Sophia Chaudhry December 5, 2013 Comparison Writing The Battle of Great Detectives Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and

Agatha Christie have both created such magnificent characters, which many people look up to. Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Hercule Poirot, created by Agatha Christie, are two astounding detectives. Having their negative and positive qualities, unique strategies, and relative successes and failures is what makes them such great examples to discuss the qualities of a good detective. The two detectives ways of living are very different. Once he retired, Sherlock Holmes started beekeeping. As well as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot had a hobby of growing vegetable marrows after he retired. Poirot is slightly corpulent and a short man. It is almost impossible for Poirot to go to the extent of changing his looks. He is known to have an egg shaped head and have his famous moustache so it is difficult for him to disguise himself, and also he would never directly talk to someone who could be the criminal. Holmes is a magnificent actor, and is in disguise quite often. He can disguise himself as an old man, and he would do an excellent job. He is a master of disguise. For example, in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Doyle articulates that Sherlock Holmes hides in the marsh to find other clues about the hound, and no one knew it was him until he revealed himself. John Watson (Sherlock Holmess assistant) had been deceived, for he was told by Sherlock Holmes that he would go solve the case in Devonshire while Holmes took care of business in London. In the relationship between the detective and assistant, Dr.Watson is often put aside while Sherlock Holmes takes the spotlight. He often looks at Dr.Watson as a low, stupid fellow. After all, Holmes is tall, handsome, and smart with an IQ of 200. He says that the observations Dr.Watson points out are all but obvious, but he says It may be that [he is] not [himself] luminous, but [he is] a conductor of light (Doyle, 10). Dr.Watson and his assistant, Captain Arthur Hastings, have a much warmer relationship compared to Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Both, Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot are

Sophia Chaudhry December 5, 2013 Comparison Writing very observant. Poirot looks more at smaller details rather than looking at the more obvious clues. In one scene in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes knows where Watson comes from because there are mud spots on his shoes. Detectives individuality matter a lot when solving cases; being too arrogant, or too cocky is not any better than being oblivious and naive to everything around you. As well as personalities, the way detectives strategize is also very important. All detectives have their own ways of solving cases. The ways that Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot strategize are vital factors to why they are impeccable detectives. Sherlock Holmes makes sure to find and examine every single clue. If he is conversing with someone, he will not care about being interrupted if it helps him solve a case. However, that is the complete opposite of Hercule Poirot. Poirot does not ever want to be disrupted while talking with a friend or drinking tea whether its about a case he is solving or not. Poirot talks to suspects and people relevant to the case to obtain hints or clues. In a book by Agatha Christie called Five Little Pigs, Poirot becomes aware of the fact that there are differences in five different suspects reports about a story. Once he figures out about the great distinctions it becomes a very important factor to solving the murder. He cares more about Psychological clues, while Sherlock Holmes is a more scientific man. Hercule Poirot is all about order and pair. He has a habit of keeping things organized and straight. He needs quiet time to organize his thoughts and see what is important. Poirot is more nonchalant and takes his time when solving cases. In many of Agatha Christies books, Poirot relies on his little gray cells. In The Mysterious Affair at Styles it articulates, This affair must all be unravelled from within." [Poirot] tapped his forehead. "These little grey cells. It is 'up to them' as you say over here. When solving a case, Hercule Poirot slowly builds a picture in his head while he collects more and more hints. On the other hand, Sherlock Holmes begins by thinking of every possible solution there is and invalidates all solutions but

Sophia Chaudhry December 5, 2013 Comparison Writing one. Also, unlike Poirot, Sherlock does not need quiet time, and he does not do anything in an orderly fashion. He runs all around the place looking for more clues and trying to find the culprit. Although both Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot have excellent ways of solving crimes, everyone has flaws. Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot both are great detectives who have failed in their careers of being detectives. In a book by Arthur Conan Doyle called The Five Orange Pips, Sherlock Holmes says "'I have been beaten four timesthree times by men, and once by a woman.'" Also, his client dies in the book which had rarely ever happened in any of his other cases. In a book also written by Arthur Conan Doyle called A Scandal In Bohemia, Sherlock Holmes was not able to give his client a photograph he had asked for. Since Holmes was not able to give is client the photograph, he promised that his client's wishes will be accepted. Hercule Poirot has as well had failures in his lifetime. In The Chocolate Box written by Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot and Hastings were having a conversation, and Hastings believed that Poirot had never had a failure in his whole career. Poirot said there was one occasion where he believes his little gray cells had failed him. In The Chocolate Box at the end of the book, after Madame Deroulard had passed away, Poirot had noticed a couple of mistakes. Hercule Poirot knew that Madame Deroulard did not have very good eyesight so it must have been her who had switched the lids of the two boxes of chocolates. The second mistake is that if M. de Saint Alard was the criminal he probably would not have kept the bottle. Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot both had failed before in their lives and they know their mistakes. As well as making errors they have also had countless successes throughout their careers as detectives because of their strategies for solving cases and their different qualities as detectives. Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot are great examples as detectives and human beings. Their positives and negatives as a person in society make them unique from any other person.

Sophia Chaudhry December 5, 2013 Comparison Writing They are both great detectives with such different strategies and their failures throughout their life show that even the greatest people make mistakes in their lives.

References Christie, Agatha. The Mysterious Affair at Styles. London: Bodley Head, 1999. Print. Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Adventure 1: A Scandal in Bohemia." The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Lit2Go Edition. 1892. Web. Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Adventure 5: The Five Orange Pips." The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Lit2Go Edition. 1892. Web. Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1959. Print.