Student Question
What was Mrs. Windibank's motive in the Sherlock Holmes story "A Case of Identity"?
Quick answer:
Mrs. Windibank's motive in "A Case of Identity" is financial gain. She collaborates with her husband to deceive her daughter, Miss Sutherland, by having Mr. Windibank pose as Mr. Hosmer Angel to prevent her marriage. This ensures Miss Sutherland remains at home, allowing the Windibanks to access the substantial inheritance from her uncle. If Miss Sutherland marries, they would lose this financial benefit, so they devise the scheme to maintain control over her money.
Mrs. Windibank conspires with her husband to ensure that her daughter, Miss Sutherland, is seduced and abandoned just before her forthcoming wedding to Mr. Hosmer Angel. Of course, the caddish Mr. Angel turns out to be none other than Miss Sutherland's stepfather, Mr. Windibank, in disguise. Mrs. Windibank's motive is the same as her husband's—money. So long as Miss Sutherland's living at home with her mother and her stepfather, the Windibanks can count on a regular supply of money, as they are free to use the substantial sum bequeathed to Miss Sutherland by her uncle Ned in New Zealand. However, if she gets married and leaves home, then the Windibanks will lose out financially. So they concoct a wicked, elaborate plot to make sure they can continue to get their greedy, grasping hands on Miss Sutherland's money.
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