Characters
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, the real danger isn’t the legendary hound—it’s the greed and lies of people like Stapleton. He pretends to be someone he’s not, using charm and tricks to get close to Sir Henry so he can steal the Baskerville fortune. While Sir Henry is open and trusting, Stapleton hides behind a friendly face to get what he wants. The story shows how greed can push someone to deceive even the people who trust them most.
To begin, Jack Stapleton’s motive throughout the story is greed. He attempts to steal the Baskerville fortune through deception. He attempts to deceive the Baskerville estate by deceiving them through the use of the Hound. Stapleton paints a hound with bright colors to make it appear ghostly, therefore instilling fear into the Baskerville family. He uses this fear to kill Sir Charles, becoming one step closer to the Baskerville fortune. This causes the Baskerville family to believe there is a ghostly hound that is haunting Baskerville. Stapleton utilizes this fear to attempt to kill Sir Henry, the last in line for the Baskerville estate. Stapleton is determined to obtain the Baskerville estate, and this determination is caused by his deep greed for wealth. Stapleton appears friendly to the Baskerville family as a way to get into the family wealth. He attempts to get close to Sir Henry, so that he will be the next in line if he were to die.This shows his deception, as his two different lives juxtapose his personality. It shows how he appears friendly, but in reality Overall, Stapleton’s deception is driven by greed for the Baskerville estate.
On the other hand, Sir Henry Baskrville is open and trusting. Sir Henry is adventurous and strong-willed. After the death of Charles, he inherits the Baskerville family estate and the accompanying superstitious curse. Initially, he denies the rumor of a superstitious ghostly hound that is haunting the Baskervilles. However, over the course of the book he slowly believes it. Throughout the story, Stapleton attempts to kill Sir Henry, however, Henry is able to elude him. This shows his strong willed nature. His character qualities of strong-willed and trusting juxtapose those of Jack Stapleton. Overall, Sir Henry is an honest man, one who is open and trusting to those around him.
Overall, The Hound of the Baskervilles shows that the real threat isn’t the hound, but Jack Stapleton’s greed and lies. He uses fear and charm to try to steal the Baskerville fortune, preying on Sir Henry’s trust. The story highlights how greed can deceive and how trust can be easily manipulated.
Setting
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle makes the setting—like the moor and Baskerville Hall—very important to the story. He doesn’t just describe where the characters are. He uses these places to make the story feel creepy and full of mystery. With detailed descriptions, a spooky mood, and symbols, the setting helps show how the characters are feeling and supports the big ideas in the book, like fear, being alone, and things that can’t be explained.
The moor is one of the main places in the story. Doyle describes it as dark, empty, and kind of scary. It’s covered in fog, and it’s easy to get lost. One part, called the Grimpen Mire, is especially dangerous. It looks like normal ground, but if someone steps on it, they can sink and disappear. This makes the moor feel like a place where anything bad could happen. It adds a lot of suspense because you never know what’s out there.
Baskerville Hall is also important. Even though it’s a big house, it doesn’t feel safe or cozy. Instead, it feels cold and lonely. When Dr. Watson stays there, he often feels nervous or unsure, even when there’s no real danger. The house feels like it’s full of old secrets. It’s almost like the past is still there, making the people inside feel uneasy. The mood in the house matches the fear and confusion the characters feel.
Doyle also uses the setting to show bigger ideas. The moor could stand for the unknown or things that people don’t understand. It’s wild and confusing, kind of like fear itself. Baskerville Hall might stand for tradition or the past, but even it feels like it’s falling apart. And the hound, which everyone is afraid of, seems to stand for how people can believe scary stories, even when there isn’t proof. It shows how fear can control people.
In the end, the moor and Baskerville Hall aren’t just places in the story. They are part of the mystery and help us understand what the characters are going through. Doyle makes the setting a big part of what makes the story so spooky and exciting.
Plot/Structure
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle uses a special writing style and structure that helps make the story more exciting and mysterious. The way he tells the story, using first-person narration, short chapters, and a mix of clues and red herrings, keeps readers guessing. His writing style also makes the mystery easier to follow and builds suspense all the way to the end.
One of the most interesting parts of the book’s structure is that it’s told mostly from Dr. Watson’s point of view. This is important because Watson is trying to figure things out just like the reader. We don’t know what Sherlock Holmes knows most of the time, and that helps create suspense. When Watson writes letters or reports to Holmes, we feel like we are also helping solve the case. This first-person style makes us feel close to the action and the clues.
Doyle also uses short chapters and ends many of them with a cliffhanger. This makes you want to keep reading to see what happens next. For example, just when a clue is found or something strange happens, the chapter ends. That way, readers are pulled into the story and don’t want to stop reading. This kind of structure helps the mystery stay strong throughout the whole book.
Another thing Doyle does well is using red herrings—clues that seem important but lead nowhere. These trick the reader into thinking they’ve figured it out, but then something changes. For example, a few characters seem suspicious at first, but they end up not being the villain. This keeps the reader surprised and adds to the fun of solving the mystery.
Doyle’s writing style is also very clear. Even though the story is about strange events, like a ghostly hound, the way Doyle writes makes things easy to picture and understand. He mixes serious moments with a little humor, especially when Holmes is involved. This helps balance the creepy parts and makes the book more enjoyable to read.
Overall, Doyle’s style and structure are big reasons why The Hound of the Baskervilles is such a good mystery. The way he tells the story, using Watson’s point of view, short chapters, and clever clues, keeps readers interested and always guessing what will happen next.
Speaker
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle chooses Dr. Watson to be the speaker, or narrator, of the story. This choice is very important because it helps build mystery, lets readers connect more with the story, and keeps Sherlock Holmes’s thoughts hidden until the right moment. By telling the story from Watson’s point of view, Doyle lets readers experience the mystery just like Watson does, step by step.
Dr. Watson is a smart and curious character, but he’s not as brilliant as Holmes. That actually makes him a great speaker. Since he’s not solving everything right away, the reader gets to try and figure out the mystery too. If Holmes were the one telling the story, it wouldn’t be as exciting because he would probably explain the case too quickly or leave out details that only make sense to him. Watson, on the other hand, shares his questions, thoughts, and even mistakes, which makes the mystery more fun and interesting to follow.
Another great thing about having Watson as the narrator is that we get to feel what he’s feeling. He shares when he’s scared, confused, or surprised. For example, when he hears the sound of the hound on the moor or meets suspicious people like Mr. Stapleton, he writes about his fear and uncertainty. This helps set the mood and makes readers feel like they’re right there with him, trying to figure things out.
Watson also tells us a lot about Sherlock Holmes. Since he admires Holmes, his descriptions make Holmes seem even more clever and mysterious. Watson doesn’t always understand what Holmes is thinking, which makes Holmes’s final explanation at the end more exciting and satisfying. Because Watson isn’t sure about everything, Doyle can keep secrets from the reader until the perfect moment to reveal the truth.
Also, Watson’s way of speaking is clear and easy to follow. He uses simple, honest language and focuses on what’s happening around him. That helps readers keep track of the clues and characters without getting confused. It also makes the spooky parts of the story even more believable.
Overall, using Dr. Watson as the speaker in The Hound of the Baskervilles makes the mystery more exciting and the story more enjoyable. His point of view helps create suspense and lets readers feel like they’re solving the case right along with him.