Me and Holmes- our limits
It's always amused me that in A Study in Scarlet, Watson actually took the time to analyze Holmes in order to piece together just what he was all about. Earlier, I was leafing through some of my favorite moments in the SH series and this bit happened to be one of them. While I was looking over the list, I couldn't help but compare some of Holmes's traits with my own and was somewhat surprised with what I found.
Here's what Watson had to say:
1. Knowledge of Literature- Nil.
2. " " Philosophy- Nil.
3. " " Astronomy- Nil.
4. " " Politics- Feeble.
5. " " Botany- Variable.
Well up in belladonna, opium, poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening.
6. Knowledge of Geology- Practical, but limited.
Tells at a glance soils from each other. After walks has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them.
7. Knowledge of Chemistry- Profound.
8. " " Anatomy- Accurate, but unsystematic.
9. " " Sensational Literature- Immense.
He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century.
10. Plays violin well.
11. Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.
12. Has a good practical knowledge of British law.
And here is my own:
1. Literature- I'd have to say that I beat Holmes in this one. I do so love my books. <3
2. Philosophy- I know I'm religious and all, but I've never dove too deep into studying existence as a whole. I've thought about values and reason on my own in the far reaches of my mind.
3. Astronomy- As much as I love looking up at the stars, I can't see myself going out of my way to learn much about them.
4. Politics- I'm not really political, but I can debate on certain subjects if the moment calls for it.
5. Botany- It's strange. I've always associated the little botanist in me as a connection to Hare, but I think he's more on the "practical gardening" side, which I like. At the same time though, poisons interest me and I plan on taking several toxicology classes in college, maybe even minor in it.
6. Geology- Blech. I know the basics.
7. Chemistry- Well, as I've mentioned several times, this is the field I want to go into. I'm not as experienced as Holmes of course, but hopefully I'll make a good forensic chemist one day. I'm mean jeez, I've only got a 100% in that class. (I should be allowed to flaunt every now and then.)
8. Anatomy- Hard to say. I did well in this class, but I don't remember half of what I learned. Maybe it will come back when I take the second half next year.
9. Sensational Literature- I own Great Expectations, but other than that, I haven't reached the sensational novels yet. The equivalent of them today though could be shows like Forensic Files and Unsolved Mysteries, both of which I watch whenever I can. I usually stay away from CSI because... the actors bug me. Aside from this, about a year ago I took an interest in the Jack the Ripper and the Green River Killer cases. I'm not sure if all this counts, but it's the closest I've come.
10. Violin- ...Do I have to say anything? *squees into pillow*
11. S.S. player, boxer, swordsman- ...I know how to act-fight with a rapier and how to fake-punch someone on stage, does that count?!
12. I don't know about British law, but I think I've got a good handle on American law.
After looking this over, I couldn't help but point out what Holmes and I had in common. Obviously, there's the whole violin thing but that's a total coincidence- awesome that it is. I'd been playing for six years before I first picked up a Sherlock Holmes book. What really stopped me in my tracks was the chemistry and toxicology bits. It's true that Holmes was part of my inspiration to become a forensic scientist, but I only acted upon the thought because chemistry came to me so easily and I happened to like it. Then there's my interest in criminology, which has been part of me for so long, I couldn't even tell you when it first intrigued me. What Holmes did, though, was study everything that he knew he would need in order to become a detective, whereas I choose a profession to fit my bill.
Aside from academics, I've found that we have some similar quirks and tendencies:
- I pace a lot when I'm thinking. The longest I've gone has been two hours, back and forth across my room. I have a set course and there are ruts in my carpet to show where it is. Holmes is a huge pacer too, but his sessions are usually accompanied by violin playing at three in the morning. I'm a little more considerate. ...I pluck.
- There are moments in life where I would gladly say, "Screw the law. I'm doing this my way because it's right." Holmes has done stuff like braking into houses without waiting for a warrant, but his actions caused him to solve the case whereas if he had waited, the bad guy would have won. There are times when the cause for justice should be above the law. Real justice, not "I had to kill him because he cheated on me." No. That doesn't cut it.
- We both snap at people when we're in a fit of blind frustration. Temper, temper.
- Neither of us is very keen on letting people into our hard outer shells. I can only think of four incidences when Holmes broke his cold mask. Two were when he was scared for Watson's life, one when he was given this enormously rare compliment from Lestrade, and the other was when he was apologizing to Watson for pretending to be dead for three years. We've only truly confided in one or two people. For him it's Watson, for me it's Raven and Alexia. I've become more open though, not so much of a closed book, and I've gained friends through it. Hare has helped with that.
- We can't resist a hint of the dramatics. I think we both thrive on keeping people in suspense, as excited as we are to spill the beans about something. And it makes me laugh whenever someone knocks on his door, Holmes has to be at the fireplace, pretending to look cool for his visitor. XD I love adding a bit of drama to life- not like high school gossip drama, just something to make the moment more exciting. I talk with dramatic pauses and repeat things for emphasis, and when I walk away from someone, my turn-around normally has some kind of fancy hand movement to it. What can I say? It's the actor in me. Maybe this is what makes Holmes a good little actor too. He's fooled poor Watson so many times with his disguises.
- Every now and then I'll go into these daydreams when I'm looking at something and find a metaphor in whatever it is and connect it to life. Not dissimilar to when Holmes found such interest in that rose, saying that we have much to learn from the flowers.
Hmm, I don't know. For me, it's difficult to say whether I've conditioned my mind to work like his, or if I've been attracted to him because I can relate to him. My mind was pretty messed up when I discovered Holmes, so it is possible that my younger self was searching for a new personality to fill, saw Holmes was the right one for the job, and clung tight to him. If that's the case, I must have missed some lose ends because, thank God, I'm not his modern-day clone. For one thing, I'm not that brilliant, or observant. I tend to either jump to conclusions like Lestrade, or I over think things and end up making the wrong conclusions like Watson. That and... I'm not that brave. If Moriarty were to come to my house and say that I would be a dead woman if I didn't drop a case, there's no way I'd be able to tell him off like Holmes did. I wish I had enough courage in me to give my life away for the sake of my cause, but I don't. Oh and... I don't do cocaine when I'm depressed or bored. Chocolate and tea work fine.
Sherlock Holmes has been a huge part of my life for four years now. I can't imagine myself without knowing who he is outside of that false stereotype the public always sees. He's not about the pipe or the hat or that stupid little, "Elementary, my dear Watson," catchphrase (which, by the way, he never said in the books, nor did he wear a deerstalker). Whether I've changed myself to be like him, or if I was always this way, I don't care. I'm glad that I've broken through the walls of what everyone thinks he is and had a chance to discover the real Sherlock Holmes. The man behind the magnifying glass, who is not only a hero in my mind but at the same time a very deep and dark character- someone that I can connect to.
Everyone may see him as just a British detective with a silly hat, but for me… he's Holmes.