The Adventure Of The Speckled Band By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a mysterious tale about a strange murder case at the Roylott home. The story sets in April 1883, in the estate of Stoke Moran, in England. Helen Stoner, a woman who is troubled about her sister Julia’s death, seeks help from the finest detective in the area, Sherlock Holmes his partner Dr. Watson. Helen believes she is in serious danger with her abusive step father that she is currently living with, Dr. Roylott. Julia was engaged at the time of her death; in fact, it was the eve of her wedding day! On that night, Julia believed to have died of natural causes, but Helen believed that her step father had something to do with the unusual death. Helen is worried that the same thing might happen to her, as she is engaged as well. Sherlock advises Helen that this is a serious case, and that it should be investigated immediately. On the night of Julia’s death, some bizarre occurrences happened in the Roylott household. Firstly,
Julia exited her room and walked to Helen’s room. She had asked if Helen heard any whistling in the middle of the night. Helen responded saying that she has not heard any. A while after Julia walked back to her room, Helen was awoken by screaming. She immediately rushed to Julia’s room to see what the trouble was. Frightened, Helen entered the Julia’s room. As she walked in, Julia was screaming the words, “The speckled band! The speckled band!” These ultimately ended up to be her last words. Dr. Roylott rushed in the room to help, but it was far too late. Doctors ruled Julia’s death due to natural causes, but that night was far too mysterious for Helen to forget about it. This is why Helen turned to the finest detective she could find; she needed the mystery to be solved. A serious tone came into the story as they discussed their plan. As Holmes, Watson, and Helen discussed their plan of investigation, Dr. Roylott did not approve of Sherlock’s plan. He demands Holmes and Watson to stay out of his house. They were not fazed by this threat; they decided to still investigate the scene. They planned to meet at the house later that day. The case of the speckled band would finally be investigated. As Holmes investigated the house, he discovered strange objects and clues around Roylott’s room.
There was a dog’s leash, a bowl of milk, and a safe among many other strange objects in the room. The fact that Dr. Roylott had something to do with Julia’s death is starting to become clear to Holmes and Watson now. Everything in the room just seem far too suspicious for Holmes overlook it. As Holmes and Watson investigated more, they decided to stay the night at the estate. As the night progressed, the tone shifts from serious to suspenseful. This is shown by the dim light of the lamp shining through the air vent from Roylott’s room. Suddenly, Holmes and Watson were startled to hear a scream come from Roylott’s room; they rush out of bed to his room. They were well prepared, as Watson had brought a pistol with him. As they opened the door, they were met by a highly dangerous snake. The snake was aggravated and ready to attack. The frightening mystery was about to come to an
end. Holmes reacted quickly as he picked the dog leash and whips the snake with it. The snake ended up next to Dr. Roylott, and it was still furious. It then bit Dr. Roylott out of anger; Roylott dies in seconds due to the highly poisonous snake bite. Holmes then managed to retrieve the snake, and reeled it back into the cage without being harmed. The speckled band turned out to be a snake. Holmes and Watson conclude that Julia’s death was due to the highly venomous snake biting her. The resolution between the conflicts between Roylott and Helen, and also Roylott and Holmes come to an end when Dr. Roylott dies. Holmes, Watson, and Helen are all relieved to have solved the mystery, and that Helen could finally become a married woman. The mystery of the speckled band had been solved!
Sherlock Holmes had been a life saver for Helen; he solved the mystery happening with her step father. This mystery was foul play because there were many false clues that questioned the readers. The gypsies band, the safe having nothing but papers in it, and the clanging noises being the bars on the window were all red herrings that lead the readers to nothing but questions. The mood and tone shifts to happy mood as the story concludes because the readers know that Helen is finally safe without her step father. Helen Stoner’s future will to live a happy rest of her life with her husband. In conclusion, Sherlock Holmes solved the mysterious case of the speckled band and saved Helen, who was to go on to live a happy, married life.