Sherlock Holmes

Much of Sherlock's characterization can be seen in A Study in Scarlet. As Watson is being introduced to Sherlock, so is the rest of the world. Immediately, his intelligence is illustrated, as the thing he says to Watson is, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive." This novel also introduces Sherlock as a complex being, very skilled in some areas while completely lacking in others. The BBC version seems to paint him in an extremely intelligent, almost perfect way, but I think it's pretty important to note that he doesn't even realize that the sun is the center of the solar system. He is very forward and blunt, as seen in both Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet. For example, in the latter, he rattles off a list of his shortcomings to Watson, including the fact that he smokes, and sometimes does not speak for days. As Watson compiles a list of Sherlock's knowledge, we begin to see similarities in the two. Sherlock loves a good mystery, and at this point, Watson begins to attempt an answer to why Sherlock must be knowledgeable in such random, unrelated categories. Where we see the difference between the two is in the fact that Watson immediately gives up the task, where Sherlock would have continued until he found an answer (or would have already had one). Sherlock's intelligence is only further illustrated in Hound of the Baskervilles, and his relationship with Watson is further explored. The friendship between he and Watson is much more detailed in this novel than in the short stories, and we see how they compliment each other nicely, despite Sherlock's strangeness. While Sherlock is extremely socially awkward due to his blunt observations, he finds comfort in Watson, and even allows him to try his hand in detective work in Hound of the Baskervilles. Though he is rude, awkward, and doesn't know the situation of the solar system, the world just can't seem to get enough of the ever-observant, ridiculously intelligent Sherlock.