Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes isn't just a character; he's a brand. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote four novels and five short story collections about this guy, and we've read every single last one of them. We keep coming back to the Sherlock Holmes canon because Holmes is so cool: not only is he insanely smart and has amazing creative and critical thinking skills, but he is also a suave guy who always seems to know how to handle himself in any situation—even when he's out camping in a prehistoric hut on the moors or up-close-and-personal with a giant, fire-breathing dog.

While Holmes may not appear in every chapter of The Hound of the Baskervilles, he's still the focus of narrator Watson's attention, and Watson mentions him regularly enough throughout the novel that we never forget that he's our main character.

Doctor John Watson

Holmes may be the showy one in the Watson-Holmes duo, but Watson's the one who actually appears in every chapter. Without Watson, we'd have no story, since he's the one who tells us about the case even as he's participating in Sir Henry's protection and Holmes' investigation. He's quite the multitasker in this novel.

Watson sometimes fades into the background of The Hound of the Baskervilles, as he reports endlessly on what the other people around him are doing or saying. But he always shapes our perceptions of the other characters, and his explorations of the moors and the neighborhood around Sir Henry's new home give us important insights into the case even when Holmes isn't around to explain everything to us.