Valley of Fear, Part 1 Chapter 5 to Part 2 Chapter 3
What a twist! That this entire murder was actually an improvised attempt for Mr. Douglas to fake his own death using the body of his original assailant was simply sublime. Here, the small, minute details of the crime were the most important, especially the dumbbell. While Watson and the inspector spent Chapters 5 and 6 interviewing suspects (aka accomplices of forging a crime scene) and tracking the movements of the would-be assassin, Sherlock Holmes immersed himself in the quest for the missing dumbbell. And this dumbbell, which was considered fruitless by pretty much everyone else, ended up solving the crime and exposing the complete truth.
Part II of the novel delves into a completely different story: a narrative that introduces a new setting and a completely new set of characters. All we have is Watson's assurance that this story explains Mr. Douglas's past enemies and brings the original story full-circle. Doyle hasn't given us much to connect between these stories except for the secret society and the ominous Valley of Fear name. I suspect that this Mr. McMurdo may in fact be Mr. Douglas because both characters are shown to be fearless, be members of the society, and have similar physical characteristics. But Doyle clearly loves plot twists, so I cannot be too hasty.
Overall, even though Part II has yet to see an actual mystery in it, its narration and content makes it an engaging read. Doyle does a very good job with characters, especially the mercurial Mr. McMurdo. McMurdo's switches from being jovial to extremely aggressive and fearless make him very mysterious and intriguing, and his aggressive interactions with the society reinforce how dangerous the Scowrers are. How exactly the Scowrers will affect McMurdo and, later on, the people in Part I is still unknown, but I look forward to finding out.
Part II of the novel delves into a completely different story: a narrative that introduces a new setting and a completely new set of characters. All we have is Watson's assurance that this story explains Mr. Douglas's past enemies and brings the original story full-circle. Doyle hasn't given us much to connect between these stories except for the secret society and the ominous Valley of Fear name. I suspect that this Mr. McMurdo may in fact be Mr. Douglas because both characters are shown to be fearless, be members of the society, and have similar physical characteristics. But Doyle clearly loves plot twists, so I cannot be too hasty.
Overall, even though Part II has yet to see an actual mystery in it, its narration and content makes it an engaging read. Doyle does a very good job with characters, especially the mercurial Mr. McMurdo. McMurdo's switches from being jovial to extremely aggressive and fearless make him very mysterious and intriguing, and his aggressive interactions with the society reinforce how dangerous the Scowrers are. How exactly the Scowrers will affect McMurdo and, later on, the people in Part I is still unknown, but I look forward to finding out.
When I read the first few chapters of part two, I thought that Mr. McMurdo could be Mr. Douglas, too. I appreciate how you explained why you thought this to be so, and it makes me more curious to find out if Mr. Douglas is Mr. McMurdo or if he will come into play later. I also agree with you about how the characterization of McMurdo emphasizes how dangerous the Scowrers are. I also noticed how Doyle's diction plays a part in emphasizing this fact. I personally believe that one of Doyle's distinctive qualities as an author is his utilization of diction, characterization, and tone to further his plot. His ideas for the mystery are clever, but his rhetoric makes the story interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting that you suspect Mr. Douglas and Mr. McMurdo to be the same person; that is something I had not even thought about but now that you point it out I see that it is totally possible!! It is fair though to say that we can't be certain of anything at this point, especially given Doyle's love for plot twists. I am excited to see how the two parts of the novel intertwine and we will all get to see how Doyle decided to let the story play out.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Mr. Douglas and Mr. McMurdo are probably the same person (especially since they both have the first name John) and they have so many similarities. I also really enjoyed part 2. I definitely agree that while there wasn't as much suspense, the connections that we can try to make between the two parts make it an interesting read, and I am really hoping to see how Doyle ties the two stories together fully!
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