"Study in Scarlet": summary, author, plot and characters

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most popular characters in English literature. This is a story about a brilliant detective who managed to unravel the most difficult cases. He was assisted in his investigations by Dr. Watson, with whom they shared an apartment on Baker Street. "A Study in Scarlet" is the first work when the genius Sherlock Holmes appears.

Meet the famous detective

This story was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. It is divided into two parts, which tells about the beginning of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The summary of "A Study in Scarlet" should begin with the fact that the narration is conducted on behalf of Dr. Watson.

He talks about how he served in Afghanistan, was wounded and sent to England. The doctor went to London and began to look for someone with whom he could rent an apartment. He meets his old friend Stampford. He tells John that onehis friend is also looking for a neighbor.

Dr. Watson is delighted, but Stampford warns him that this gentleman has a slightly strange character. During the first meeting, Sherlock Holmes surprises Watson by telling him about his service in Afghanistan. Mr. Holmes says he found an apartment on Baker Street.

Dr. Watson is watching his strange neighbor. He notes his amazing knowledge in some areas and at the same time ignorance in others. The Doctor sees that Sherlock Holmes is very energetic, and sometimes becomes apathetic. Also, sometimes a variety of people come to his neighbor, whom he calls clients. Sometimes Detective Lestrage appears in their living room.

One day Dr. Watson reads an article about the deduction method and he is not impressed by it. Sherlock says that he wrote it and explains to a surprised John about the deduction method and also says that he is a consulting sleuth. And then the messenger brings Holmes a letter.

Mystery case in Lauriston Gardens

Further in the summary of A Study in Scarlet, it should be noted that the letter received by the brilliant detective speaks of a mysterious murder that was committed in a half-empty estate in Lauriston Gardens. Detective Tobias Gregson asks Sherlock for help. Holmes decides to take on this case and invites Dr. Watson to keep him company.

Arriving at the place, they meet two detectives - Tobias Gregson and Lestrade. They tell him what they have learned, and Sherlock Holmes usesown deduction method. At the same time, he speaks sarcastically about the mental abilities of detectives from Scotland Yard. Sherlock Holmes agrees to help them with the investigation, but is going to use his own methods. And for starters, he goes to talk to Constable John Rance.

Conversation with constable

In the summary of "A Study in Scarlet" it is necessary to note the conversation between the detective and the constable. Sherlock Holmes, on the way to the constable, explained to Dr. Watson how he managed to find out so much information. He also says that it was not a German who did this, as the police believe, but a participant in this crime just wanted to confuse the police.

Arriving at John Rance's, Mr. Holmes offers him, for half a sovereign, to tell once again about the events that have happened. The constable says he saw a man coming out of a house in Lauriston Gardens who was very drunk. He had a red face that was hidden behind a scarf. Sherlock Holmes told the constable that it was not a drunkard and he missed the clue.

Amazed by the intelligence of the detective, Dr. Watson wonders why then this man returned? Sherlock Holmes says that he needed an engagement ring, which was found on the murdered man. The detective is pleased that he came across such an interesting case and suggests calling it "A Study in Scarlet".

Strange old woman

Sherlock Holmes decided to advertise that he found an engagement ring. An old woman responded to the advertisement, whoShe said it was her daughter's ring. Dr. Watson believed the strange visitor, but the ingenious detective decided to follow her: he was sure that she was an accomplice.

In the summary of "A Study in Scarlet" it should be noted that Holmes immediately went for the visitor and returned only in the evening. And Dr. Watson noted that he was both amused and upset. The detective says that it was not an old woman, but a disguised actor and an accomplice of the one they need. Even though he missed it, Sherlock was not going to give up and continued to ponder over the mysterious case.

Caught criminal

In a brief retelling of A Study in Scarlet, it should be noted that two detectives - Gregson and Lestrange - continued to conduct their investigation. Gregson comes to the detective and tells that he found the killer of Enoch Drebber. He went to the owner of the apartment, which he rented, and Madame Cherpentier talks about what a terrible person Drebber was. It turns out that her son Arthur, deciding to protect his sister, hit the guest.

Gregson concludes that he is the one they are looking for. But then Lestrange arrives and reports that Drebber's secretary, Mr. Stangerson, has been killed. Based on the testimony of the milkman boy, Holmes and Watson understand that one person did all this. The detectives insist that Sherlock tell them what he knows.

Holmes asks Dr. Watson to examine Stangerson's pills. Through experimentation, the detective concludes that one was a simple pill,and the other contained poison.

One of Holmes' street boys comes to Baker Street and says that the carriage has arrived. A cabman comes into the living room and Sherlock announces to everyone that this is Jefferson Hope, who poisoned Enoch Drebber and Mr. Stangerson.

John and Lucy Ferrier

Further on the plot of "A Study in Scarlet" the story is transferred to many years ago. The reader is described a desert that an exhausted companion is trying to cross with a little girl in his arms. The traveler is very tired on the road and understands that if they cannot find water, they will not survive. Of their tribe, only he and a little girl survived.

On the way they meet Mormons. There the heroes meet their brother Stangers. The Mormons agree to take them with them if they accept the Mormon faith. John Ferrier agrees and adopts Lucy. John manages to become rich thanks to his thriving farm, and Lucy grows up to be a beauty.

One day a girl meets a young seeker, Jefferson Hope. The young man turns out to be somewhat familiar with John Ferrier. Hope falls in love with Lucy and gets permission for the wedding from her father. The girl answers him with consent, and remains to wait for his return from the mines.

The tragedy of the Ferrier family

One day a tribal elder comes to John Ferrier and says that two Mormons are asking for his daughter's hand at once - the son of brother Stangerson and the son of brother Drebber. But the old farmer did not share the Mormon views on marriage and asked for time to think. John Ferrier and Lucy decide to tell Hope and run away.

Then Stangerson and Drebber arrive. Ferrier drives them away and they begin to threaten him. With great difficulty, Hope was able to get through. Having collected all the supplies, the father and daughter and the young seeker left Utah. But a chase was sent after them. John Ferrier was killed, and Lucy was married to Drebber. But the girl could not recover from grief and died. Jefferson Hope decided to take revenge on the Mormons for what they did.

Hope's Tale

Jefferson Hope agreed to tell the sad story of why he chose to take revenge on Drebber and Stangerson. He said that he had a fatal illness and the detectives allowed him to testify at Holmes's house. Hope has been tracking his enemies for years, but they have managed to elude him.

Finally, he was able to overtake them in London. Hope got a job as a cabman and decided to make two pills: one with poison, the other completely harmless. Jefferson decided to give the Mormons a chance and choose the pill themselves. Hope was happy that he could avenge Ferier's father and daughter.

Jefferson did not live to see the trial, so his testimony was published in the newspapers according to Scotland Yard detectives. Sherlock then tells Dr. Watson in A Study in Scarlet about how he came to the conclusion of who killed Drebber and Stangerson. John Watson asked permission to write a story about it. So, Arthur Conan Doyle began the story of Sherlock Holmes in "A Study in Scarlet" - a brilliant detective and his friend the doctorWatson.