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Johnny Dixon and Sherlock Holmes: Their Similarities and Contrasts
At first glance, the mystery genre is a single-faceted one. Many assume that all mystery books have the same structure: a detective or sleuth of some sort is faced with a who-done-it? Mystery, they look for clues, and by the end they have their man (or woman, or chimpanzee, as Poe had it). However, a more in-depth look at the mystery genre itself reveals that a mystery novel can contain as much stylistic differences and character development as any other piece of literature.
The most interesting dynamic in a mystery novel is the sleuth itself. It is fascinating to note the erratic and eccentric behaviors of the detective. Matters are made even more interesting when the sleuth has a partner beside him. With the partner present, new dynamics and tensions are created between the two, often revealing even more about the characters. The characters’ personalities differ greatly between books, as evidenced by the differences between Sherlock Holmes and Watson in Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study In Scarlet and Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass in John Bellairs’ The Curse of the Blue Figurine.
In the beginning of A Study In Scarlet, we are introduced at first not to Sherlock Holmes himself, but his partner Watson. When we meet him, Watson is looking for lodgings, and is advised to stay with Sherlock Holmes. The friend who makes the recommendation warns Watson that Holmes might not be the most reasonable partner to live with.
When Watson meets Holmes, Holmes is presented as quite an eccentric man. His hands are discolored from acids used in laboratory experiments, one of which he is conducting when Watson arrives. When the experiment is performed successfully, Watson takes note of Holmes’ excessive excitement, considering the number of witnesses present. Nevertheless, Watson enjoys Holmes’ eccentricities and agrees to room with him.
Johnny Dixon is a young boy who would be considered a “nerd” of some sorts. He enjoys reading on his own, especially about mysterious things and occurrences. When we are first introduced to him, he is listening to his favorite radio program, The House of Mystery. Johnny is living with his grandparents. His father travels a lot because to his job, and his mother is dead. Therefore, he feels a close affinity with his grandparents, especially his grandpa, who he calls “cheerful”.
One of Grandpa’s friends is Professor Childermass, a seemingly grumpy old professor. We are introduced to the Professor during dinnertime with the Dixons. He stops by because his car has broken down, and he needs to get out of the cold. Professor Childermass is a man who is quite peculiar. However, he is not peculiar in the sense of Holmes’ odd behavior. Where Holmes comes off as an eccentric, the Professor is just very ill tempered. He complains a lot, and clearly doesn’t have a good sense of manners. When invited in, he doesn’t bother to take off his wet galoshes when entering the home until being told to do so by Gramma Dixon. Later on, when he is enjoying a glass of whiskey while telling Grampa and Johnny a story, he requests a piece of Gramma’s homemade fudge, a request that Johnny views as a bit rude. However, once the Professor learns that Johnny loves reading on his own, he takes a liking to Johnny, with Johnny reciprocating.
The relationships between the two sets of partners are quite different. Holmes and Watson, besides being friends, have a sense of professional respect for each other, and work together to solve the case. This is partially because they are working with mysteries of the practical kind- that is, mysteries that clearly have an answer. Although they both don’t know where the mystery will quite end too far ahead of time, they clearly have an idea where the mystery is going, due to their skills of deduction. This only increases the professionalism of their relationship.
Johnny and the Professor is a quite different pair. The professionalism that exists between Holmes and Watson, for example, does not exist for two reasons. One is the obvious age difference- Johnny is still in grade school, whereas the Professor is a man who has already passed through the academic structures of society and has moved on to bigger things.
The other reason is the kind of mysteries they deal with. Johnny and the Professor deal with mysteries of the occult kind- mysteries that involve spiritual powers (heavenly or otherwise) that might not always have a clear answer. Therefore, the mystery itself is very difficult to solve for both Johnny and the Professor. Spirits aren’t usually given much credence of belief, so neither of them can really trust where the mystery is going, or if there is even a mystery at all.
This factor is also an explanation for the lack of professionalism between Johnny and the Professor. Because of Johnny’s age, that and the occurrences combined fuel the Professor’s disbelief at what Johnny sees or hears regarding the mystery. This is partially because of Johnny’s age, but also partially because the Professor himself does not want to believe that some of the things that are happening are happening. Nonetheless, just like the adventures of Detective Holmes, the mystery always comes to the end. The way they arrive at the solution is how they differ.
While the two relationships are very different in many ways, both series of books prove one point that was never a mystery: two is always better than one.
Yeah, whut.
I had some caramel ice cream today. The way I ate it was quite unconventional, but hey, to each his own, am I right or am I (w)right?
I am seeing Television on friday night, should be amazing. Also seeing Martha Wainright, should be vastly immemorable.
Combos suck
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