Date of Meeting: 14th December 2021
Location of Meeting:
The Sherloft, My House, Portsmouth, UK
Attendees:
"The Entire Canon" (Paul Thomas Miller)
Apologies:
I apologise for your face.
Motions:
"The Entire Canon" (Paul Thomas Miller) did a biggy.
Presentation:
"The Entire Canon" (Paul Thomas Miller) presented an essay on Christmas in The Canon
The Other Holmesian Christmas Story
Outside of The Blue Carbuncle, Christmas only gets one other mention in The Canon - it was at Christmas in 1880 that Julia Stoner met her fiance for the first time. Julia had been spending the holiday with her maiden aunt - Honoria Westphail - near Harrow. During the festivities she was introduced to a half-pay major. She fell in love with him and they were soon engaged. Grimesby Roylott gave no indication that he objected to the match, but the wedding did not take place. Two weeks before Julia could escape Stoke Moran, she was secretly murdered by her sneaky step-father.
Is this enough to qualify The Speckled Band as The Other Holmesian Christmas Story? Perhaps not. Until we take a closer look at the whole story. Then we find that much of the story of the Nativity is hidden in the text.
Once they establish the facts of the case, Holmes and Watson settle into rooms at the Crown Inn near Roylott's estate. From here they are drawn to a specific location when they see a light shining through the darkness. Like the Star of Bethlehem beckoning the wise men, Helen Stoner's lamp appears in her bedroom window, calling to Holmes and Watson in the village to the East. Holmes and Watson are both intelligent men. Their ability as astronomers is demonstrated elsewhere in the Canon - Watson speaks of Copernican Theory in A Study in Scarlet, and while Holmes claimed not to know about it, it is clear this was not true as in The Greek Interpreter he is quite able to discuss the obliquity of the ecliptic. Holmes and Watson then, make for ideal representations of the wise men.
On their journey from the Crown Inn to the Manor House, our metaphorical magi meet another character - Roylott's pet baboon. The primate throws itself on the lawn in front of them, writhes about and then disappears into the darkness. Who else could this represent but King Herod? Up until now, the Baboon has been Roylott's favoured male - in a sense he has been the ruler of the grounds of Stoke Moran. But he senses that change is afoot. His anguished writhing represents the outburst of King Herod. And the baboons disappearance into darkness represents King Herod’s own descent into the dark deed of mass infanticide.
Following this Holmes and Watson reach the location of the light. If the analogy holds true, Helen Stoner's room must represent the stable in Bethlehem. But we find no pregnant virgin here - Helen has abandoned it in favour of her old uncomfortable room where repairs are taking place. While this may be a nod to the rough conditions Mary found herself in, it is clear she does not actually represent the Holy Mother. So who does? It can't be Johnny "Three Continents" Watson. The only other occupant of the room at this time is Holmes. Consider his own words in The Lion's Mane: "Women have seldom been an attraction to me, for my brain has always governed my heart." It is quite possible that Holmes spent his whole life as a virgin. In this Holmesian version of the Nativity, as he crawled through the window of the bedroom Holmes moved on from his role as a wise man to become the Holy Mother.
Did Watson also change role? Perhaps. Consider that from here on in the story, he watches over Holmes. Silently he observes, ready to protect, support and care for him as necessary. The role he provides is open to interpretation: he may represent Joseph, the supportive husband, or he may represent the Shepherds and their relationship with the lamb of God. Either way, he is certainly representative of the supportive people that Mary had around her in the stable at Bethlehem.
At this point I would like to consider Roylott's role in this allegory. It seems clear to me that he represents the Devil. Early in the story Helen Stoner provided Holmes and Watson with a brief biography of her step-father. Helen's mother fell in love with Roylott while they were in India. This suggests that he was once a likable person. Helen later mentions a change in his personality - it is reasonable to suppose, then, that he was once a good man but he became a bad man. Like the one-time-angel Lucifer, Roylott seems to have changed at a specific point in his life. The murder of his butler seems to represent Satan's fall from Heaven. It is at this point that he returns to the estate at Stoke Moran. He comes to dominate the area - the cheetah on his estate representing his mysterious and malign influence reaching ever further. If we take the Stoke Moran estate to represent the world, we can see the parallel with Roylott-Satan gaining too much power and the need for him to be stopped. In summoning Holmes to Stoke Moran to stop her step-father, Helen Stoner mirrors God's decision to send his son to Earth to combat the forces of evil.
So exactly where is the representation of Jesus in this analogy? It is, of course, Holmes himself. This further transformation takes place as Roylott-Satan exerts his influence over the world in the form of a serpent thrust through the ventilator. At this moment, Virgin-Mary-Holmes gives birth to Jesus-Holmes. He strikes a match to provide light in the darkness and drives the serpent back. How can this represent anything other than the light of Jesus driving evil back. As evil recoils upon evil, Holmes points out that "Violence does, in truth recoil upon the violent." Evil is defeated and mankind - in the form of Helen Stoner - is freed from its grasp.
Now we see the last transformation that Holmes makes - having captured the snake, he places it carefully in a safe, locks it and leaves it for the police. No doubt the police welcomed this gift of evidence. The whole scene, of course, is supposed to represent Santa Claus wrapping and distributing his presents to the new, brighter world. Holmes has made his final metamorphosis, from Jesus to Santa - the true meaning of Christmas.
Any Other Business:
"The Entire Canon" (Paul Thomas Miller) shared his new song:
