The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Sarcasm refers to mocking remarks in which a character says one thing but means another, and these comments may be either humorous or hurtful. Throughout the story, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses sarcasm to show Sherlock Holmes’s courage, confidence, and eccentricity. Most people would be shaken if a towering, violent man suddenly burst into their home and twisted solid steel into knots. Holmes, on the other hand, responds with amusement. After Dr. Grimesby Roylott delivers his warning and storms out of the Baker Street flat, Holmes laughs and quips, “He seems a very amiable person” (149). Holmes’s ability to crack witticisms moments after receiving threats of bodily harm shows his fortitude and unconventional personality. Indeed, he pursues the investigation with even greater eagerness than before. Holmes demonstrates his penchant for sarcasm again when he explains how Mrs. Stoner’s will confirms Dr. Roylott’s motive: “[I]f both girls had married, this beauty would have had a mere pittance” (149), with “beauty” being a reference to Roylott. Of course, the doctor’s physical appearance is as repugnant as his morals. His adversary’s inhumanity does not intimidate the detective, and his choice of words makes that clear. Sarcasm signals that Holmes remains confident in his ability to prevent the disaster that threatens