Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Sherlock Holmes

Holmes does double character duty in these stories. He's not only our protagonist but he also plays the role of a guide/mentor to his friend Watson and to his young protégé, the recurring character Stanley Hopkins. Holmes often delivers didactic, or educational, lectures to anyone in earshot, but especially to Watson and Hopkins. Holmes may dazzle people like he's a sort of magician, but he always takes the time to explain the secrets behind his "tricks." And in Hopkins case, he seems to have some hope that the young man will learn his methods and become a sort of Sherlock Holmes detective himself in the future.