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How does Conan Doyle successfully use characterization and setting to build suspense in The Speckled Band?

The Sherlock Holmes’ mysteries, written by Arthur Conan Doyle in the nineteenth century, were serialized in magazines and they became incredibly popular. ‘The Speckled Band’ focuses on the Roylott family, of Stoke Moran in Surrey. The family includes twin sisters Julia and Helen Stoner, and their stepfather Dr Grimesby Roylott.
The readers’ first impression of Helen Stoner is that she is grieving over someone’s death, due to her appearance. She is “dressed in black and heavily veiled”. The reader is encouraged to feel sympathy for Helen Stoner and anxious to find out who has died and how, as she is clearly in mourning.
The simile used to portray her fear and agitation suggests she is weak and vulnerable, maybe even the next victim. “Restless frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal”, indicates to the reader how she is being “hunted” like some kind of prey. This assists in building the suspense, as the reader is unaware of the details of the...

Posted by: Margaret Rowden

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