Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Norwood Builder, Scene 7 Holmes' reconstruction of the crime gets up all up to speed Scene 7 wraps up the story of the Norwood Builder. Once Holmes had proven Jonas Oldacre's guilt and, therefore, John McFarlane's innocence, he was willing to explain how the crime must have been committed and how he'd figured it out. This is the reconstruction of the crime, a feature of every cozy detective story. Holmes reveals Oldacre's motive As Holmes responds to their questions, Lestrade and Watson come to understand how Oldacre had the housekeeper put the thumbprint on the wall, and how he'd even gotten John's thumbprint in the first place. Holmes is also able to explain Oldacre's dual motive, one reason being for revenge on John's mother, and the other reason being to defraud his creditors. Holmes has an explanation for the remains that were found, the buttons, and the bloodstained walking stick too. All of this so-called evidence, like … [Read more...]
DL006: Norwood Builder ~ Holmes needs to test his theory
![By Sidney Paget (1860 - 1908) (Strand Magazine) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.englishmomentum.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Norw-06-e1511394995960-150x150.jpg)
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Norwood Builder, Scene 6 Holmes will Test His Theory with a Measuring Tape and Some Smoke In scene 6, Holmes returns to the crime scene, Oldacre's burnt down house, to test his theory. Part of the house is still standing, so with the help of Watson, Holmes goes about measuring rooms and hallways. The measurements are consistent with his theory so he goes on to his next step. At this point, Lestrade thinks he is crazy, but he is willing to play along for a while. Holmes gets Lestrades' police officers to help him by bringing straw and water. He lights the damp straw on file which creates a lot of smoke. He then instructs Watson, Lestrade, and the police officers to join with him in yelling, "Fire!" This is Holmes final test of his new theory, and the results are very successful. They lead to the arrest of the real criminal. Venture into English Study Aids On my companion site, Venture Into English, you will find several radio plays, each … [Read more...]
DL005: Norwood Builder ~ Investigation reveals an old grudge
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Norwood Builder, Scene 5 Investigation Leads Holmes to John's Mother In scene 5, Holmes and Watson go to Blackheath to call on John's mother. Holmes has been in a very good mood ever since hearing about Lestrade's new evidence, the bloody fingerprint. The evidence led Lestrade and Holmes in two very different directions of investigation. For Lestrade, the investigation is over, but Holmes follows up on his new theory with a visit to John's mother. The details Mrs. McFarlane told him about her former relationship with Jonas Oldacre did not conflict with Holmes' theory. As he and Watson leave, Holmes is still in a very good mood. On his way out, he asks Mrs. McFarlane if he can borrow her measuring tape. She lends it to him, but Holmes won't confide in Watson to tell him what it is for. However, in a metaphorical way, he does answer Watson's question. He says that perhaps he will be able to use it to hang the real murderer. The measuring … [Read more...]
DL004: Norwood Builder ~ New Evidence Points to McFarlane
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Norwood Builder, Scene 4 A Look at the Crime Scene: Holmes and Watson go to Norwood to see the crime scene. He sees the signs of a struggle, the blood stains, and the marks in the dirt showing that something heavy was dragged across the timber yard. Some remains are found in the ashes. They are too burnt to be identified, but some buttons suggest it was human remains. All in all, it did not look good for John McFarlane. Everything seemed to point to him. Sherlock returns home very moody because his instincts tell him John is innocent, but the facts don't seem to fit. It is interesting to note that the weather reflects Sherlock Holmes' mood. While the case remains unsolved, the weather is unpleasantly hot. It feels like a thunderstorm is coming. That thunderstorm reflects the stormy, unsettled situation in which Holmes' client, John McFarlane, finds himself. New Evidence: Then a telegram arrives informing Holmes that new evidence has … [Read more...]
DL003: Norwood Builder ~ Holmes takes the case
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Norwood Builder (Scene 3) John McFarlane Continues His Story Police Detective Lestrade's comments and opinion irritate Holmes, so Holmes gets quite sarcastic and cutting with Lestrade. For example, Lestrade says, "I came on here myself to do my duty." He strongly feels it is his responsibility to arrest John McFarlane. To this, Holmes responds, "Then you plainly must do your duty, my dear Lestrade. He's yours." The idea of a murder and arson case, and the possibility that young John McFarlane is being framed (set up to make it look like he committed the crime when he didn't) and won't find justice if it is left up to detectives like Lestrade, grabs Holmes' interest. That is significant as Sherlock Holmes only takes on cases that peak his interest. Holmes assures John that he will take on the case. Although John still gets arrested by Lestrade, he has the great detective on his side. Bumbling Police versus Skillful Detective Sherlock … [Read more...]
DL002: Norwood Builder ~ McFarlane’s Story
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Norwood Builder, Scene 2 McFarlane Seeks Holmes' Help Lestrade arrives ready to arrest McFarlane, but Sherlock Holmes talks him into hearing McFarlane out first -- to listen to his side of the story. The story has already hit the morning news, so Watson tells Holmes the newspaper version of the story. They then hear out John McFarlane. Lestrade is still sure it's an 'open and shut' case. There seems to be a lot of evidence against McFarlane, and no other suspects. McFarlane's case stirs the beauty of normal life into chaos. Sherlock Holmes takes on the case believing he can set things right again. The worldview of the cozy detective story is that life is good, people are generally good. This crime is just 'a blip in the radar', but once we solve it, everything will be good again. In cozy detective stories, this positive worldview is reflected in the setting (where the story takes place). This one takes place in the rolling … [Read more...]
DL001: Norwood Builder ~ A New Client
Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Norwood Builder, Scene1 Upon hearing the sound of loud footsteps racing up the stairs to their 221B Baker Street apartment in London, Sherlock Holmes and Watson begin practicing their deductive skills to determine who their visitor is. Starting with the facts they know -- the sound of the footsteps on the stairs, the speed at which he runs up the stairs, and the fact that he didn't even wait for Mrs. Hudson to answer the doorbell -- they deduce that their visitor is a young man who is very worked up about something. Deduction is a kind of reasoning that moves from general to specific. Holmes and Watson start with these general facts, and based on what they know in life from past experiences -- other times that they have heard footsteps and knew who made them, they arrive at a specific picture of whom their guest must be. McFarlane is surprised at everything that Holmes knows about him, but Holmes is just drawing conclusions from what he sees -- … [Read more...]
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