skysailor wrote: ↑Mon 03 Jan, 2022, 11:25 pm
The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
Watson is a companion "to whom each development comes as a perpetual surprise, and to whom the future is always a closed book, [and as such] is, indeed, an ideal helpmate" and this is why Holmes "burden[s] [him]self with a companion in [his] various little inquiries"
So I've been sitting on this one for a while because it's an unusual case (and also because it ticks me off lol) but I figure I'll just have to tackle it in an unusual way.
You see, I cannot provide prior evidence of this point, because this
contradicts all of the prior evidence. So instead, I'm going to give these two very early examples of prior evidence that directly contradict this idea that Holmes keeps Watson around to stoke his ego.
Holmes values Watson's lack of idle chatter and also values Watson as an attentive listener:
The Man with the Twisted Lip wrote:
Holmes drove in silence, with his head sunk upon his breast, and the air of a man who is lost in thought, while I sat beside him, curious to learn what this new quest might be which seemed to tax his powers so sorely, and yet afraid to break in upon the current of his thoughts. We had driven several miles, and were beginning to get to the fringe of the belt of suburban villas, when he shook himself, shrugged his shoulders, and lit up his pipe with the air of a man who has satisfied himself that he is acting for the best.
“You have a grand gift of silence, Watson,” said he. “It makes you quite invaluable as a companion. ’Pon my word, it is a great thing for me to have someone to talk to, for my own thoughts are not over-pleasant."
Watson endeavors to not just admire Holmes' methods from afar but to
employ them himself, and Holmes thinks he has promise (which the vast majority of the canon would indicate to be an extremely rare thing):
A Case of Identity wrote:
Sherlock Holmes clapped his hands softly together and chuckled.
“’Pon my word, Watson, you are coming along wonderfully. You have really done very well indeed. It is true that you have missed everything of importance, but you have hit upon the method, and you have a quick eye for colour."
Now, you could make the case that Holmes thinks Watson having no powers of predictive analysis doesn't contradict Watson's own keen interest in Holmes' method and learning how to employ it himself, but rather indicates Watson sucks at it. However, you could say that about literally anyone. That wouldn't make Watson special. All of his clients are constantly surprised at his conclusions. Virtually all of the police he works with are constantly surprised at his conclusions. What makes Watson different about this isn't being surprised, it's
his interest in Holmes' methods and
wanting to learn to do it himself. That's completely an opposite dynamic!!!!
ALSO, Watson respects and admires Holmes and his methods, which means that when Holmes comes to some conclusion he can't follow and won't explain it, Watson
has faith in him being right. Sometimes he doesn't even come across as surprised because even though he has nfi what's going on, he trusts Holmes' methods!! (And he also trusts that Holmes will explain it to him when the time is right, showing a great amount of patience, lol)
I have a theory that many of the mischaracterizations in these last several stories are the result of Doyle copying what was becoming the popular conception of Holmes & Watson based on the stage adaptations rather than referencing his own initial creations, because he didn't give a shit. I haven't done the research for it but one point in favor of this is that one of the later stories (The Mazarin Stone, notable for being in 3rd person) is in fact an adaptation from a play script.