ABSTRACT
ABEL, YOSEPH OEDIPHUS. Defense Mechanism of Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016
Life is full of emotions and experiences. Those emotions and experiences are gathered in someone’s mind. Human’s mind is divided into two parts, which are consciousness and unconsciousness. The reason someone does a defense mechanisms lies in the unconsciousness in their mind. Defense mechanisms are forms of self-defense that help people avoid a cetain kind of event that threatens them or make them stressed. People must have something that they really want or a feeling about love, hatred or something that threatens them. Unfortunately, because of some reasons, for examples norms in the society and status of someone, they cannot get the thing they want or express their feeling. In order to avoid the unexpressed feeling or something that threatens them, people use defense mechanism. Even though defense mechanisms are psychological events in human, the defense mechanisms also can be seen too in the literary works.
There are two objectives in this study. The first objective is to find when Sherlock Holmes uses a defense mechanism. Thus, this study will reveal under what circumstances that Sherlock Holmes displays a defense mechanism. The second objective is to determine what type of defense mechanism used by Sherlock Holmes. The types of defense mechanism are classified based on Sigmund Freud’s idea about the types of defense mechanism.
The method of study of this undergraduate thesis is library research. The primary data are taken from Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories Volume I and the secondary data are taken form internet sources and some theories from books like Beginning Theory and Theories of Personality.
ABSTRAK
ABEL, YOSEPH OEDIPHUS. Defense Mechanism of Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016
Hidup penuh dengan emosi dan perasaan. Emosi dan perasaan tersebut berumpul di dalam benak manusia. Benak manusia dibagi menjadi 2 bagian, alam kesadaran dan alam bawah sadar. Alasan seseorang melakukan mekanisme pertahanan diri terdapat di alam bawah sadar mereka. Mekanisme pertahanan adalah bentuk perthanan diri yang membantu individu untuk menghindari hal –hal yang membuat mereka merasa terancam atau membuat mereka tertekan. Setiap orang pasti memilike sesuatu yang sangat mereka inginkan atau perasaan suka terhadap sesuatu, rasa tidak suka atau sesuatu yang membuat mereka merasa terancam atau tertekan. Sayangnya, karena beberapa alasan, seperti norma-norma sosial dan status seseorang, mereka tidak bisa mendapatkan apa yang mereka inginkan ataupun mengekspresikan perasaan mereka. Untuk menyembunyikan perasaan mereka tersebut atau bersembunyi dari hal-hal yang membuat mereka merasa tertekan, orang-orang melakukan sesuatu yang di dunia psikologi dikenal dengan mekanisme pertahanan. Meskipun mekanisme pertahanan adalah kejadian psikologi pada manusia, mekanisme pertahanan ini juga bisa dilihat pada karya sastra.
Ada dua tujuan dari studi ini. Tujuan yang pertama adalah menemukan kapan Sherlock Holmes menggunakan mekanisme pertahanan diri. Maka dari itu studi ini akan mengungkap dala situasi seperti apa Sherlock Holmes menunjukan mekanisme pertahanan diri. Tujuan yang kedua adalah menentukan jenis mekanisme pertahanan seperti apa yang digunakan oleh Sherlock Holmes. Tipe dari mekanisme pertahan dikelompokan sesuai denagn teori yang dikemukakan oleh sigmund freud.
Metode yang digunakan untuk studi ini adalah studi pustaka. Sumber utama diambil dari buku Sherlock Holmes:The Complete Novels and Stories Volume I dan sumber sekunder diambil dari sumber internet dan beberapa buku teori seperti Beginning Theory dan Theories of Personalities.
DEFENSE MECHANISM OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE
STORIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES BY SIR ARTHUR
CONAN DOYLE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
YOSEPH OEDIPHUS ABEL Student Number: 124214016
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
DEFENSE MECHANISM OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE
STORIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES BY SIR ARTHUR
CONAN DOYLE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
YOSEPH OEDIPHUS ABEL Student Number: 124214016
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
To a Great Mind, Nothing is Little
–
Sherlock Holmes
When you have eliminated the impossible,
whatever remains, however improbable,
must be the truth
–
Sherlock Holmes
There is nothing new under the sun. It
has all been done before
–
Sherlock Holmes
Who am I to judge
viii This page is dedicated for:
My parents,
Friends,
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, thank you God for the life and for everything that happened in my life.
Second of all, I would like to thank Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum who gave me a lot of help and very great advice in finishing this undergraduate thesis. Without his help I think I would not be able to finish this undergraduate thesis. I would like to also thank Dr. F.X. Siswadi M.A. who gave me a lot of advice on the detail that I missed. Their inputs have improved my undergraduate thesis and I am totally grateful for their guidance.
With this thesis I would like to say thank you to my parents that gave me a chance to go to college and encourage me to finish my study. Because of them, I am able to finish this undergraduate thesis. I hope I can return their favor by this undergraduate thesis
I am grateful to all of my friends too, Gatot, Satrio, Dryan, Doni, Sandy, Wibi, Mas Gigih, Cahyo, Mas adit, Gaby, Vania, Nityassa Sony, Dhany, especially Tjia who helped me a lot in the process of writing this undergraduate thesis and to all of my friends who I cannot mention one by one.
xi ABSTRACT
ABEL, YOSEPH OEDIPHUS. Defense Mechanism of Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016
Life is full of emotions and experiences. Those emotions and experiences are gathered in someone‘s mind. Human‘s mind is divided into two parts, which are consciousness and unconsciousness. The reason someone does a defense mechanisms lies in the unconsciousness in their mind. Defense mechanisms are forms of self-defense that help people avoid a cetain kind of event that threatens them or make them stressed. People must have something that they really want or a feeling about love, hatred or something that threatens them. Unfortunately, because of some reasons, for examples norms in the society and status of someone, they cannot get the thing they want or express their feeling. In order to avoid the unexpressed feeling or something that threatens them, people use defense mechanism. Even though defense mechanisms are psychological events in human, the defense mechanisms also can be seen too in the literary works.
There are two objectives in this study. The first objective is to find when Sherlock Holmes uses a defense mechanism. Thus, this study will reveal under what circumstances that Sherlock Holmes displays a defense mechanism. The second objective is to determine what type of defense mechanism used by Sherlock Holmes. The types of defense mechanism are classified based on Sigmund Freud‘s idea about the types of defense mechanism.
The method of study of this undergraduate thesis is library research. The primary data are taken from Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories Volume I and the secondary data are taken form internet sources and some theories from books like Beginning Theory and Theories of Personality.
xii ABSTRAK
ABEL, YOSEPH OEDIPHUS. Defense Mechanism of Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016
Hidup penuh dengan emosi dan perasaan. Emosi dan perasaan tersebut berumpul di dalam benak manusia. Benak manusia dibagi menjadi 2 bagian, alam kesadaran dan alam bawah sadar. Alasan seseorang melakukan mekanisme pertahanan diri terdapat di alam bawah sadar mereka. Mekanisme pertahanan adalah bentuk perthanan diri yang membantu individu untuk menghindari hal –hal yang membuat mereka merasa terancam atau membuat mereka tertekan. Setiap orang pasti memilike sesuatu yang sangat mereka inginkan atau perasaan suka terhadap sesuatu, rasa tidak suka atau sesuatu yang membuat mereka merasa terancam atau tertekan. Sayangnya, karena beberapa alasan, seperti norma-norma sosial dan status seseorang, mereka tidak bisa mendapatkan apa yang mereka inginkan ataupun mengekspresikan perasaan mereka. Untuk menyembunyikan perasaan mereka tersebut atau bersembunyi dari hal-hal yang membuat mereka merasa tertekan, orang-orang melakukan sesuatu yang di dunia psikologi dikenal dengan mekanisme pertahanan. Meskipun mekanisme pertahanan adalah kejadian psikologi pada manusia, mekanisme pertahanan ini juga bisa dilihat pada karya sastra.
Ada dua tujuan dari studi ini. Tujuan yang pertama adalah menemukan kapan Sherlock Holmes menggunakan mekanisme pertahanan diri. Maka dari itu studi ini akan mengungkap dala situasi seperti apa Sherlock Holmes menunjukan mekanisme pertahanan diri. Tujuan yang kedua adalah menentukan jenis mekanisme pertahanan seperti apa yang digunakan oleh Sherlock Holmes. Tipe dari mekanisme pertahan dikelompokan sesuai denagn teori yang dikemukakan oleh sigmund freud.
Metode yang digunakan untuk studi ini adalah studi pustaka. Sumber utama diambil dari buku Sherlock Holmes:The Complete Novels and Stories Volume I dan sumber sekunder diambil dari sumber internet dan beberapa buku teori seperti Beginning Theory dan Theories of Personalities.
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Life is full of emotions and experiences. Those emotions and experiences could be good or bad and those emotions and experiences are gathered in the human mind. In supporting the point, Ryan states that ―The life of the mind is a mixture of cognition and emotion, conscious awareness and unconscious awareness, rational and self-directed behavior and instinct –driven action (2012: 43).‖
Unconsciously, everyone must have something that makes them feel threatened. Deep down, everyone must have something that they really want and in some conditions, because of some reasons they cannot have the things that they really want or they have an unexpressed feeling due to the society‘s construction that prevents them from expressing it, and they have no choice but to repress their feelings. As stated by Michael Billig ―Freud believed that people repress, or drive from their unconscious minds, shameful thoughts that, then, become unconscious (1999: 1).‖ Michael Ryan also said more or less the same thing
him/her to express their feelings. Like the reasons why someone feels threatened, things that threaten them also could be anything. It could be about love, about fear, or about hatred.
The concern about this thesis is the defense mechanisms that Sherlock Holmes does to himself and his relationship to another people. Since in the elementary school people taught that humans are social being. It means that humans cannot live without another human being, thus people need each other is presence in life. For example, students need teachers to teach them about something that they might need or useful for them in the future. On the other side, teachers also need the student so they have a job to get some money to fulfill their needs. Humans will have an interaction with other humans in order to communicate what their needs in life. Through that interaction and communication, a relationship can be constructed, for example: friendship, partnership, or love relationship.
Since it is human nature that needs other human being to live, there is quite impossible for humans to against their nature so they do some defense mechanisms their feelings. It can be because they are shy or maybe it is because of the demand of their job. The feelings that are repressed also can be anything. For examples, hatred, love or hobby.
In this undergraduate thesis, the object that is discussed is the main character named Sherlock Holmes in all Sherlock Holmes stories that written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes is chosen as the character that is analyzed because in some movies and TV series, he is described as an anti-social person. He does not like to have an interaction with other people if it the interaction is not related to his case.
Defense mechanisms are the main foci of this study. To find what defense mechanisms that Sherlock Holmes does in the stories are, The writer had to find Sherlock Holmes‘ unusual action.
B. Problem Formulation
Questions that are going to be answered in this study are:
1. Under what circumstances does Sherlock Holmes use his defense mechanisms?
2. What kind of defense mechanism does Sherlock Holmes use?
C. Objectives of the Study
Sherlock Holmes has some defense mechanisms. The concern of this study is to find Sherlock Holmes‘ defense mechanisms. The main concern of this study
became a foundation of the problem formulations, which were answered in this study.
the first characteristic of defense mechanisms. Every kind of defense mechanisms begin with a denial, it is one of the characteristics. Finding Sherlock Holmes‘
denial means looking for when Sherlock Holmes uses defense mechanism. Denial is just like the first step of defense mechanisms. So, it is important to find Sherlock Holmes‘ denial in the first place.
After Sherlock Holmes‘ denial is found, second question is to classify Sherlock Holmes‘ act, what kind of defense mechanism it is. It will be done by
matching the Sherlock Holmes‘ act to the characteristics of each kind of defense
mechanisms.
D. Definition of Terms
Defense Mechanisms here are the idea proposed by Sigmund Freud where people defend themselves from the event that makes them feel threatened.
We use defense mechanisms to protect ourselves from feelings of anxiety or guilt, which arise because we feel threatened, or because our id or superego becomes too demanding. They are not under our conscious control, and are non-voluntaristic. With the ego, our unconscious will use one or more to protect us when we come up against a stressful situation in life (Mcleod, 2009).
Consciousness is the part of our mind that takes role on our act toward something in everyday life. It is simply known as thoughts that a person wants to do something. As stated by Ryan, ―Refer to your awareness of yourself and of the world –your ―thought process‖ as you move through any day (2012: 45).‖
6 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE A. Review of Related Studies
Another researcher that analyzes Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is Christopher Redmond. In his book, In Bed with Sherlock Holmes, he tries to analyze the romantic elements in Sherlock Holmes stories. Sherlock Holmes stories here mean the four novels and the fifty six short stories.
The object to be analyzed in his book In Bed with Sherlock Holmes is not only the main character, which is Sherlock Holmes, but also other characters like Watson and the detectives from Scotland Yard. The concerns of his study are the romance and sex that exist in Sherlock Holmes stories.
Christopher Redmond states that the stories about Sherlock Holmes are not just a detective story.
There is something that readers do not realize. Sherlock Holmes stories are not just contained with adventure and mystery, but also romance and sex. Readers simply do not look for sex and romance in the Sherlock Holmes tales; but they are there, and though boys may not benefit for them, they are an important source of the richness that keeps adult readers coming back to Sherlock Holmes (Redmond, 1984:10).
In the early part of the book Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes addiction to cocaine. His bad habit of using cocaine relapses whenever he does not have any case to be solved. Watson is not very happy about Sherlock Holmes‘ addiction and lectures him.
cocaine. ―He (Dr. Watson) is nagging Holmes rather as a wife would do about his
drug-taking. (Redmond, 1984:39)‖
Redmond also writes about romance between Dr. John Watson and Ms. Mary Morstan. Ms. Morstan was telling Dr. Watson to stay in the room and saying that the presence of Dr. Watson will be helping her. Redmond said that by saying those words, Ms. Morstan is showing her interest to Dr. Watson. So does Dr. Watson too, he has the same feeling towards Ms. Morstan. He said so because Dr. Watson is portrayed as the man of the word and try to show off in the rest of the story to get Ms. Morstan‘s attention.
Different from Christopher Redmond, E. J. Wagner tries to find the scientific things in Sherlock Holmes stories and the inspiration of stories in Sherlock Holmes, his book titled The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of fear, the Real Forensics behind the Greatest Detective’s Greatest Cases.
E. J. Wagner said that where Sherlock Holmes investigates a case in which the victim was killed by poison, ―The Adventure of the Speckled Band,‖ is also found in the real world. Almost similar to Sherlock Holmes‘ case where the victim was killed using poison from animal, a woman was also found dead in her house because of poisoned. Police didn‘t know the cause of her death, They just found tiny hypodermic mark on her. Later on, police found out that Kenneth killed his wife by injecting insulin to her. Injecting insulin to a person that is not a diabetic could kill her.
a diabetic, therefore injecting her with a large dose of insulin would result in fatal hypoglycemic shock. There was no precedent murder by insulin, no accepted test. (Wagner, 2006: 45)
Wagner also states that the way Sherlock Holmes observes a crime scene in the novel A Study in Scarlet is similar to what Hans Gross, a brilliant professor of criminology from Vienna that made a standards for investigating. The time Hans Gross made the standards was about the same with the time when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Sherlock Holmes.
From Dr. Watson‘s description about Sherlock Holmes when Holmes observes a crime scene in the novel A Study in Scarlet, Wagner said that Holmes is very concentrateting to the scene and had so much detail, ―When examining the scene of crime, Sherlock Holmes exhibits an amazing of intensity of concentration and passion for detail (Wagner, 2006: 76).‖ It is similar to Hans Gross,
Gross believed you must have strictly accurate and complete data before reaching a conclusion. To this end, he required that at crime scene, the investigator keep in mind that anything and everything may be of importance. He stressed that absolutely nothing is too small to have a bearing on the case. (Wagner, 2006: 77)
Sherlock Holmes in the stories is always described as a strict and conscientious person, and also he is not really good in relation with other person in the story. Karl Albrecht Ph. D sees Sherlock Holmes‘ actions as a symptom of
mental disorder named Asperger syndrome. He sees three main characteristics of Sherlock Holmes that makes him think like that, those are Holmes‘ observation skills, his memory, and his ability in making a deduction.
him with what‘s now known as Asperger (or Asperger‘s) Syndrome. (Albrecht, 2011)
He also explains how Sherlock Holmes gets that syndrome that the idea of that syndrome came up at 1944 and the stories of Sherlock Holmes was published long time before that. He said that it is a part of characterization, where it is ―the art of elaborating the psychological make-up of a person as a distinct, recognizable, and believable personality (Albrecht, 2011)‖ and he said that Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired by someone, which is Joseph Bell, his old university professor.
And, he probably had a very useful role model, in his old university professor Joseph Bell. Conan Doyle reportedly wrote to Bell, "It is most certainly to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes. Round the centre of deduction and inference and observation which I have heard you inculcate I have tried to build up a man." The wikipedia.org biography for Conan Doyle indicates that his old school mate Robert Louis Stevenson immediately recognized Bell as the character model for Holmes, as he read the stories in faraway Samoa. (Albrecht, 2011)
Leslie Klinger, the editor of the most comprehensive annotated version of the Sherlock Holmes stories, also said the same thing. As Lisa Sanders had wrote, Klinger was saying that Sherlock Holmes has mild form of autism, ―Others, Klinger adds, have suggested that Sherlock Holmes may have had a mild form of autism, commonly known as Asperger‘s syndrome (Sanders, 2009).‖ The
characteristics of Asperger‘s syndrome are problems with social interaction and intense focus on only one topic or object. ―He described four bright and articulate
Those statements are strengthened by Ami Klin, a director of autism program at the Yale Child Study Center, that states a basic thing that defines autism as a condition where a person is having a difficulty to understand about other people and to socialize. ―the fundamental quality that defines all forms of autism is ―mind-blindness‖: difficulty in understanding what others feel or think and thus in forming relationships (Sanders, 2009).‖
Lisa Sanders said that all those symptoms are shown by Sherlock Holmes in the stories. She said that when Sherlock Holmes is interacting whith another person, he often show rudeness, even to his closest friend Dr. Watson.
In Conan Doyle‘s portrayal, Sherlock Holmes at times exhibits all of these qualities. His interactions with others are often direct to the point of rudeness. And even when Holmes is speaking to Watson, his closest friend, his compliments are often closer to a rebuke. In ―The Hound of the Baskervilles,‖ when Watson, pleased with his own detective abilities, reports to Holmes the results of his investigation, Holmes tells him that he isn‘t a source of light but a conductor of light, a mere aid in solving mysteries only Holmes himself can untangle. (Sanders, 2009)
The statement above proves that Sherlock Holmes does not know what other people feels, and make him difficult to gain any friend.
She also states that Holmes was also showing intense focus on a strange object and he has a very detailed knowledge about that. Sherlock Holmes has very detailed knowledge about cigar that does not seem to be a common thing to know about. Sanders says that it is proving about what Asperger called as ―autistic intelligence.‖ It is a condition where people are able to see something from a very
different perspective.
called ―autistic intelligence‖ — an ability to see the world from a very different perspective than most people, often by focusing on details overlooked by others. (Sanders, 2009)
Different from them, this study is focused on the defense mechanisms of Sherlock Holmes that ―protect‖ him from the things that threaten him. This study
focuses on when the defense mechanisms of Sherlock Holmes shows up and categorizing his actions into what types of defense mechanisms those are. The analysis is based on Sherlock Holmes‘s action.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Defense Mechanisms
According to Peter Barry, psychoanalisis is a form of therapy used by a psychologist to cure his/her patient‘s problems. The method is to make the patient
talk freely so, the repressed feeling that causes trouble comes up in conscious mind and can be cured.
Psychoanalysis itself is a form of therapy which aims to cure mental disorders ‗by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in mind‘ (as the Concise Oxford Dictionary puts it) (Barry, 2002: 98)
Psychoanalysis is proposed by Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis is more concerned about the development of human‘s mind. For this study, the concepts in
psychoanalytic theories that will be used are about defense mechanisms.
Defense mechanisms are a form of defense that protect people from an event that threaten them because of traumatic event in the past, unwanted desire or shameful thought that they have. It is a normal thing actually, but under an excessive anxiety, our mind can take an ―extreme way‖ to dismiss the threat. It can become more extreme and lead to other effects, like compulsive, repetitive and neurotic behavior. ―although defense mechanisms are normal and universally
used, whenever carried to an extreme they lead to compulsive, repetitive and neurotic behavior. (Feist, 2006:34).‖ Type of Defense Mechanisms are repression, reaction formation, displacement, fixation, regression, projection, introjection, and sublimation.
Repression
It is the most basic defense mechanism because it‘s related to other defense mechanism. Its job is to push all unwanted feelings such as unadmitted desires, shameful thoughts, and traumatic events in the past into realm of unconsciousness. ―whenever ego is threatened by undesireable id impulse, it
protects itself by repressing those mpulses; that is, it forces threatening feelings into the unconscious (Freud, 1926/1959a) (Feist, 2006:35).‖ It is keeping the
The Beginning Theory, he stated that repression is ―‗forgetting‘ or ignoring unresolved conflicts, unadmitted desire, or traumatic past event, so that problems forced out of unconscious awareness and kept in the realm of unconscious (Barry, 2002:96).‖
Reaction Formation
It is one of defense mechanisms that where a repressed feeling is realized in the opposite of what has been repressed, the way that it is realized is not usual, and sometimes it is done too much. As stated by Feist, ―One of the ways in which a repressed impulse may become conscious is through adopting a disguise that is directly opposite its original form (2006: 35).‖ For example, when a poor boy that
falls in love with the richest girl in campus, but he represses that feeling because her friend will mock him because he is dreaming too much, then to avoid this painful event, the unconscious concentrate on the opposite act which is hatred so he can forget the feelings.
Displacement
Displacement is more or less similar to reaction formation. In reaction formation, it is limited towards the thing that makes them repress their feeling. While in displacement, the subject that a person drives his repressed feeling to could be different. ―In displacement, however people can redirect their
his coworker, or even a pillow. The person keeps loving his father but the way he loves his father will not be excessive like in reaction formation, it displacement the love will be as usual.
Fixation
Taking a new step in life sometimes is not easy. It can be stressful for some people, and when it is too stressful to them, fixation happens. Fixation is like a time when people are stuck temporarily or even permanent when they have to take the new step in their life. ―When the prospect of taking the next step
becomes too anxiety provoking, the ego may resort to the strategy of remaining at the present, more comfortable psychological stage. Such a defense called fixation. (Feist, 2006: 36).‖ For example when a kid is going to elementary school for the
first time, he has too many worries, then he asks his mother to be close to him during school time. It can make him always depend to his parents and keep him away from learning to be independent.
Regression
Regression is related to the fixation. It is the time when someone has already passed the fixation process and he faces a stressful event that is excessive for him. When he faces that kind of event, he tends to get back to the earlier stage, the fixation stage. ―Once the libido has passed a developmental stage, it may,
during times of stress and anxiety, revert back to the earlier stage. Such a reversion is known as regression (Feist, 2006: 36).‖ What people do in regression
a stressful event, that is excessive to him. He will go to his parents‘ house to run from the problem.
Projection
Projection is an act to reduce threatening event by relating the threatening feeling to something. It is like a person diverts his unwanted feeling that lies in the unconscious to something else. ―When an internal impulse provokes too much
anxiety, the ego may reduce anxiety by attributing the unwanted impulse to an external object, usually another person. This is the defense mechanism of projection (Feist, 2006: 37).‖ For example when a person does not like his
parents, instead of saying he hates his parents, he says that his parents hates him. Introjection
It is a defense mechanism where a person does not feel good about himself, so he is ―imitating‖ positive things from someone else to make him feel
better, more confident about himself. ―Introjection is a defense mechanism whereby people incorporate positive qualities of another person into their own ego (Feist, 2006: 37).‖ The person that they imitate could be anyone, like their parents,
idol, or friends. For example a man that imitates style from a movie star, or their father‘s leadership
Sublimation
substituting a cultural or social aim (Feist, 2006: 38).‖ Here, in sublimation, what is repressed is expressed in a way that is more acceptable in the society.
The reason why someone does a defense mechanism to something is based on what is in his unconsciousness are. The unconsciousness itself is an uncontrolled part of our mind. It is the place where we unconsciously put our secret desires, unpleasant feelings, or shameful thoughts that we have. As Ryan stares,
We all have unconscious, a realm from which feelings well up or thoughts emerge unexpectedly. It is a part of ―us‖ but we do not control its operations. Psychoanalysts believe it is where banished feelings, desires, and thoughts go that our conscious mind or ego cannot accept for one reason or another (personal history, social preasures, cultural norms, etc.) (2012: 43-44).
Unconscious realm itself cannot be accessed by consciousness. Even though cannot be accessed by consciousness, sometimes unconsciousness is the reason behind our unintended action towards something. As stated, ―To him (Sigmund Freud) the unconscious is the explanation for the meaning behind dream, slip of the tongue, and certain kinds of forgetting, called repression (Feist, 2006: 24)
In order to understand a defense mechanisms there are usually ―sign‖ that
someone uses a defense mechanisms. There are denial and parapraxis. The denial and parapraxis can be used to analyzed someone‘s unusual action. Like, their
action is contradictive to their words.
thought out of consciousness and enter to the realm of unconscious. As stated by Mcleod ―Denial involves blocking external events from awareness. If some situation is just too much to handle, the person just refuses to experience it (2009).‖ It is like when a boy who is attracted to a girl, but because of some reasons like the girl is too beautiful or too rich for him, he feels ashamed to introduce himself to her. When his friend asked him whether is he likes her or not, he says no. The answer that he gives is a denial. He actually likes her but he denies that feeling, and when he denies that feeling, unconsciously the feelings are brought into unconscious mind that result into a repression.
Parapraxis, it is also a psychological term which means an unintended action that caused by repressed material. It is where the repression/repressed feeling found its way out of unconsciousness into reality and is not realized by the person who represses the feeling. As Barry states, ―whereby repressed material in unconscious finds an outlet through such everyday phenomena as slip of the tongue, slips of the pen, or unintended action (2002: 98).‖
2. Mistery Genre
Detective story is one of sub-genre of mystery genre. This type of genre is usually about crime and the process of solving the crime. The ―puzzle‖ in the story is usually very hard to be solved, lack of clues and require someone special to solve it using the most acceptable logical reason. The detective is the only one who has different perspective to something that happened. As Encyclopædia Britannica say in its article,
The traditional elements of the detective story are: (1) the seemingly perfect crime; (2) the wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial evidence points; (3) the bungling of dim-witted police; (4) the greater powers of observation and superior mind of the detective; and (5) the startling and unexpected denouement, in which the detective reveals how the identity of the culprit was ascertained. (2016)
Sometimes there are detective stories that put a supernatural conflict in the stories, but still, the way the detective solves the case uses rational reasoning. It reveals the supernatural even using logic. Usually the supernatural event turns out just made by people.
The defense mechanisms theories are meant to be used to a person. Those theories can be used to analyze a character in a literary work too since the author put human aspects into the character that he made.
Characters are the person represented in dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as possessing particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways of saying it –the dialogue –and from what they do –the action (Abrams, 2005: 46).
C. Theoretical Framework
The theories that are used here are denial and parapraxis. The denial is used to determine what feelings that threatened Sherlock Holmes and when it happened. It is used because denial is the characteristic of defense mechanisms. The way that the writer finds his denial is by seeing and analyzing Sherlock Holmes‘ actions and statements. Whenever he does something unusual, the writer
marks his action. Unusual here means could be mean contradictive to human nature. Therefore, whenever he did something unusual, there was a big chance that he tried to repress something. The parapraxis is also used in this study to help the writer in finding things that threatened Sherlock Holmes in the story. It is because Freud believes that parapraxes are the reason behind everyone‘s
unintended action and it reveals the unconscious realm of someone.
20 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
Sherlock Holmes is one of many famous detective stories. It was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at late 19th. The first story of Sherlock Holmes was published in 1887, titled Study in Scarlett and then followed by the second book titled Sign of Four that was published in 1890.
In the first book, Study in Scarlett, it is about how Dr. Watson met Sherlock Holmes and about their first case together, which is about a murder crime. In the second book, Sign of Four, it is about finding a lost treasure that also involed a murder crime.
After the first two novels, the story of Sherlock Holmes became popular. In 1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the first short story of Sherlock Holmes titled ―Scandal in Bohemia‖ and published it at The Strand Magazine. It was followed
by 11 others short stories and finished in 1892. Then, it was published in one book titled The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes. After it was published, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle still published short stories of Sherlock Holmes in The Strand Magazine until 1893 and published in a book titled The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Then, he ―killed‖ Sherlock Holmes.
objects are novels and short stories there are still a relation to each other that connect the stories.
He ―killed‖ Sherlock Holmes in the short story titled ―The Final Problem.‖
The reason he killed Sherlock Holmes is that he wanted to devote his time in making historical novel. The public was giving a strong reaction that time, asking Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to bring back Sherlock Holmes. After eight years, he finally wrote about Sherlock Holmes in a novel titled The Hound of Baskervilles (1901), The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905), Valley of Fear (a novel) (1915), His Last Bow (a short stories compilation) (1917), and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (a short stories compilation) (1927).
The stories of Sherlock Holmes had been made into a lot of films since his first appearance in 1887. Some newest Sherlock Holmes films are Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011) that is played by Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and a TV series titled Sherlock Holmes is played by Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes that aired in 2010 (first season), 2012 (second season), and 2014 (the third season). Because of that, Sherlock Holmes, fictional story made by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is awarded a world record as most portrayed literary human character in film and TV, 254 times.
In brief, Sherlock Holmes is a detective consultant. He lives in a lodge house, 221B Baker Street. He shares the lodge with Dr. John Watson, who later become Holmes‘ assistant and the one who writes the story of Sherlock Holmes
point of view, though a few stories are written from Holmes‘ point of view and third person‘s point of view).
He got his cases from 3 kinds of sources, given by civilians that come to him asking for help, some are private detectives and second source is from government, like Scotland Yard‘s detectives like Gregson, Anderson, and Lestrade. Even sometimes he got a case from his brother, Mycroft Holmes.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach that is going to be used in this study is psychoanalytic approach. Psychoanalytic approach is a form of literary criticism that uses the techniques in psychology in order to interpret or analyze a literary work. ―Psychoanalytic criticism is a form of literary criticism which uses some of the
techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature (Barry, 2002: 96).‖ This approach is using some of the techniques in psychology to interpret, criticize, or analyze a literary work. The aim in psychoanalytic approach is to understand the aspects of human mind in the literary work, or in this case is to understand the character‘s behavior and ―the reason‖ behind his action. In real life, the basic
explicitly but does through images, symbols, emblems, and metaphors (Barry, 2002: 102).‖
C. Method of the Study
The object that was studied in this study was the main character of Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which was Sherlock Holmes. Therefore, to support this study, the writer conducted a library research.
The primary sources of this study were taken from the compilation of Sherlock Holmes stories entitled Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories Volume I. For secondary sources the writer used internet sources and some theories from books like Beginning Theory and Theories of Personality.
In order to find Sherlock Holmes‘ defense mechanisms, the writer did the
following steps.
Firstly, the writer read to understand the theory of defense mechanisms. The writer did that in order to understand the characteristic of defense mechanisms. It helped the writer to find Sherlock Holmes‘ defense mechanisms easily.
Secondly, the writer read Sherlock Holmes stories and searched for Sherlock‘s unusual act. If the writer found an unusual act from Sherlock Holmes,
25
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
A. The Emergence of the Defense Mechanisms
Sherlock Holmes shows a defense mechanism for the first time in the novel Study in Scarlet. It happens when Sherlock Holmes is explaining the way he analyzed Dr. Watson and knew that he just came back from Afghanistan. Dr. Watson was amazed that Sherlock Holmes knew that he just came back from Afghanistan, after knowing the way Holmes knew that he just came back from Afghanistan, he said that it‘s quite simple after all. Dr. Watson said that it reminds him of a detective in the story by Edgar Allan Poe. ――You remind me of Edgar
Allan Poe‘s Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals did exist outside of
stories.‖ (Doyle, 1986:18).‖ It turns out Sherlock Holmes shows a reaction that he is not pleased with that and mocking Dupin‘s behavior.
Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. ―No doubt you think that you are complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin,‖ he observed. ―Now, in my opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow. That trick of his of breaking in on his friends‘ thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of an hour‘s silence is very showy and superficial. He had some analytical genius, no doubt; but he was by no means such a phenomenon as Poe appeared to imagine.‖(Doyle, 1986:18)
Almost same attitude is also showed by Sherlock Holmes when Watson is asking about Lecoq
―Have you read Gaboriau‘s works?‖ I asked. ―Does Lecoq come up to your idea of a detective?‖
was his energy. That book made me positively ill. The question was how to identify an unknown prisoner. I could done it in twenty-four hours. Lecoq took six months or so. It might be made a textbook for detectives to teach them what to avoid.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 19)
From the word by Dr. Watson, there is no intention at all that Watson is mocking Sherlock Holmes. He was just saying that he was recalled about Dupin and asking whether Holmes was inspired by Lecoq or not. Even though Sherlock Holmes did not seem to be like those two detectives, he had one or two things that he had learned from them, those were Lecoq‘s spirit and acknowledge that Dupin
is a genius in analizing something.
In the next paragraph, Sherlock Holmes was angry to the condition that happened. He had no case to be solved. There was no unique, strange or difficult case that came to him to be solved. He hated that condition, because he had nothing to do.
―There are no crimes and no criminals in these days,‖ he said querulously. ―What is hte use of having brains in our proffesion? I know well that I have it in me to make my name famous. No man lives or has ever lived who has brought the same amount of study and of natural talent to the the detection of crime which I have done. And what is the result? There is nocrie to detect, or at most, some bungling villainy with a motive so transparent that even scotland yard official can see through it.‖ (Doyle, 1986:19)
That paragraph reveals why Sherlock Holmes was easly angered to Watson‘s
Besides Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes redirects his hatred when he has no case to something else, to drugs. Sherlock Holmes‘ addiction to drugs is told by Dr. Watson in the novel entitled The Sign of Four. They both have a debate about Holmes‘ addiction. As a doctor, Watson was against Holmes‘ addiction because it
was destructive to the body. On the other side, Holmes liked the effect of the drugs.
Dr. Watson saw Sherlock Holmes was using drug by injecting it to him. And it was not the first Sherlock Holmes does that. It was the third time Watson saw him did that. Watson did not have enough courage to protest to Sherlock Holmes about his bad behavior before. But, Watson could not tolerate what Sherlock Holmes was doing, and threw a complaint to him. Sherlock Holmes was not really listening to what Watson had said. He said that the drugs brought him a good effect. He said that the drugs helped him clarified his mind, so he ignored the bad effect of the drugs that he had been used because he thought that it was more benefical to him. Even though Dr. Watson had told him all the bad effect again, he still did not care about it. Only a case that could stop him doing his drugs addiction.
―My mind,‖ he said, ―rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulant. But abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world. (Doyle, 1986: 123-124)
drug as a protest against the monotony of existence when cases were scanty and the papers uninteresting (Doyle, 1986: 547).‖
The action of when Sherlock Holmes was angry to Dr. Watson and uses his drug are a defense mechanism of Sherlock Holmes when he did not have any case at all. To Sherlock Holmes, having no case at all was a stressful event. So, he showed a defense mechanism to reduce it.
In the Study in Scarlett, Sherlock Holmes shows a defense mechanism toward another thing. It happened when Watson gave him a compliment after he explained how did he know that Watson just came back from Afghanistan. He said that his ability was just a normal thing, but his expression showed the opposite. According to Watson, Sherlock Holmes seems like he was flattered.
―Wonderful!‖ I ejaculated
―Commonplace,‖ said Holmes, tough I thought from his expression that he was pleased at my evident surprise and admiration. (Doyle, 1986:21) When Sherlock Holmes said ―commonplace‖ in the first time, Watson was
complimenting him is a denial. He tried to deny his feeling, a feeling that he liked to be complimented. Usually, when people got a compliment from other people, he would say ―thank you,‖ but not him. Even though he tried to deny that feeling,
it did not fully succeed. When someone complimented him, his expression could not hide the pleasure of being complimented.
A strange attitude was also shown by Sherlock Holmes in the same book when he ignored the case that he waits. The reason was only because after the case, only Scotland Yard detectives that will get the credits
all the credit. That comes of being an unofficial personage. (Doyle, 1986:22)
In the end, he took the case after all.
Sherlock Holmes also refused to answer Watson‘s questions because he
was affraid that Watson would say that turned out his method was just an ordinary way after all. Yet, when Watson complimented him, Holmes showed an expression that he likd the compliment.
You know a conjurer gets no credit when once he has explained his trick; and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all.‖
―I shall never do that,‖ I answered; ―you have brought detection as near an exact science as it ever will be brought in this world.‖
My companion flushed up with pleasure at my words, and the
Sherlock Holmes showed a disappointment when Watson did not give him a compliment. It was in the short story entitled ―The Stock-broker‘s Clerk.‖
Sherlock Holmes was explaining how he knew that Watson had just been recovered from from his unwell condition. But here, Watson did not give him a compliment, he thought that turns out it was so simple after all.
Like all Holme‘s reasoning the thing seemed simplicity itself when it was once explained. He read the thought upon my features, and his smile had a tinge of bitterness.
It is like what Sherlock Holmes had said in the novel A Study in Scarlett ―if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all (Doyle, 1986:33).‖ When he knew that Dr. Watson thinks, he seems disapointed. He thought that it is not special enough to impresses someone and gains a compliment. Here, Sherlock Holmes showed his displeasure when he did not get a compliment. This displeasure indicates that Sherlock Holmes‘ desire to be complimented.
When Sherlock Holmes refused to take the case just because the only party that got the credit was Scotland Yard‘s detectives, he was indirectly saying that he was the only one that should get the credit. It is because deep in his unconscious mind, he wanted a credit, a compliment from other people.
Sherlock Holmes also indirectly stated the same thing when he refused to answer Dr. Watson‘s questions just because he was afraid that Watson would say
his method was just an ordinary method. The truth from the sentence is that he did not like it when his ability was not acknowledged by other people. He wanted people to see him as extraordinary person.
There is one time when Sherlock Holmes tried to be a humble person when someone threw him a compliment about his work. It is in the short story titled ―The Five Orange Pips.‖ A client, John Openshaw, came to him to get some
―I have heard of you Mr. Holmes. I heard from Major Prendergast how you saved him in the Tankerville Club scandal.‖
―Ah, of course. He was wrongfully accused of cheating at cards.‖ ―He said that you could solve anything.‖
―He said too much.‖
―That you are never beaten.‖
―I have been beaten four times—three times by men, and once by a woman.‖
―But what is that compared with the number of your successes?‖ ―It is true that I have been generally successful.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 333)
At first, Sherlock Holmes tried to repress his proudness that was caused by Mr. Openshaw‘s compliment. Receiving more compliment from Mr. Openshaw,
Sherlock Holmes could not hide his feeling that he liked the compliment. This time, Sherlock Holmes did not show a flattered face like before, but from his words, it was indicating that he was proud of the compliment given by Mr. John Openshaw.
―I confess,‖ said I, ―that I do not quite follow you.‖
inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning backward or analytically.‖ ―I understand,‖ said I.
―Now this was a case which you were given a result and had to everything else for yourself. Now let me endeavor to show you the steps in my reasoning…..‖ (Doyle, 1986: 116)
Usually, people will automatically explain when someone do not understand about something, but when someone already understand, he will stop explaining or maybe asking whether there is another thing that he still not understand or not. Here, when Dr. Watson said that he understood, Sherlock Holmes did not stop. He kept explaining about the case. This is kind of an unintended action indicating he wanted to show off so he could get a compliment from Watson.
After finished explaining, he really got a compliment from Watson. Even Watson offered him to write the story, and Holmes did not deny it.
―It is wonderful!‖ I cried. ―Your merits should be publicly recognized. You should publish an account of the case. If you want, I will for you.‖ ―You may do what you like, doctor,‖ he answered. (Doyle, 1986: 119)
For a detective, becoming famous or known by a lot of people was actually not beneficial to him. Someone who hated him could easily plot a revenge, his enemy would hide from him, or someone who knew his method would cheat him and led him to a wrong direction. Of course Sherlock Holmes would get a compliment or an acknowledgement from other people, but it also made him and his job endangered. Sherlock Holmes even recomended Watson to write about his first case. It was about Sherlock Holmes‘ first case that made him
decide to be a detective. It is in the short story titled ―The Musgrave Ritual.‖ ―I
it which make it quiete unique in the criminals records of this or, I believe, of any other country (Doyle, 1986: 606).‖
Sherlock Holmes denied that he liked an acknowledgement, credit, or compliment in the second book, titled Sign of Four. Again, he showed a denial that he did not need a credit from the cases that he solved, he took the case just for entertaining himself, like a hobby. Sherlock Holmes said ―I claim no credit in such cases. My name figures in no newspaper. The work itself, the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar power, is my highest reward (Doyle, 1986: 124).‖
Based on what has been analyzed before, it is contradictive to what he has done before, when he was like showing his ability to Watson to get a compliment or letting Watson publish the story about him. Based on that and his expression when he is complimented, it indicates that he likes being complimented, that sentence is just a denial.
Even though he said that he did not need a compliment for his works, in the same novel, Sign of Four, he was showing off again, this time it was about his ability in disguise. Sherlock Holmes was disguised as an old man in the story for investigating a case, but when he was home, he did not take off his ―mask.‖ It made Watson did not recognize him, but saw him as stranger.
That was what Watson and Athelney Jones, a police detective, see when Sherlock Holmes comes in without taking off his disguise. They even had a debate with the old man (Sherlock Holmes), when the old man(Sherlock Holmes) said that he had an information about the case and wanted to give the information to Sherlock Holmes only and insisted to leave because Holmes is not there, but Watson and Athelney Jones hold him.
He finally unmasks himself when Dr. Watson and Athelney Jones light up their cigars. They were so surprised.
He came across sullenly enough and seated himself with his face resting on his hands. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk. Suddenly, however, Holmes‘s voices broke in upon us.
―I think that you might offer me a cigar too,‖ he said
We both started in our chairs. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an air of quiet amusement. (Doyle, 1986: 195)
Even Mr. Athelney Jones gave him a compliment, ――you would have made an actor and a rare one. You had the proper workhouse cough, and those weak legs of yours are worth ten pound a week.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 196).‖ That is Athelney Jones
compliment about how good Sherlock Holmes disguise is.
What Mr. Athelney Jones did was the thing Sherlock Holmes wanted, a compliment. Sherlock Holmes was in the case which was not solved yet. Instead of unmasking himself and talks to Watson and Jones how he was going to solve the case, he is show off in front of Watson and Jones. Sherlock Holmes did that to draw Watson and Athelney Jones‘ attention and receive a compliment from them,
or at least one of them.
The cause that the feeling unconsciously buried in Sherlock Holmes unconscious mind can be caused by never getting a compliment before, even though he wants it. So, he gives it up. Maybe he thinks that there‘s no way that he can get a compliment, he has no friend to compliment him, and he works alone.
In the Sign of Four, Sherlock Holmes threw a protest on Watson‘s story about their adventure. It wass a story after Dr. Watson publishing his first case that discussed above. Sherlock Holmes was saying that he did not like Watson‘s work because he put romanticism in the story. Holmes said, that his method was like a science work, should not be mixed with romanticism.
―Honestly, I cannot congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge with romanticism, which produce much of the same effect if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 125)
Even though Watson said that there is a romance in that case, Sherlock Holmes kept arguing that it is should be pressed and focused on the way he solved the case.
―Some facts should be suppressed, or, at least, just a sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. The only point in the case which deserved mentioned was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to cause, by which I succeeded in unraveling it.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 125)
This is showing a parapraxis of Sherlock Holmes from a feeling he has. About his feeling that he likes compliments. Here, he wants Watson to focus on him so he can get more compliments from people who read Watson‘s work. He
Sherlock Holmes also threw almost a same protest on Watson in the short story titled ―The Adventure of the Copper Beeches.‖ In the story Sherlock Holmes
protested on the writing that was written by Dr. Watson about them. Holmes said that Watson was not really focusing on what Sherlock Holmes did but to unimportant things.
It is pleasant to me to observe, Watson, that you have so far grasped this truth that in the these little records of our little cases which you have been good enough to draw up, and, I am bound to say, occasionally to embellish, you have given prominence not so much to the many causes celebres and sensational trials in which I have figured but rather to those incidents which may have been trivial in themselves, but which have given room for those faculties of deduction an of logical synthesis which I have made my special province. (Doyle, 1986: 492)
Of course that is debated by Watson, and Sherlock Holmes adds that Watson is wrong because he adds some things to make the story looks alive. ―You have erred perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your statements instead of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect which is really the only notable feature about the thing (Doyle, 1986: 492).‖
But Watson feels that he does that already. ―It seems to me that I have done full
justice in the matter (Doyle, 1986: 492).‖ And Sherlock Holmes‘ answer is
―If I claim full justice of my art, it is because it is an impersonal thing—a thing beyond myself. Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather that upon the crime that you should dwell. You have degraded what should have been a course of lectures into a series of tales.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 493)
and it has to be recognized by people. ――It is wonderful!‖ I cried. ―Your merits
should be publicly recognized. You should publish an account of the case. If you won‘t, I will for you‖ (Doyle, 1986: 119).‖
Sherlock Holmes also shows a defense mechanism toward romance things. It is showed in Sherlock Holmes‘ act in the novel The Sign of For. When Sherlock Holmes protests on the romance that Watson put in the story, showing Sherlock Holmes‘s displeasure to romance, or love relationship.
a suspicion of white feather in the side. Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion, but her expression was sweet and amiable. And her large blue eyes were singularity spiritual and sympathetic. (Doyle, 1986: 131)
Based on Watson‘s description about Ms. Morstan, she is indeed an attractive. At
least men at that time will found her attractive.
When Dr. Watson says that she is attractive, and also indirectly states his interest in Ms. Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes did not agree with that. He says that emotional thoughts or feelings to someone that is related to the case can bias the judgment.
―It is of the first importance,‖ he cried, ―not allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning….‖ (Doyle, 1986: 135).
In the book, after they solved the case, Watson said to Ms. Mary Morstan. On the other hand, Ms. Morstan also falls in love to Dr. Watson, and they are going to have a marriage. When Dr. Watson told Sherlock Holmes about the good news that he has, Sherlock Holmes reacted differently. Unlike other people that giving a congratulations when they heard such good news, Sherlock Holmes is not congratulating Watson. ――I feared as much,‖ said he. ―I really cannot congratulate
you‖ (Doyle, 1986: 235).‖ His reason is still the same like before, he does not want to his judgment biased by emotional thing. ―Love is an emotional thing, and
whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment (Doyle, 1986: 235).‖
with Mary Morstan will not bias his judgment, since the case is solved, he still not does it. But that does not mean that Sherlock Holmes does not have any emotional feeling at all.
In a short story entitled ―Scandal in Bohemia,‖ Watson said that Sherlock Holmes had a special woman in his life. ―To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name (Doyle, 19876: 239).‖ Who is ―she‖? ―She‖ that Watson means is Irene Adler. Watson
says that whenever Holmes mentions Irene Adler, he always uses ―the woman.‖
The use of ―the‖ is actually indicating a special person, ―In majority cases, the
definite article denotes that the following noun refers to a special person, animal or thing as distinct from others of the same kind. (R. W. Zandvoort, 1969: 117).‖
Sherlock Holmes threw a compliment to woman for the first time in that short story, and the woman was Irene Adler. In the story, a King of Bohemia asked Sherlock Holmes to take back a private photograph of King of Bohemia and Irene Adler. So, Sherlock Holmes stalked on Irene Adler. After finished, he told Watson things that he had done, and he described Irene Adler is an attractive woman. ―I only caught a glimpse of her at the moment, but she was a lovely
woman, with a face that a man might die for (Doyle, 1986: 252).‖ Actually,
Sherlock Holmes also gives a compliment to Mary Morstan.
I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met and might have been most useful in such work as we have been doing. She had a decided genius that way; witness the way in which she preserved that Agra plan from all other papers of her father. (Doyle, 1986: 235)
he had met her in many times when he worked on the case. But, as for Irene Adler, he never met her personally. He just saw a glimpse of her, and he gave a good point about Irene Adler‘s physical appearance. It is indicating that he is interested to Irene Adler.
In the end of the story, Sherlock Holmes showed an action that proved that he was interested to Irene Adler. It was after they finished the job, even though they did not get the photograph back, the king was satisfied with them. When the king asked about the payment Sherlock Holmes asked the Irene Adler‘s photograph.
―I am immensely indebted to you. Pray tell me in what way I can reward to you. This ring ---―he slipped an emerald snake ring from his finger and
―Irene‘s photograph!‖ he cried. ―Certainly, if you wish it.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 262)
It is very contradictive to what the king asks for Holmes‘ payment before, at the beginning of the case. Sherlock Holmes asks a lot of money to the king as the payment for the case.
―Then, as to money?‖ ―You have carte blanche.‖ ―Absolutely?‖
―I tell you that I would give one of the provinces of my kingdom to have that photograph.‖
―And for present expenses?‖
The King took heavy chamois leather bag from under his cloak and laid it on the table.
Holmes scribbled a receipt upon a sheet of his note book and handled it to him. (Doyle, 1986: 248)
That is indicating that Sherlock Holmes does not interested with the king‘s money
again. He is more interested to Irene Adler than to the money.
Sherlock Holmes‘s action of asked a lot of money to the king is very
unusual. In the two cases before, A Study in Scarlett and The Sign of Four, Sherlock Holmes did not mention about money at all. In the other short story, titled ―The Speckled Band,‖ The client, Helen Stoner, asked for Sherlock Holmes
help about mysterious sound which was heard by her sister before her death that she heard the night before. She said that she may not have enough money to pay Sherlock Holmes, and Sherlock Holmes does not mind about it. ―I can only say,
madam, that I shall be happy to devote the same care to your case as I did to that of your friend. As to reward, my profession is its own reward; but you are at liberty to defray whatever expenses I may be put to, at the time which suits you best (Doyle, 1986: 399).‖ And, even though in The Sign of Four was about
finding a treasure, he did not ask for payment. What Sherlock Holmes did to the King of Bohemia was showing that Sherlock Holmes had repression about a man that should give respect to woman. In the story, the king once had a scandal with Irene Adler when he was young.
―We were both in the photograph.‖
―Oh, dear! That is very bad! Your Majesty has indeed committed an indiscretion.‖
―I was mad—insane.‖
―You have compromised yourself seriously.‖
―I was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am thirty now.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 247)
