Sherlock Holmes’ deductions depend on the stereotypes of different groups of people and the peculiarities and patterns presented in previous cases. While this method has its merits, it falls short when these assumptions are challenged and proved wholly incorrect. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in Bohemia, Sherlock Holmes makes this fatal mistake and ultimately loses in a battle of wits against Irene Adler.
Irene Adler breaks the mold in Victorian womanhood. In Victorian England, men and women were effectively in two different worlds, only coming together at breakfast and supper (Hughes). Women were expected to stay in their domestic sphere of influence and avoid a public life whilst tending to the hearth, taking care of children, and being loyal to her husband (Hughes). In Addition, the intellectual pursuits of women were frowned upon due to the societal consensus that this undertaking, “usurp\ed men’s ‘natural’ intellectual superiority” (Hughes). Further, women were expected to be timid, dedicated to their husbands, and introverted (Hughes). Throughout the adventure, Adler sidesteps these characteristics of Victorian womanhood and successfully outmaneuvers Holmes. First, Adler was a contralto in operas in Warsaw and beyond (Doyle 246). This occupation was considered in the limelight and, thus, not fit for a marriageable woman. Additionally, Adler is shown to be brilliant and is not portrayed as the puppet of her husband. With this in mind, it is no surprise that Adler outwits Holmes.
From the start of the case, Holmes worked under the dangerous assumption that Irene Adler was a typical Victorian woman, despite the warning signs. When met with the fact that five attempts had been made to steal the cabinet photograph, Holmes assumes that this was due to the incompetence of the King of Bohemia’s men rather than the cunning of Adler and laughs in the face of the King (Doyle 247). Further, in the first meeting with the King, Holmes firmly believes that this case will be a piece of cake as he confidently declares that he has several other matters to attend to before he can attend to this case (Doyle 248). The next day, when Holmes later recounts his observations after he followed Adler to the church, he expresses his utter shock after getting called out and acting as the witness for the marriage of Irene Adler and Godfrey Norton (Doyle 252). Holmes’ shock comes in large part from the King’s report that Adler is infatuated with him and his understandings of the Victorian woman. Holmes’ deductions depend on the stereotypes and societal behaviors of those he deduces. With Adler breaking the mold, Holmes is wholly caught off guard. Watson says as much in response by commenting, “\this is a very unexpected turn of events” and Holmes expressing his fear that the couple will now flee the country (Doyle 253). This move by Adler forces Holmes to act rashly and attempt a risky gamble. Holmes’ next move depends on his understanding that, “\women are naturally secretive and like to do their own secreting,” to come to the conclusion that the painting must be in Adler’s possession, as opposed to her lawyer or banker (Doyle 255-256). More specifically, he concludes the cabinet painting must be in Adler’s home. After the fact, Holmes explains to Watson, “\when a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values most” (Doyle 258). In Adler’s case, this most valued possession is the cabinet painting. So when the threat of fire emerges, Adler rushes to the painting’s hiding place, exposing it to Holmes (Doyle 258). Unbeknownst to Holmes, Adler recognizes that the location of the painting is compromised and acts (Doyle 261). As a power move, Irene Adler passes Holmes in front of his apartment and wished Sherlock Holmes a goodnight (Doyle 259). The next morning, Holmes, Watson, and the King of Bohemia venture to Adler’s house (Doyle 260). They are greeted by a maid and are told that Holmes was expected (Doyle 260). To add to the shock of Holmes, he learns that Adler and her husband left for mainland Europe nearly three hours earlier (Doyle 260). Holmes is incredibly surprised by this development. So much so that he, “stagger\s back,” and exclaims, “\what!” (Doyle 260). Holmes was undoubtedly defeated by a woman.
Both Holmes and Adler recognize the importance of this exchange. In her farewell letter, Adler calls Holmes a, “formidable,” foe and, unlike the detectives of Scotland Yard and the constables of the streets, acknowledges the cunning and brilliance of Holmes (Doyle 261). He is so touched by this exchange that he turns down an emerald ring for the photograph of Irene “The Woman” Adler left as a memento (Doyle 262). As Watson explains years afterward, to Holmes, Adler, “eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex” (Doyle 239). Holmes bestows the title of “The Woman” to Irene Adler because she exemplifies the prime of all women. Not because of her exemplar beauty or for the distraction of love; rather, as an opponent in a battle of wits and as someone who appreciates Holmes’ brilliance.
Holmes does indeed change his view of Irene Adler as the case progresses. When Adler is introduced to Holmes by the King at the start of A Scandal in Bohemia, Holmes makes the dangerous assumption that Adler is just another Victorian woman and not an intellectual threat to him. Rather than making the safe assumption that Adler may be a worthy adversary when met with the details of the King of Bohemia’s previous attempts of recovering the photograph, Holmes concludes the King’s men must be incompetent. Since Holmes’ deductions depend on individuals acting in line with the collection of stereotypes in his memory palace, he severely underestimates the capabilities of Adler and conclusively loses in a battle of wits. In the end, Holmes recognizes Adler’s worthiness as a foe and respectfully bestows the honorary title of “The Woman” unto her.
All in all, Irene Adler breaks the mold as a woman living in Victorian England. Adler proves herself as a formidable opponent for Holmes and comes out on top. Despite Holmes’ grave miscalculations costing him the case, he ultimately recognizes Adler’s intelligence not just as a woman but as an opponent. To Holmes, Irene Adler shall forever be remembered as “The Woman,” exemplifying the best aspects of the female sex.
Works Cited
Doyle, Arthur Conan. “A Scandal in Bohemia.” Sherlock Holmes: the Complete Novels and Stories, by Arthur Conan Doyle, vol. 1, Bantam Books, 1986, pp. 240–263.
Hughes, Kathryn. “Gender Roles in the 19th Century.” The British Library, The British Library, 13 Feb. 2014, www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gender-roles-in-the-19th-century.