Discuss the

aesthetics and
politics of the
charactisation of
the criminal and
the detective in
The Hound of
Baskervilles.

This essay
attempts to
discuss the
aesthetics and
politics of the
characterisation
of both the
criminal and the
detective in
reference to the
text The Hound of
Baskervilles in
respect to the
application of
various theories
and
interpretations
which shall be
substantiated
with references
and examples
from the text.
Marxist theory in
criminology,
disruption of
social order and
the rupture of
homosocial
integrity shall be
discussed, along
with the theory
given by
Lombroso,
satanic
interpretations of
the criminal,
Oedipal Myth,
and a conclusion
elaborating on
certain traits of
the Detective.

Marxist theory
believes in fair
and equal
distribution of
resources, while
the criminal is
motivated by
greed and holds a
capitalistic
perspective
where majority of
wealth is
concentrated in
hands of a few.
This is what is
witnessed in the
case of Jack
Stapleton, the
criminal in the
text who desires
to inherit the
wealth of the
Baskerville
family, and like a
typical capitalist
is ready to go to
extreme lengths
to achieve his
goal. The criminal
also disrupts the
social order and
causes rupture in
homosocial
integrity in the
way that it
becomes hard for
the characters to
trust each other
as is seen in the
case of the
Barrymore family
very prominently.
Barrymore and
his family who
have been with
the Baskerville
family for
generations, are
questioned and
doubted upon,
Sherlock doesn’t
trust Watson with
the knowledge of
his presence at
the moor. This
mistrust between
characters and
constant
suspicion that
Sherlock doesn’t
leave anyone out
of is a result of
the crime, and
the criminal,
resulting in
complete chaos.

Lombroso’s
theory of born
criminal talks
about criminality
as something
inherited and it
being atavistic,
which can be
substantiated by
the example of
the criminal in
the text,
Stapleton, who
comes from a
series of crimes,
which means that
the major crimes
he commits
which would be
the murder of
Charles
Baskerville which
he is responsible
for along with his
attempt to
murder Sir Henry
are followed by a
series of other
crimes which
include change
and concealment
of the real name,
disguising wife
as sister to
deceive, cheating
and manipulating
Laura Lyons, etc.
So, basically, this
wasn’t the
criminal’s first
crime as he
comes from a
series of such.
Another point is
that of satanic
interpretations of
the criminal. Like
Satan, the
criminal is
knowledgable
which is depicted
in a very
noteworthy
manner in the
way how
Stapleton gives
the hound the
characters of a
fiend that emits
fire by using
phosphorous.
Like Satan, the
criminal is
ingenious in his
ways, and uses
this knowledge
for evil, for
defying the
normative
established
social order
which the
detective
eventually works
to restore. Also,
the text has hints
of the Oedipal
myth in the
manner that the
relationship
dynamics of the
criminal appear
to be strange.
The fact that he
presents his wife
as his sister to
achieve his
sinister motives
have overtones of
incest to it,
bringing it back
to the Oedipal
complex.

The detective is
depicted as an
omniscient figure
who knows it all
as he proves in
the beginning of
the text where
Watson is forced
to ask him if he
has eyes at the
back of his head.
He is shown to be
someone who is
aristocratic, and
white, belonging
to the upper
class, and is seen
bringing his
personal servant
when he goes to
the moor who
provides him with
clean linen, a
symbol of upper
class. He is
extremely
patronising to
everyone, trusts
his own personal
judgement over
everything else.
At the end, the
criminal’s body is
never discovered
but the detective
just assumes that
he is dead,
showing his
arrogance and
over confidence
in his
capabilities. The
character of
detective is
shown to be
patriarchal in his
habit of smoking
cigarettes which
is a phallic
symbol, enforcing
male dominance.
Thus, this essay
has attempted to
discuss the
aesthetics and
politics of the
charactisation of
the criminal and
the detective in
The Hound of
Baskervilles in
respect to the
application of
various theories
and
interpretations
which shall be
substantiated
with references
and examples
from the text.
Marxist theory in
criminology,
disruption of
social order and
the rupture of
homosocial
integrity shall be
discussed, along
with the theory
given by
Lombroso,
satanic
interpretations of
the criminal,
Oedipal Myth,
and a conclusion
elaborating on
certain traits of
the Detective.