The Woman Essay Samples

Characters are one of the most important elements in fiction. Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous characters in crime and detective fiction in world literature, is the eternal figure created by Conan Doyle. As the main characters in the story series, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created to be two successful figures with their own personality and special features. Sherlock Holmes is super intelligent and amazingly keen observer, whereas Dr. Watson is calm and has a spirit of adventure.
Obviously, the creation and existence of Sherlock Holmes made an enormous contribution to the success of this story series. Many other elements help this story to be successful such as the story plots, the cultural backgrounds, the mysteries, and the writing skills. Perhaps, it is pertinent to point out that the secondary characters are also key and necessary elements in a successful novel. There are some important elements to creating a successful secondary character such as the depiction its character, the resonance between the main and the secondary characters, the effect that derives from secondary characters but influence the main characters and the conditions for readers’ reveries.
Irene Adler, a special woman in her short story ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, is not only in the king’s heart, but also in Sherlock Holmes’ memory. Readers get attracted to Irene Adler by the sentences at the beginning of the story because of the descriptions of the beautiful woman. This is an interesting way to start a story because everyone wants to know what happened on this woman, who is special for Sherlock. The powerful depiction from the king creates this impressive figure for readers and builds the necessity of her existence. Her existence is essential not only due to her important role in this story, but also because she is the core in this case. Moreover, she is smart in her previous behaviors. Irene Adler is not the only figure that appears in Sherlock’s case, but also she is the only one controlling everything that the king has to ask help from Sherlock. It is a function of building a character by depiction and extrudes its necessity.
Perhaps, readers need to know more about Irene Adler’s intelligence and hence more descriptions follow the story. After reading the novel, readers figure out that the coachman is Irene Adler’s plan. It means that she already detects Sherlock’s fraud and he did not figure out her when she said “[good-night], Mister Sherlock Holmes.” (loc 3608). Readers would get surprised about the foreshadowing, which looks normal and shocked by her reaction and tolerance.
These depictions establish the character of Irene Adler to be a real clever woman. Not only in the first game between her and Sherlock, but also in the final of this story, Irene Adler gives Sherlock a thump: her picture, a letter, an empty house without her and her husband. It is interesting to see how Doyle arranges the story. Sherlock Holmes figures out where Irene Alder saves the picture, but he did not get the real picture. That means he is defeated in this case because he cannot give the picture to the king, even though Irene Alder leaves London and promises that she will never show that picture to people. According to these descriptions, readers may give the handclaps to this woman. She is beautiful, elegant, and sapiential. She is the only woman who plays a trick on Sherlock Holmes in his whole career and life. The depictions contribute to the success of this figure.
Moreover, creating the resonance between the main and secondary characters is also an important way to establish a key role for the secondary figure. Back to the ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, what are the resonances between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler? I think these are wisdom, reaction ability, and ambition to be a victor. As the main character in the series of detective story, Sherlock Holmes is almost the most clever one and no one can question it. However, in this story, Irene Alder is another intelligent figure. It is hard to say who is smarter because even though Irene fooled Sherlock Holmes, it is not enough to say she is smarter than Sherlock. Perhaps, readers may find it interesting when Sherlock gets a worthy competitor. Readers may want to see a drastic competition between Sherlock and a beautiful woman. Irene was created not only just on the intelligence, but also with alert reaction ability.
She is so aware like an animal on the prowl. She figures out the point, not in harmony and adopts action at the first time. This is not easy for a woman to do in people’s sub-consciousness because most people think woman are weak and incapable. It appears that Sherlock also did the same. Based on this condition, Irene Adler impresses readers more. Furthermore, the ambition to be a victor also makes this woman more captivating. At the finish, she leaves her personal picture to Sherlock and the king. I think she is flaunting her results: get marriage with her husband, leave London, and still keeping the picture that king looking for, even though Sherlock finds the place her is saving picture before. In conclusion, these features create competitive relationships between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, and the relationships resonances between them are well depicted. Base on this resonance, readers will see more relation between these two clever persons, and pay more attention to their competition.
As the only woman who fooled Sherlock, Irene Adler changed Sherlock a lot, especially on his opinions of women, and this is an effect that is derived from secondary characters. Inevitably, women are vulnerable groups during the Victorian period. Irene is a famous singer (loc 3422), and it is hard to change people’s standpoint even though they like her. Influenced deeply by that cultural background and time features, Sherlock found it hard to treat females with the same status accorded to men. Of course, he will underestimate Irene sub-consciously and may not know it. Perhaps expectedly, Irene owns her beauty and intelligence. She runs away from Sherlock’s trap by her intelligence and resources. It must be a shock for Sherlock because a woman who was looked down by him sub-consciously fooled him. At the same time, this case and this woman also changed his opinion about the women. It may be interesting for readers to see the changes on the main character.
Besides that, readers get the space and conditions to imagine the relationships between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. Even though, Dr. Watson said, “it was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler” (loc 3316), readers still enjoying their Fantasy. Everyone loves beauty. There is no reason that a man will not fall in love into a beautiful and smart woman, especially the lady who changed him, and he is so non-inductive to women before. Love is always the point that attracts readers even though it is not the main element in detective fiction. However, the conjectures motivate readers’ imagination ability and enhance the connection between the characters and the readers.
There are many different elements in a novel contributing to its success, and the secondary characters are one of the important elements. It is hard to create and build significant status for secondary characters in addition to and beside the main characters. The functions of these characters are to start and extend the story plots, enhance the emotions, create a relationship between different characters, or make a contrast on figures. There are many functions of secondary characters, but it cannot be ignored that these figures make story more wonderful and rich. Among the functions of Irene Adler, she is not only changed the Sherlock Holmes, she also changed and surprised the readers in the story. She is the main concern is this story and a successful figure that contributed to this literature masterpiece.