The Red-Headed League Group

Question:

goodbye2007
goodbye2007
Student
High School - 9th Grade

What remark does Holmes make about commonplace crime? And what does it mean?  

Rate question:

Posted by goodbye2007 on Thursday September 25, 2008 at 3:39 PM and tagged with holmes commonplace crime, the red-headed league.

Answers:


  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Holmes says the following:

    "As a rule," said Holmes, "the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficult to identify. But I must be prompt over
    this matter."

    He means that if something is common, it is undistinguished. There's nothing to set it apart. If there's nothing to set it apart, how can you solve it or even recognize who did it--or that a crime was done at all? Think of the minor crimes you do every day and you'll get a sense of this: jaywalking, for example, or speeding.

    Sources:
    http://221bakerstreet.org/adventures/red_headed_league.txt

    Rate answer:

    Posted by gbeatty on Thursday September 25, 2008 at 5:44 PM