illustrated outline of a large, ferocious-looking dog with red eyes

The Hound of the Baskervilles

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Hound of the Baskervilles Themes

The themes of The Hound of the Baskervilles serve to enhance the disorientation created by social disorder. For instance, the theme of love is twisted by the evil in the novel.

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Corruption of Love

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The themes in The Hound of the Baskervilles highlight the confusion brought on by societal disorder. For instance, the theme of love is tainted by the malevolence portrayed in the narrative. Selden, the notorious Notting Hill murderer, takes advantage of his sister's love to aid his escape from the law. Likewise, Stapleton deceives his own wife to trap Sir Henry Baskerville. He pretends to love and offers marriage to Laura Lyons to persuade her to lead Sir Charles into a darkened path where he encounters the Hound. Anyone entangled with these deceitful lovers encounters peril, as their relationships are as deceptive and dangerous as the Grimpen Mire. Sir Henry, in particular, becomes captivated by another man's wife, leaving him mentally unsettled by the end of the novel.

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