General Questions on ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’
Q1. Character sketch or the role played by Sherlock Holmes in the novel
‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.
Ans. Sherlock
Holmes plays a very important role in this novel. He is an astute crime
detective with superb qualities in him. He is the person who resolves all the
tangled threads of the major plot of the novel. He solves the mystery of the curse
of the hound upon the Baskervilles. This is the reason why he is considered
‘the greatest detective of all time’.
We, the readers, are wonderstruck at
his observations, alertness and deductions throughout the novel. In the very
first chapter, he proves his supremacy over his assistant Dr. Watson.
From the very beginning, he is not
ready to believe in the supernatural cause of Sir Charles tragic death. Towards
the end of the novel, he unravels the mystery of the hound. The incidents of
the missing shoes at once clarify to him the fact that some human being behind
the curtain is conspiring against the Baskervilles. So he deputes Dr. Watson to
provide safety cover to Sir Henry at Baskerville Hall.
He himself remains behind the curtain
to fill the missing gaps in the safety cover.
He is a true realist and, therefore,
he relates all the incidents to cause and effect theory. He does not tell
anything about his secret plans even to Dr. Watson.
His observation power is par
excellence.. When his sharp eyes fall on the portrait of Hugo Baskerville, the
evil incarnate, Stapleton’s face at once comes in his mind. This gives a sudden
twist to the events of the story.
Sherlock Holmes is not only full of
supreme intellect, but he is a true human being also. He feels concerned about
the safety of the people living on the moor when the criminal Seldon is out of
prison. He even regrets to Sir Henry that his safety was put in danger to
expose Stapleton.
Thus with very few weaknesses as a
human being, he is a superb detective.
2. Role/Character sketch of Dr. Watson
Dr. Watson also plays a very
important role in this novel. He is the narrator of the story and, therefore,
the readers
Ans. Dr. Watson also plays very
important role in this novel. He is the narrator of the story and, therefore,
the readers feel his presence almost all the time.
He is a doctor by profession and not
a trained detective, but, in spite of that, he successfully proves his ability
for this profession.
Sherlock Holmes assigns to him
several tasks, which he completes to Sherlock Holmes full satisfaction.
Sometimes Dr. Watson goes beyond
facts and reality. Therefore, Sherlock Holmes told him to report to him about
the facts, not theory when he was deputed at the Baskerville Hall to provide a
safety cover to Sir Henry Baskerville.
Sometimes he may be tempted to
believe in superstition, but Sherlock Holmes dissuades him to do so.
At Baskerville Hall, he performs his
duty very carefully and sends detailed reports to his boss, Sherlock Holmes. At
one or two occasions, he shows his carelessness regarding Sir Henry’s security,
but on the whole, he performs his duty very well.
Thus Dr. Watson assumes the number two
position in the novel with several of his positive and very few negative
points.
3. Describe the character of Jack Stapleton as the villain of the story,
who masterminds the entire plot and executes it till the end. Or
Dr. Watson describes Stapleton as a “creature of infinite patience and
craft, with a smiling face and a murderous heart’. Describe the character of
Stapleton in the light of this remark.
Or
Holmes remarks that “the devil’s agent may be of flesh and blood”
Describe the character of Jack Stapleton in the light of this statement.
Or
Can Stapleton be called the hound of the Baskervilles, who dogs Sir
Charles to death and attempts to murder Sir Henry, too?
Ans. Jack
Stapleton is the third and one of the most important characters of this novel.
He is the mastermind who dogs Sir Charles to death and also weaves a very
dangerous web to entangle Sir Henry to plan his murder. In a way, he may be
called the real hound of the Baskervilles. He does all this villainy to become
the sole owner of the Baskerville estate.
The revelation that he is the nephew
of Hugo Baskerville surprises us. Although he tries his level best to eliminate
Sir Henry, yet all of his plans are foiled by the super mind Sherlock Holmes.
Jack Stapleton is such a clever mind
that he befools the simple-minded people at the moor. He spreads superstition
in their minds by creating the myth of the curse of a hound upon the
Baskervilles.
We come to know that once he had
opened a school, but could not continue due to some problems. He is a
naturalist, intelligent and clever. He understands at once at Sir Henry’s
arrival at Baskerville Hall that Dr. Watson’s has been sent to accompany him by
Sherlock Holmes. That’s why, he intends to know Sherlock Holmes’ planning from
Dr. Watson. He is so much morally down that he uses his own wife to lure Sir
Henry to her charms. He keeps the identity of his wife a secret. Thus Jack Stapleton
proves himself the faithful nephew of his rogue and villainous uncle sir Hugo
Baskerville.
Q4. What is the role played by the hound in the theme and action of the
novel? Or What is the relevance of the title “The Hound of the Baskervilles” to
the theme and the action of the novel?
Ans. The myth of the hound haunts
almost throughout the novel. So it is very important for the theme and the
action of the novel. In the beginning, we come to know from Dr. Mortimer about
the hound when he was informing Sherlock Holmes about Sir Henry’s death. But
Dr. Mortimer believed in the supernatural hound that had become a legendary
curse upon the Baskervilles. He also believes that Sir Henry had also become
the victim of that legendary and supernatural hound.
Another hound in the story is the
real one and it belonged to Stapleton. In a way this hound had become an
accomplice to Sir Charles’ murder. This is the same hound that was let loose
upon Sir Henry to eliminate him.
Stapleton is the real villain in this
novel. He is not less than any hound. He was the master of the real hound that
he used to kill Sir Charles and Sir Henry. Sir Henry was saved by circumstances
as Seldon had worn his dress. Stapleton was also a Baskerville and wanted to
usurp the whole Baskerville estate. He was in search of an opportunity to kill
Sir Henry from the very time he came in London. He is such a clever and cunning
person that he spreads the story of the hound among the people on the moor so
that they do not suspect cause of Sir Charles death. He took the help of the
supernatural belied that is usually found in people’s minds.
In this way, the hound whether real
or unreal haunts the readers’ minds throughout the novel.
Q5. What is the role played by the supernatural and evil forces in ‘The
Hound of the Baskervilles’?
Ans. The novel ‘The Hound of the
Baskervilles’ written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is not without evil forces.
These are represented mainly by Stapletons, Stapleton’s real hound and his
greed to become the owner of the whole Baskerville estate, Seldon and even the
supernatural atmosphere built up by Stapleton. The interlude of Hugo
Baskervilles also adds to the dark and gloomy atmosphere in the novel. The
swamp on the moor and several other descriptions by the author enhance the
gloomy atmosphere.
The first victim of the evil forces
is the helpless daughter of a farmer on the moor. She was kidnapped by Hugo
Baskervilles and when she escaped from his clutches, the devil Hugo let his
hounds loose upon her.
Then Hugo’s nephew, Stapleton made
Sir Charles his victim. He wanted to get Sir Henry killed by his hound, but
Sherlock Holmes exposed him before that. Seldon, the absconding criminal became
his victim as he was killed by Stapleton’s hound. He spread stories about
supernatural beliefs of the curse upon the Baskervilles.
But in the general drama of life,
only the good forces win. Nature always takes its nemesis. Stapleton falls into
the swamp and gets swallowed by it.
Thus in this novel we find a struggle
between the good and the evil forces. The good forces win in the last.
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