The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Imagery consists of descriptive language that appeals to the reader’s senses. Dr. Watson’s narration contains many examples of rich, vivid descriptions that appeal to the reader’s imagination, develop settings and themes, and establish mood. Doyle uses refreshing visual and olfactory imagery to add interest to the setting during a brief lull in the plot while also reminding the reader of the stakes that will soon intensify the action. Watson provides his impression of the countryside during the train ride to Stoke Moran:

It was a perfect day, with a bright sun and a few fleecy clouds in the heavens. The trees and wayside hedges were just throwing out their first green shoots, and the air was full of the pleasant smell of the moist earth. To me at least there was a strange contrast between the sweet promise of the spring and this sinister quest upon which we were engaged (149).

Even this idyllic spring day and the sights and sounds of new life cannot distract the narrator from the deadly dangers that lie ahead. Watson soon applies his gift for description to a far more ominous scene, the manor of Stoke Moran:

The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of ruin (150).

These visual details create a foreboding atmosphere and help the reader picture an important setting. This is significant because the manor plays a key role in the theme of the decline of power and status. By vividly describing the building’s decayed state, Doyle emphasizes how far Dr. Grimesby Roylott and his family have fallen.

In literature, suspense refers to a tense state of anxiety or uncertainty regarding what will happen next in a story. Doyle uses suspense to engage his readers and generate curiosity about the story’s resolution. Early in the story, Doyle creates suspense through Helen’s account of the night her sister died: “A vague feeling of impending misfortune impressed me […] It was a wild night. The wind was howling outside, and the rain was beating and splashing against the windows” (145). These ominous descriptions of the dark, stormy night build a sense of unease and anticipation. The suspense returns with a vengeance as the story’s climax approaches. Watson describes his agitation as he and Holmes sit in Julia’s room, waiting for Dr. Roylott to spring his plot:

How shall I ever forget that dreadful vigil? [...] Far away we could hear the deep tones of the parish clock, which boomed out every quarter of an hour. How long they seemed, those quarters! Twelve struck, and one and two and three, and still we sat waiting silently for whatever might befall (154).

The tense atmosphere as the two men wait in silence and the emphasis on time draw out the suspense before Holmes springs into action at the climax. These moments of suspense make the readers more anxious to know what the speckled band is and increase their satisfaction when this question is finally answered.