mr. Peterson. The detectives were involved throughout the investigations, and the investigators themselves were now starting to decipher a picture of the hats owner. During the investigation process, a Goose was given out to the detective’s wife to cook as a gift, and a card addressed to Mrs. Henry Baker was attached to the bird with the initials H.B inscribed implying Henry Baker. This led to more clue, and Holmes took advantage of the goose scenario to suggest that he knew Henry Baker to be a man of extreme intelligence (Doyle 11).
During the bird’s preparation for cooking, a blue diamond was also discovered, and this particular diamond had been previously reported to have been stolen from a certain hotel room. Holmes makes an advert, asking Henry Baker to come for his lost hat, and surprisingly Baker turns out to the expected descriptions. During the investigations Baker turns out that he knows nothing about the Blue Carbuncle, the case collapses and the main culprit that was to be charged with the murder of St. Claire is freed, and the case collapses.
In the literature above we have seen how Homes is “ a man with twisted lips” and through the power of his tongue he can make cases collapse by changing and disguising different scenarios, We have seen how Holmes, could pretend that he was a drunk man only to have his freedom. Holmes studied a man’s hat and by just seeing the initials H.B, we would create his imposter and even go a step further by publishing a newspaper advert for Henry Baker to come and collect his hat. This is considered as a clever way of evading justice synonymous with the central theme of the story “the man with the twisted lips.”
Holmes has shown certain indifferences to the judicial system by facilitating a criminal to evade justice through his twisted lips.
South of the Slot
In the south of the slot, the author talks of an iron crack that run along the center market street. In the book, the slot in the question is not merely an element used in the setting but also a metaphor meant to imply the division among the social classes of that time. This genre features the major character in the name of Freddie Drummond, who dwells in the north, an area characterized by wealthy individuals, reserved for iconic businesses, shopping districts, and theaters. The Southern side of the slot was reserved for the working class with their machine shops and factories. In the entire “South of the Slot” Jack London has applied naturalism themes. In a real life context, naturalisms imply to a practice of viewing life in a scientific context. Through scrutinizing forces that govern human beings, London remarks on natural laws associated with these particular forces together with their impact on individual behavior and free will.
Forces of genetics and environment define the persona and perception of Drummond. During the beginning of the story, the reader acknowledges Drummonds position in the society. Drummond is contented with his title as a professor, complacent with his “orthodox” perceptions regarding the working class. Drummond is presented as thoughtful and actionable. His astonishing work in sociology led into accurate literary publications. Notably, these books were characterized by “tentative generalizations” and safe assumptions, this implies that Drummond was not a deep thinker therefore not insightful. He did not boast of any new theories. Hence, majority of readers lacked faith in them. His norms and criteria were however considered predictable. Inability to think outside the box and to formulate rare ideas is an indicator on how Drummond perception is shaped by the norms of the society from his environment (London 15).
Drummond decides to work as unskilled laborer perhaps because he is not finding much satisfaction in his work environment he experiences social problems of adaptations doing menial work. He is unable to understand why his colleagues are exceptionally aggressive. Drummond begins to adapt to the other side of the life, by accepting and socializing with people from the south and progressively acquires a double life. He conforms to the expectations and norms of the two differing classes and his social life including food choices, and women class preferences are shaped by his two contrasting social lifestyles (London 19).
In the analysis, Drummond can live two lifestyles with two different classes of people with different ideologies and background in life. Drummond can adapt to the rich and at the same time with the less fortunate people in the society who depend on odd jobs such as peddling food and other low income generating activities such as touting. Even though Drummond does not lie to anybody, the way Holmes did to evade justice, we can say that both have “twisted lips.” Drummond and Holmes are using the power of their tongue to make things work for them the way that they would. Holmes is using his tongue to evade justice while Drummond is using his tongue to dictate his preferred lifestyle.
In conclusion, both the books, bear two separate themes, both bearing a reflection of themes in the society. Drugs and other sorts of addictions seem to consume the society leading to violent actions and lawlessness as seen in “the Man with the twisted lips”. The South of the Slot on the other hand depicts a man who lives a double life, full of deceptions. Basically, the books marry in the sense that they both pronouncedly, talks of the theme of deception as portrayed by their main characters.
Works Cited
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The man with the twisted lip. Macmillan Education UK, 2014.
Jaffe, Audrey. "Detecting the Beggar: Arthur Conan Doyle, Henry Mayhew, and" The Man with the Twisted Lip"." Representations 31 (2000): 96-117.
London, Jack. "South of the Slot." Novels and Stories (2011).
