The Red-Headed League Group

Question:

lisathomas41
lisathomas41
Teacher

In "The Red Headed League," what are some traits of the character Jabez Wilson and how do they influence the story?

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Posted by lisathomas41 on Thursday January 25, 2007 at 9:43 PM and tagged with characters, jabez wilson, sherlock holmes, the red-headed league.

Answers:

  1. Dodger Plate
    tal Student
    Graduate School

    Jabez Wilson: Red hair, been to sea, loves money, mediocre and slow-witted.

    Watson: Careful observer, does anything for Holmes, Moves story along by asking questions

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/red-headed-league/8922

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    Posted by tal on Friday January 26, 2007 at 8:53 AM


  2. bmadnick Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    Jabez Wilson is also a widower and pawnbroker. He isn't a very bright man, but he does love money, allowing him to be used by Clay as part of a scheme to rob a bank. He tries to get something for nothing two times during the story.

    John Clay is a criminal who has eluded the police for years. Holmes considers him to be intelligent. We know he comes from royal blood, has had an aristocratic education, and is egotistical about his abilities as a criminal. This makes us think Clay gets involved with crime for the challenge of the game and not just for the money. He is imaginative and a formidable opponent for Holmes. He and Holmes are alike in many ways except when it comes to their motives and the morality of their actions.

    Sherlock Holmes is known for his ability to tell a great deal about a person by observing his/her little idiosyncracies. He's very intelligent and has knowledge about insignificant topics and previous criminal cases. He no doubt gets pleasure from the mental game of solving a crime. He takes pride in his mental abilities that enable him to solve a crime. Holmes also is unselfish when he tells Merryweather he wants no reward beyond his expenses for stopping the robbery.

    Merryweather is respected as the director of the City and Suburban Bank. He's overconfident, worrying more about missing his card game than about his bank vaults.

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    Posted by bmadnick on Thursday June 7, 2007 at 6:12 PM

  3. revolution
    revolution Teacher
    Doctorate

    Jabez Wilson was a fictional pawnbroker from the story who owned a pawn shop in Saxe-Coburg. He was able to land a high-paying position in the Red-Headed League thanks to his fiery red hair. Unbeknownst to him, however, the league was in fact a ruse created by the criminals John Clay, who was in his employ under the pseudonym Vincent Spaulding, and William Morris, to keep him occupied while they attempted to use his pawn shop in a plot to steal French gold.

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    Posted by revolution on Monday July 20, 2009 at 7:34 AM