The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

This is an unusual story as it focuses on an energetic, brave, and independent young woman who is also shown to be moral and honest. Hatty is one of the most positive female characters in this volume, even more so than Irene who engages in questionable behavior. Tellingly, like Adler, she is not British, but American, and has grown up among working-class people in mining towns. This detail could suggest the author’s belief that women reared in Britain would not have the freedom and flexible education allowed in America that in turn would make them grow up as daring, outspoken, and independent. The match between an English aristocrat, whose family is impoverished, and an American heiress was quite common in the second half of the 19th century and has been explored in many novels, notably The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton.

The groom, an aristocrat, is presented as not unappealing but also pompous and condescending. St. Simon’s obsession with his social standing is also confirmed when he cannot come up with a logical explanation as to why Hatty would not want to marry an aristocrat. Such views were common in Victorian England where status shaped almost all aspects of life. However, it is clear that Holmes, a rational and progressive man, does not ascribe to such a worldview.

This is one of the cases where no true crime has taken place, although it contains the typical elements of the detective genre. There is a presumed case of abduction or murder and an unjustly accused suspect. In this story, Inspector Lestrade makes a reappearance but is not depicted any more positively. He helps Holmes by finding a clue but fails in understanding its significance to the story. Once again, the authorities are shown as misguided and incompetent, highlighting Holmes’s vital role as an alternative to the official investigation.

At the story’s end, Holmes signals that he expects St. Simon to understand and forgive the situation. Compared to other stories that end up in murder, a simple misunderstanding does not seem too serious. However, in the aristocrat’s world, Hatty’s behavior is unforgivable. Not only does she prefer a commoner to St. Simon, but she also creates a scandal, something even worse than a crime. The ex-groom feels humiliated and slighted. To him, Hatty’s trespass is not simply a personal slight, but an offense against the institution of aristocracy symbolized by his title.

This story reveals Holmes’s positive attitude toward America. It seems that he invites the couple over not only to clear the air but also because he wants to converse with Hatty’s husband. Holmes is convinced that future generations will be “citizens of the same worldwide country under a flag which shall be a quartering of the Union Jack with the Stars and Stripes” (206). Such an egalitarian view is in line with his slight disdain for high-class pompousness. Holmes is not someone who respects another person purely based on their social standing. Such an attitude fits better with the rapidly changing American society exemplified by Hatty’s abrupt change of fortunes than with the more rigid English mores.