Influential Fictional Character- Sherlock Holmes

Influential Fictional Character- Sherlock Holmes

Works of fiction mirror the realities that humanity faces everyday -- good or bad, failures or successes. Fictional characters, in fact, are just as powerful in depicting reality as the situation they find themselves in a fictional work. This is because characters represent a fragment of an individual's self, directly establishing a connection between the character and the reader. It is through the character's goodness and success that the reader is inspired, and through his/her misgivings and failures that the reader learns or empathizes.

Inevitably, as I grow up, I have learned to admire and be inspired by a multitude of influences that have surrounded me, more particularly, classical works of fiction. I have read not too many classic literary works, but I have enjoyed reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about his greatest fictional character, Sherlock Holmes. Doyle's Sherlock Holmes volumes were just right for me: each volume is like an Encyclopedia Brown (another fictional character, but a more 'diluted' version of Holmes, I should say) adventure, grouped into short stories that I can easily put down when doing something, but can easily pick up again and enjoy and finish reading within the day (or even within the hour). Doyle's short stories on Holmes paved the way for me to appreciate classic literature and consequently, appreciate the great mind and reasoning of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes' influence on me stemmed from the fact that his stories taught me how to think systematically through deductive reasoning. Holmes demystified detective mysteries through this famous thought process. Armed with his logic and skill in keenly observing his environment and the people around him, Holmes successfully made significant leads and came up with conclusions that are almost always correct because of assumptions and decisions made using deductive reasoning. Interestingly, Holmes constantly sharpens his logic and thought processing system with the help of trivia, bits of information he found in traditional and most often, non-traditional sources.

Combine his intellect with a witty yet cool demeanor and street smart personality, Holmes signified what every individual wanted to be during his time: an individual who has the intellect of 'high' or elite society, but also has the ability to blend in with the 'common people.' His versatility is admirable that you cannot fault him for being a "jack of all trades, master of none," because he has definitely cemented his reputation as an expert in the science of detection and investigation. Holmes bridged the gap not only between the rich and the poor, but also between the haves and the have nots.

And what do the 'haves' have that the 'have nots' are trying to achieve? It is intellect, which is gradually taking the lead over technology as 19th century western society moved forward a new stage of technological and social development. As new technologies and social order dominated the western countries, it dawned on society that there is premium in intellectual development -- that charismatic individuals are being taken over by intellects, mainly because of the soundness of judgment of the latter. Holmes embodied every individual's aspiration to become an intellectual, to be recognized and respected because of what she or he is, and not because of his/her status in the society.

Holmes is the symbol of intellectual development, as he goes beyond the thrill of discovery and investigation, and forges ahead to actually help an individual get justice for another person's wrongdoing or criminal acts. This demonstrates the power of the human intellect, thinking systematically not just for intellectual exercise or stimulation, but more importantly, to achieve a higher goal that will benefit the individual and/or society. Looking at Holmes' character, he is like a superhero of reality fiction: he is given the power of intellect and managed to help and 'save' people from their misfortunes or mishaps by exercising this power. For me as a reader, this realistic take on an individual possessing a 'super power' such as great intellect is an appropriate and relevant depiction of the kind of people that Doyle's industrial society is developing into as societies move forward modernization.