Sherlock Holmes

The ultimate in fame reaches an author and his creation when a character in his fiction is seen by readers as a real person. More than that – when this assumption is made without thought or reasoning but taken for granted. The creation is so convincing, his or her character so thoroughly and deeply drawn, their ways and habits, propensities and virtues so established, their appearance so confidently described, that the reader has little doubt that this is a living human being.

The first time I ever made contact with this extraordinarily character, was, and I am ashamed to confess, too late. While my parents met him in their childhood, I only let Sherlock in  during my teenage years. Thinking twice, I believe that it was better this way, thus I managed to have a more profound perspective over Mr. Holmes’ personality and motives, despite the fact that he remains a bigger mystery than the ones he gracefully solves.

Falling in love with a character strongly suggests a passionate piece of literature alongside countless thrilling stories and life lessons that one may or may not learn from. Despite our late encounter, Sherlock and me became very good friends. I was drawn by the unmistakable British sarcasm and way of perceiving life. As it has come down to the verb “to see”... Holmes’ ability of deduction and cunning skills of observation, nonetheless trained my mind to such an extent that I found myself observing objects and people that I was not aware of, until then. Disregarding the fact that I did not open a private eye office, the incursion in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s world can be rightfully compared with taking an ice-cold shower, revealing many secrets that were, until then, hidden in plain view.

Even when he is utterly wrong, Holmes is right. This compensation generates from his complementary relationship with Dr. John Watson.  For every flaw Holmes has, Watson is there to level the balance, proving once more that in some cases, one searches in a friend what he/she cannot find in oneself, and when that search comes to an end, the resulting bond is astonishing and undoubtedly ,unbreakable, creating the prototype of a perfect and admirable friendship.