Hound of the Baskervilles characterization

The Hound of the Baskervilles Essay In life, we all know someone who would do anything to get what they want. Do you ever do something horrible just to get something that isn’t a big deal? In the novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack Stapleton is a confined, furtive and even pugnacious man. He does some pretty atrocious things in the novel. In the book, Doyle exemplifies the theme that greed can corrupt a person. The theme can be identified because the author emphasizes it through his looks, his effect on others, and his actions. Usually, you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she looks, but Stapleton isn’t as readable as you may think. ‘He was a small, slim, clean-shaven, prim-faced man, flaxen-haired and lean-jawed, between thirty and forty years of age, dressed in a grey suit and wearing a straw hat. A tin box for botanical specimens hung over his shoulder and he carried a green butterfly-net in one of his hands” (Doyle 111). Doyle tries to make the reader believe that Stapleton has nothing strange or malevolent about his personality.

Stapleton is one of those people that you can never tell if they are lying or being honest because he leaves that effect on others. Towards the beginning of the book, Dr. Mortimer states, “Mr. Stapleton, a mutual friend who was much concerned at his state of health, was one of the same opinion” (Doyle 41). This quote shows that Stapleton is thought of as a friend of Sir Charles. This effect, however, is reversed later in the book. “Mr. Holmes, this man had offered me marriage on condition that I could get a divorce from my husband. He has lied to me, the villain, in every conceivable way. Not one word of truth has he ever told me,” exclaims Miss Lyons, “but now I see that I was never anything but a tool in his hands” (Doyle 240). This quote shows that Stapleton is a liar. He uses people to get closer to his goal of triumph. Miss Lyons is a very tempestuous lady. Something like this could take a pretty big toll on her and he just wanted something so badly that he crushed Miss Lyons heart doing so. Crush, crumble, and chomp but who’s going to mend? St0apleton was so caught up in his greed, that he would actually kill a man! ‘” But, dear me what’s this? Somebody hurt? No-don’t tell me that it is our friend Sir Henry!’ He hurried past me and stooped over the dead man. I heard intake of his breath and the cigar fell from his fingers. ‘Who-who is this?’ he stammered ‘It is Seldon, the man who escaped from Princetown.’ Stapleton turned a ghastly face upon us, but by a supreme effort he had overcome his amazement and his disappointment” (Doyle 221). Stapleton was exhilarated that Seldon was dead! He was trying so hard not to reveal his excitement. It was all a part of his plan for him to be dead, but why was he disappointed? Was it because he couldn’t feel the thrill of killing Seldon himself? Stapleton’s the ultimate scary movie without all the thrill. He has so many twists and turns that you don’t know what is going to happen next. The theme, greed can corrupt a person is illustrated by Stapleton’s appearance, Stapleton’s effect on others, and Stapleton’s actions. He has duped everyone by making us believe he is just a nice, little butterfly catcher. Stapleton is that guy who is willing to kill someone to get what he wants.

Works Cited
Doyle, Arthur. The Hound of the Baskervilles. USA: McClure Phillips Company, 1902.

Cited: Doyle, Arthur. The Hound of the Baskervilles. USA: McClure Phillips Company, 1902.