A Large Yet Frail Ego

Character traits are used to help describe a character and to explain their actions. For example a heroic character would not be expected to flee from battle as a character lacking courage would not be expected to stand and fight. Therefore character traits give the expected actions of a character in a certain situation.  Sherlock Holmes, the world-renowned detective of 221b Baker Street, in the novel Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle possesses a large yet frail ego.

 Sherlock Holmes posses a very large ego. This causes him to often boost and to belittle his assistant Dr. Watson. For example he tells Watson “Really, Watson, you excel yourself…I am bound to say that in all the accounts which you have been so good as to give of my own small achievements you have habitually underrated your own abilities. It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it. I confess, my dear fellow, that I am very much in your debt.” This is Holmes’s way of complimenting Watson for great use of his methods of observation. Yet he does not let the opportunity pass buy to refer to himself as a genius and to claim that Watson does not posses great abilities like he does but that he simply copies his methods to appear to arrive at the right conclusion through wit.

Sherlock Holmes also possesses a very fragile ego. When a client of his claims that he is the second best crime solver in Europe Sherlock interrupts and exclaims aggressively “Indeed, sir! May I inquire who has the honour to be the first?”  Then his client states that Monsieur Bertillon is and Sherlock remarks “Then had you not better consult him?” Show that his ego has been hurt being only considered the second best and