The Hounds Of The Baskervilles Analysis

Authors use many literary devices and tools to keep readers absorbed in their fascinating adventures. In The Hounds of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses mistaken identity to maintain interest. What is the purpose of these smoke screens of mystery? Mistaken identity could be anything from picking up the wrong name tag to arresting the wrong suspect. The function of mistaken identity in The Hounds of the Baskervilles is not only to keep readers engaged but to introduce something new; a character or a possible motive.
Straight from the beginning of the book, we see Sherlock and Watson experiment with their deductive skills. Sherlock has Watson address his initial interpretation of the clues that have been left for the duo. “I think, Dr. Mortimer is a successful elderly medical man, well-esteemed, since those who know him gave him this mark of their appreciation” (Conan Doyle 2). Holmes states that Dr. Watson let some observations slip his view. “I am afraid my dear Watson, that most of your conclusions were erroneous”(Conan Doyle 3). Holmes then adds on what he has seen.”I would suggest, for example, that a presentation to a doctor is more likely to come from a hospital than from a hunt, and that when the initials ‘C C’ are placed before that hospital the words ‘Charing Cross’ very naturally suggest themselves”. Holmes and Watson alternate, taking turns explaining their thoughts. Watson goes and grabs a medical book off of his shelf and begins reading