DEFENSE MECHANISM OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE
STORIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES BY SIR ARTHUR
CONAN DOYLE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
YOSEPH OEDIPHUS ABEL
Student Number: 124214016
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2016
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DEFENSE MECHANISM OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE
STORIES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES BY SIR ARTHUR
CONAN DOYLE
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
YOSEPH OEDIPHUS ABEL
Student Number: 124214016
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2016
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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To a Great Mind, Nothing is Little
– Sherlock Holmes
When you have eliminated the impossible,
whatever remains, however improbable,
must be the truth
– Sherlock Holmes
There is nothing new under the sun. It
has all been done before
– Sherlock Holmes
Who am I to judge
– Pope Francis
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This page is dedicated for:
My parents,
Friends,
and
You. . .
Yes, You..
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ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, thank you God for the life and for everything that happened in
my life.
Second of all, I would like to thank Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum
who gave me a lot of help and very great advice in finishing this undergraduate
thesis. Without his help I think I would not be able to finish this undergraduate
thesis. I would like to also thank Dr. F.X. Siswadi M.A. who gave me a lot of
advice on the detail that I missed. Their inputs have improved my undergraduate
thesis and I am totally grateful for their guidance.
With this thesis I would like to say thank you to my parents that gave me a
chance to go to college and encourage me to finish my study. Because of them, I
am able to finish this undergraduate thesis. I hope I can return their favor by this
undergraduate thesis
I am grateful to all of my friends too, Gatot, Satrio, Dryan, Doni, Sandy,
Wibi, Mas Gigih, Cahyo, Mas adit, Gaby, Vania, Nityassa Sony, Dhany,
especially Tjia who helped me a lot in the process of writing this undergraduate
thesis and to all of my friends who I cannot mention one by one.
Yoseph Oediphus Abel
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TABLE OF CONTENS
TITLE PAGE ............................................................................................ ii
APPROVAL PAGE .................................................................................. iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ............................................................................. iv
LEMBAR ERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI
KARYA ILMIAH ....................................................................................... v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ........................................................ vi
MOTTO PAGE ......................................................................................... vii
DEDICATION PAGE ............................................................................... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................... x
ABTRACT ................................................................................................. xi
ABSTRAK ................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 1
A. Background of the Study ................................................................. 1
B. Problem Formulation ...................................................................... 3
C. Objectives of the Study ................................................................... 3
D. Definition of Terms ......................................................................... 4
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................ 6
A. Review of Related Studies .............................................................. 6
B. Review of Related Theories ............................................................ 11
C. Theoritical Framework .................................................................... 19
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ........................................................ 21
A. Object of the Study.......................................................................... 21
B. Approach of the Study .................................................................... 23
C. Method of the Study ........................................................................ 24
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS .................................................................... 26
A. Defense Mechanisms ...................................................................... 26
B. Type of Defense Mechanisms ........................................................ 49
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ................................................................ 54
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................... 58
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ABSTRACT
ABEL, YOSEPH OEDIPHUS. Defense Mechanism of Sherlock Holmes in
Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yogyakarta: Department
of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016
Life is full of emotions and experiences. Those emotions and experiences
are gathered in someone‘s mind. Human‘s mind is divided into two parts, which
are consciousness and unconsciousness. The reason someone does a defense
mechanisms lies in the unconsciousness in their mind. Defense mechanisms are
forms of self-defense that help people avoid a cetain kind of event that threatens
them or make them stressed. People must have something that they really want or
a feeling about love, hatred or something that threatens them. Unfortunately,
because of some reasons, for examples norms in the society and status of
someone, they cannot get the thing they want or express their feeling. In order to
avoid the unexpressed feeling or something that threatens them, people use
defense mechanism. Even though defense mechanisms are psychological events in
human, the defense mechanisms also can be seen too in the literary works.
There are two objectives in this study. The first objective is to find when
Sherlock Holmes uses a defense mechanism. Thus, this study will reveal under
what circumstances that Sherlock Holmes displays a defense mechanism. The
second objective is to determine what type of defense mechanism used by
Sherlock Holmes. The types of defense mechanism are classified based on
Sigmund Freud‘s idea about the types of defense mechanism.
The method of study of this undergraduate thesis is library research. The
primary data are taken from Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories
Volume I and the secondary data are taken form internet sources and some
theories from books like Beginning Theory and Theories of Personality.
The results of this study are Sherlock Holmes did a defense mechanisms
under six circumstances, such as when he got compliment from other people,
romance things, difficult cases, coversation about bad effect of his addiction to
drugs, having no case, and a condition where he did not have any friend. Then,
there are four types of defense mechanisms that are used by Sherlock Holmes
under those six circumstances, those are displacement, repression, regression, and
fixation.
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ABSTRAK
ABEL, YOSEPH OEDIPHUS. Defense Mechanism of Sherlock Holmes in
Sherlock Holmes Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Yogyakarta: Program
Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2016
Hidup penuh dengan emosi dan perasaan. Emosi dan perasaan tersebut
berumpul di dalam benak manusia. Benak manusia dibagi menjadi 2 bagian, alam
kesadaran dan alam bawah sadar. Alasan seseorang melakukan mekanisme
pertahanan diri terdapat di alam bawah sadar mereka. Mekanisme pertahanan
adalah bentuk perthanan diri yang membantu individu untuk menghindari hal –hal
yang membuat mereka merasa terancam atau membuat mereka tertekan. Setiap
orang pasti memilike sesuatu yang sangat mereka inginkan atau perasaan suka
terhadap sesuatu, rasa tidak suka atau sesuatu yang membuat mereka merasa
terancam atau tertekan. Sayangnya, karena beberapa alasan, seperti norma-norma
sosial dan status seseorang, mereka tidak bisa mendapatkan apa yang mereka
inginkan ataupun mengekspresikan perasaan mereka. Untuk menyembunyikan
perasaan mereka tersebut atau bersembunyi dari hal-hal yang membuat mereka
merasa tertekan, orang-orang melakukan sesuatu yang di dunia psikologi dikenal
dengan mekanisme pertahanan. Meskipun mekanisme pertahanan adalah kejadian
psikologi pada manusia, mekanisme pertahanan ini juga bisa dilihat pada karya
sastra.
Ada dua tujuan dari studi ini. Tujuan yang pertama adalah menemukan
kapan Sherlock Holmes menggunakan mekanisme pertahanan diri. Maka dari itu
studi ini akan mengungkap dala situasi seperti apa Sherlock Holmes menunjukan
mekanisme pertahanan diri. Tujuan yang kedua adalah menentukan jenis
mekanisme pertahanan seperti apa yang digunakan oleh Sherlock Holmes. Tipe
dari mekanisme pertahan dikelompokan sesuai denagn teori yang dikemukakan
oleh sigmund freud.
Metode yang digunakan untuk studi ini adalah studi pustaka. Sumber
utama diambil dari buku Sherlock Holmes:The Complete Novels and Stories
Volume I dan sumber sekunder diambil dari sumber internet dan beberapa buku
teori seperti Beginning Theory dan Theories of Personalities.
Hasil dari studi ini adalah Sherlock Holmes benar melakukan mekanisme
pertahanan dalam 6 jenis situasi, seperti ketika ia sedang dipuji oleh orang lain
atau menerima pujian, tentang cinta, kasus sulit, percakapan tentang efek buruk
dari kecanduannya terhadap obat-obatan, tidak punya kasus, dan keadaan dimana
ia tidak mempunyai teman. Tipe pertahanan diri yang digunakan oleh Sherlock
Holmes dalam 6 situasi tersebut ada 4 jenis, yaitu pemindahan, represi, regresi,
dan fixasi.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Life is full of emotions and experiences. Those emotions and experiences
could be good or bad and those emotions and experiences are gathered in the
human mind. In supporting the point, Ryan states that ―The life of the mind is a
mixture of cognition and emotion, conscious awareness and unconscious
awareness, rational and self-directed behavior and instinct –driven action (2012:
43).‖
Unconsciously, everyone must have something that makes them feel
threatened. Deep down, everyone must have something that they really want and
in some conditions, because of some reasons they cannot have the things that they
really want or they have an unexpressed feeling due to the society‘s construction
that prevents them from expressing it, and they have no choice but to repress their
feelings. As stated by Michael Billig ―Freud believed that people repress, or drive
from their unconscious minds, shameful thoughts that, then, become unconscious
(1999: 1).‖ Michael Ryan also said more or less the same thing
Some feelings and thoughts are repressed or pushed permanently out of
consciousness because we find them threatening. Some experiences, such
as traumatic events of abuse in childhood, must also be pushed out and
repressed because they are too upsetting. They evoke feelings of
helplessness and harm that the conscious self cannot tolerate (2012: 44).
The reasons why human feel threatened to something can be various.
Sometimes, it is because of a traumatic experience that happened in the past.
There is also another reason for it, for example, because it is really shameful for
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him/her to express their feelings. Like the reasons why someone feels threatened,
things that threaten them also could be anything. It could be about love, about
fear, or about hatred.
The concern about this thesis is the defense mechanisms that Sherlock
Holmes does to himself and his relationship to another people. Since in the
elementary school people taught that humans are social being. It means that
humans cannot live without another human being, thus people need each other is
presence in life. For example, students need teachers to teach them about
something that they might need or useful for them in the future. On the other side,
teachers also need the student so they have a job to get some money to fulfill their
needs. Humans will have an interaction with other humans in order to
communicate what their needs in life. Through that interaction and
communication, a relationship can be constructed, for example: friendship,
partnership, or love relationship.
Since it is human nature that needs other human being to live, there is quite
impossible for humans to against their nature so they do some defense
mechanisms their feelings. It can be because they are shy or maybe it is because
of the demand of their job. The feelings that are repressed also can be anything.
For examples, hatred, love or hobby.
Besides human nature, society also has some norms that might prevent
someone express something that they want. The norms in the society also can
make someone do a defense mechanism to their feelings.
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In this undergraduate thesis, the object that is discussed is the main
character named Sherlock Holmes in all Sherlock Holmes stories that written by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes is chosen as the character that is
analyzed because in some movies and TV series, he is described as an anti-social
person. He does not like to have an interaction with other people if it the
interaction is not related to his case.
Defense mechanisms are the main foci of this study. To find what defense
mechanisms that Sherlock Holmes does in the stories are, The writer had to find
Sherlock Holmes‘ unusual action.
B. Problem Formulation
Questions that are going to be answered in this study are:
1. Under what circumstances does Sherlock Holmes use his defense
mechanisms?
2. What kind of defense mechanism does Sherlock Holmes use?
C. Objectives of the Study
Sherlock Holmes has some defense mechanisms. The concern of this study
is to find Sherlock Holmes‘ defense mechanisms. The main concern of this study
became a foundation of the problem formulations, which were answered in this
study.
The first purpose of this study is to find when Sherlock Holmes uses
defense mechanisms. The first step is finding Sherlock Holmes‘ denial, which is
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the first characteristic of defense mechanisms. Every kind of defense mechanisms
begin with a denial, it is one of the characteristics. Finding Sherlock Holmes‘
denial means looking for when Sherlock Holmes uses defense mechanism. Denial
is just like the first step of defense mechanisms. So, it is important to find
Sherlock Holmes‘ denial in the first place.
After Sherlock Holmes‘ denial is found, second question is to classify
Sherlock Holmes‘ act, what kind of defense mechanism it is. It will be done by
matching the Sherlock Holmes‘ act to the characteristics of each kind of defense
mechanisms.
D. Definition of Terms
Defense Mechanisms here are the idea proposed by Sigmund Freud where
people defend themselves from the event that makes them feel threatened.
We use defense mechanisms to protect ourselves from feelings of anxiety
or guilt, which arise because we feel threatened, or because our id or
superego becomes too demanding. They are not under our conscious
control, and are non-voluntaristic. With the ego, our unconscious will use
one or more to protect us when we come up against a stressful situation in
life (Mcleod, 2009).
Consciousness is the part of our mind that takes role on our act toward
something in everyday life. It is simply known as thoughts that a person wants to
do something. As stated by Ryan, ―Refer to your awareness of yourself and of the
world – your ―thought process‖ as you move through any day (2012: 45).‖
Unconsciousness is the place where our desires, bad experiences, and
shameful thoughts are gathered and repressed.
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it refers to the part of the mind that is unavailable to consciousness. The
unconscious contents simple yearnings and desires such as ―I hope I do
well in exam‖ or ―I hope he loves me.‖ But also consist of repressed
feelings and ideas that the conscious mind cannot tolerate (Ryan, 2012:
45).
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Another researcher that analyzes Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle is Christopher Redmond. In his book, In Bed with Sherlock Holmes,
he tries to analyze the romantic elements in Sherlock Holmes stories. Sherlock
Holmes stories here mean the four novels and the fifty six short stories.
The object to be analyzed in his book In Bed with Sherlock Holmes is not
only the main character, which is Sherlock Holmes, but also other characters like
Watson and the detectives from Scotland Yard. The concerns of his study are the
romance and sex that exist in Sherlock Holmes stories.
Christopher Redmond states that the stories about Sherlock Holmes are not
just a detective story.
There is something that readers do not realize. Sherlock Holmes stories are
not just contained with adventure and mystery, but also romance and sex.
Readers simply do not look for sex and romance in the Sherlock Holmes
tales; but they are there, and though boys may not benefit for them, they
are an important source of the richness that keeps adult readers coming
back to Sherlock Holmes (Redmond, 1984:10).
In the early part of the book Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four, Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about Sherlock Holmes addiction to cocaine. His bad
habit of using cocaine relapses whenever he does not have any case to be solved.
Watson is not very happy about Sherlock Holmes‘ addiction and lectures him.
Christopher Redmond found the attitude of Dr. Watson towards Sherlock Holmes
when he was using cocaine is like a wife lecturing her husband when he is taking
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cocaine. ―He (Dr. Watson) is nagging Holmes rather as a wife would do about his
drug-taking. (Redmond, 1984:39)‖
Redmond also writes about romance between Dr. John Watson and Ms.
Mary Morstan. Ms. Morstan was telling Dr. Watson to stay in the room and
saying that the presence of Dr. Watson will be helping her. Redmond said that by
saying those words, Ms. Morstan is showing her interest to Dr. Watson. So does
Dr. Watson too, he has the same feeling towards Ms. Morstan. He said so because
Dr. Watson is portrayed as the man of the word and try to show off in the rest of
the story to get Ms. Morstan‘s attention.
Different from Christopher Redmond, E. J. Wagner tries to find the
scientific things in Sherlock Holmes stories and the inspiration of stories in
Sherlock Holmes, his book titled The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From
Baskerville Hall to the Valley of fear, the Real Forensics behind the Greatest
Detective’s Greatest Cases.
E. J. Wagner said that where Sherlock Holmes investigates a case in which
the victim was killed by poison, ―The Adventure of the Speckled Band,‖ is also
found in the real world. Almost similar to Sherlock Holmes‘ case where the
victim was killed using poison from animal, a woman was also found dead in her
house because of poisoned. Police didn‘t know the cause of her death, They just
found tiny hypodermic mark on her. Later on, police found out that Kenneth killed
his wife by injecting insulin to her. Injecting insulin to a person that is not a
diabetic could kill her.
The police, questioning Kenneth‘s coworkers, had discovered that his
nursing job involved injecting insulin. It was known that Elizabeth was not
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a diabetic, therefore injecting her with a large dose of insulin would result
in fatal hypoglycemic shock. There was no precedent murder by insulin,
no accepted test. (Wagner, 2006: 45)
Wagner also states that the way Sherlock Holmes observes a crime scene
in the novel A Study in Scarlet is similar to what Hans Gross, a brilliant professor
of criminology from Vienna that made a standards for investigating. The time
Hans Gross made the standards was about the same with the time when Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle wrote Sherlock Holmes.
From Dr. Watson‘s description about Sherlock Holmes when Holmes
observes a crime scene in the novel A Study in Scarlet, Wagner said that Holmes
is very concentrateting to the scene and had so much detail, ―When examining the
scene of crime, Sherlock Holmes exhibits an amazing of intensity of concentration
and passion for detail (Wagner, 2006: 76).‖ It is similar to Hans Gross,
Gross believed you must have strictly accurate and complete data before
reaching a conclusion. To this end, he required that at crime scene, the
investigator keep in mind that anything and everything may be of
importance. He stressed that absolutely nothing is too small to have a
bearing on the case. (Wagner, 2006: 77)
Sherlock Holmes in the stories is always described as a strict and
conscientious person, and also he is not really good in relation with other person
in the story. Karl Albrecht Ph. D sees Sherlock Holmes‘ actions as a symptom of
mental disorder named Asperger syndrome. He sees three main characteristics of
Sherlock Holmes that makes him think like that, those are Holmes‘ observation
skills, his memory, and his ability in making a deduction.
These three core characteristics have led many to speculate that Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, his creator, had – more or less unconsciously – diagnosed
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him with what‘s now known as Asperger (or Asperger‘s) Syndrome.
(Albrecht, 2011)
He also explains how Sherlock Holmes gets that syndrome that the idea of
that syndrome came up at 1944 and the stories of Sherlock Holmes was published
long time before that. He said that it is a part of characterization, where it is ―the
art of elaborating the psychological make-up of a person as a distinct,
recognizable, and believable personality (Albrecht, 2011)‖ and he said that Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired by someone, which is Joseph Bell, his old
university professor.
And, he probably had a very useful role model, in his old university
professor Joseph Bell. Conan Doyle reportedly wrote to Bell, "It is most
certainly to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes. Round the centre of
deduction and inference and observation which I have heard you inculcate
I have tried to build up a man." The wikipedia.org biography for Conan
Doyle indicates that his old school mate Robert Louis Stevenson
immediately recognized Bell as the character model for Holmes, as he read
the stories in faraway Samoa. (Albrecht, 2011)
Leslie Klinger, the editor of the most comprehensive annotated version of
the Sherlock Holmes stories, also said the same thing. As Lisa Sanders had wrote,
Klinger was saying that Sherlock Holmes has mild form of autism, ―Others,
Klinger adds, have suggested that Sherlock Holmes may have had a mild form of
autism, commonly known as Asperger‘s syndrome (Sanders, 2009).‖ The
characteristics of Asperger‘s syndrome are problems with social interaction and
intense focus on only one topic or object. ―He described four bright and articulate
boys who had severe problems with social interaction and tended to focus
intensely on particular objects or topics (Sanders, 2009).‖
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Those statements are strengthened by Ami Klin, a director of autism
program at the Yale Child Study Center, that states a basic thing that defines
autism as a condition where a person is having a difficulty to understand about
other people and to socialize. ―the fundamental quality that defines all forms of
autism is ―mind-blindness‖: difficulty in understanding what others feel or think
and thus in forming relationships (Sanders, 2009).‖
Lisa Sanders said that all those symptoms are shown by Sherlock Holmes
in the stories. She said that when Sherlock Holmes is interacting whith another
person, he often show rudeness, even to his closest friend Dr. Watson.
In Conan Doyle‘s portrayal, Sherlock Holmes at times exhibits all of these
qualities. His interactions with others are often direct to the point of
rudeness. And even when Holmes is speaking to Watson, his closest
friend, his compliments are often closer to a rebuke. In ―The Hound of the
Baskervilles,‖ when Watson, pleased with his own detective abilities,
reports to Holmes the results of his investigation, Holmes tells him that he
isn‘t a source of light but a conductor of light, a mere aid in solving
mysteries only Holmes himself can untangle. (Sanders, 2009)
The statement above proves that Sherlock Holmes does not know what other
people feels, and make him difficult to gain any friend.
She also states that Holmes was also showing intense focus on a strange
object and he has a very detailed knowledge about that. Sherlock Holmes has very
detailed knowledge about cigar that does not seem to be a common thing to know
about. Sanders says that it is proving about what Asperger called as ―autistic
intelligence.‖ It is a condition where people are able to see something from a very
different perspective.
Holmes brags frequently of his detailed knowledge of all kinds of strange
phenomena. He is said to have written a monograph on the differences
among 140 cigar, pipe and cigarette ashes. He demonstrates what Asperger
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called ―autistic intelligence‖ — an ability to see the world from a very
different perspective than most people, often by focusing on details
overlooked by others. (Sanders, 2009)
Different from them, this study is focused on the defense mechanisms of
Sherlock Holmes that ―protect‖ him from the things that threaten him. This study
focuses on when the defense mechanisms of Sherlock Holmes shows up and
categorizing his actions into what types of defense mechanisms those are. The
analysis is based on Sherlock Holmes‘s action.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Defense Mechanisms
According to Peter Barry, psychoanalisis is a form of therapy used by a
psychologist to cure his/her patient‘s problems. The method is to make the patient
talk freely so, the repressed feeling that causes trouble comes up in conscious
mind and can be cured.
Psychoanalysis itself is a form of therapy which aims to cure mental
disorders ‗by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious
elements in mind‘ (as the Concise Oxford Dictionary puts it) (Barry, 2002:
98)
Since the main thing in psychoanalysis is interaction, which needs two ways of
conversation, psychoanalytic criticism is a little bit different, because the
characters in the story cannot talk to the analyst, thus the process of analyzing the
character is done through images, symbols and metaphors in the stories. As Barry
states, ―The basic reason, again, is that the unconscious, like the poem, or novel,
or play, cannot speak directly and explicitly but does through images, symbols,
emblems, and metaphors (2002: 102).‖
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Psychoanalysis is proposed by Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis is more
concerned about the development of human‘s mind. For this study, the concepts in
psychoanalytic theories that will be used are about defense mechanisms.
Defense mechanisms are a form of defense that protect people from an
event that threaten them because of traumatic event in the past, unwanted desire or
shameful thought that they have. It is a normal thing actually, but under an
excessive anxiety, our mind can take an ―extreme way‖ to dismiss the threat. It
can become more extreme and lead to other effects, like compulsive, repetitive
and neurotic behavior. ―although defense mechanisms are normal and universally
used, whenever carried to an extreme they lead to compulsive, repetitive and
neurotic behavior. (Feist, 2006:34).‖ Type of Defense Mechanisms are repression,
reaction formation, displacement, fixation, regression, projection, introjection, and
sublimation.
Repression
It is the most basic defense mechanism because it‘s related to other
defense mechanism. Its job is to push all unwanted feelings such as unadmitted
desires, shameful thoughts, and traumatic events in the past into realm of
unconsciousness. ―whenever ego is threatened by undesireable id impulse, it
protects itself by repressing those mpulses; that is, it forces threatening feelings
into the unconscious (Freud, 1926/1959a) (Feist, 2006:35).‖ It is keeping the
threatening thoughts in our unconscious mind from becoming conscious. This
defense mechanism represses our thought that makes our mind feel endangered or
repress something that cannot be fulfilled. Like Peter Barry also said in his book
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13
The Beginning Theory, he stated that repression is ―‗forgetting‘ or ignoring
unresolved conflicts, unadmitted desire, or traumatic past event, so that problems
forced out of unconscious awareness and kept in the realm of unconscious (Barry,
2002:96).‖
Reaction Formation
It is one of defense mechanisms that where a repressed feeling is realized
in the opposite of what has been repressed, the way that it is realized is not usual,
and sometimes it is done too much. As stated by Feist, ―One of the ways in which
a repressed impulse may become conscious is through adopting a disguise that is
directly opposite its original form (2006: 35).‖ For example, when a poor boy that
falls in love with the richest girl in campus, but he represses that feeling because
her friend will mock him because he is dreaming too much, then to avoid this
painful event, the unconscious concentrate on the opposite act which is hatred so
he can forget the feelings.
Displacement
Displacement is more or less similar to reaction formation. In reaction
formation, it is limited towards the thing that makes them repress their feeling.
While in displacement, the subject that a person drives his repressed feeling to
could be different. ―In displacement, however people can redirect their
unacceptable urges into a variety of people or objects so that the original impulse
is disguised or concealed (Feist, 2006: 36).‖ For example a person is angry at his
father, but he cannot yell at his father because the society will have a negative
judgment about him, so he redirects his anger toward something else, like his son,
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14
his coworker, or even a pillow. The person keeps loving his father but the way he
loves his father will not be excessive like in reaction formation, it displacement
the love will be as usual.
Fixation
Taking a new step in life sometimes is not easy. It can be stressful for
some people, and when it is too stressful to them, fixation happens. Fixation is
like a time when people are stuck temporarily or even permanent when they have
to take the new step in their life. ―When the prospect of taking the next step
becomes too anxiety provoking, the ego may resort to the strategy of remaining at
the present, more comfortable psychological stage. Such a defense called fixation.
(Feist, 2006: 36).‖ For example when a kid is going to elementary school for the
first time, he has too many worries, then he asks his mother to be close to him
during school time. It can make him always depend to his parents and keep him
away from learning to be independent.
Regression
Regression is related to the fixation. It is the time when someone has
already passed the fixation process and he faces a stressful event that is excessive
for him. When he faces that kind of event, he tends to get back to the earlier stage,
the fixation stage. ―Once the libido has passed a developmental stage, it may,
during times of stress and anxiety, revert back to the earlier stage. Such a
reversion is known as regression (Feist, 2006: 36).‖ What people do in regression
is usually related to the fixations that happen to them before. For example after the
kid in the fixation example grows up, becomes independent, then one day he faces
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a stressful event, that is excessive to him. He will go to his parents‘ house to run
from the problem.
Projection
Projection is an act to reduce threatening event by relating the threatening
feeling to something. It is like a person diverts his unwanted feeling that lies in the
unconscious to something else. ―When an internal impulse provokes too much
anxiety, the ego may reduce anxiety by attributing the unwanted impulse to an
external object, usually another person. This is the defense mechanism of
projection (Feist, 2006: 37).‖ For example when a person does not like his
parents, instead of saying he hates his parents, he says that his parents hates him.
Introjection
It is a defense mechanism where a person does not feel good about
himself, so he is ―imitating‖ positive things from someone else to make him feel
better, more confident about himself. ―Introjection is a defense mechanism
whereby people incorporate positive qualities of another person into their own ego
(Feist, 2006: 37).‖ The person that they imitate could be anyone, like their parents,
idol, or friends. For example a man that imitates style from a movie star, or their
father‘s leadership
Sublimation
It is a defense mechanism where someone expresses himself or something
in his unconsciousness to something that is more acceptable to the society or have
a positive effect. ―Sublimation is a repression of the genital aim of Eros by
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substituting a cultural or social aim (Feist, 2006: 38).‖ Here, in sublimation, what
is repressed is expressed in a way that is more acceptable in the society.
The reason why someone does a defense mechanism to something is based
on what is in his unconsciousness are. The unconsciousness itself is an
uncontrolled part of our mind. It is the place where we unconsciously put our
secret desires, unpleasant feelings, or shameful thoughts that we have. As Ryan
stares,
We all have unconscious, a realm from which feelings well up or thoughts
emerge unexpectedly. It is a part of ―us‖ but we do not control its
operations. Psychoanalysts believe it is where banished feelings, desires,
and thoughts go that our conscious mind or ego cannot accept for one
reason or another (personal history, social preasures, cultural norms, etc.)
(2012: 43-44).
Unconscious realm itself cannot be accessed by consciousness. Even though
cannot be accessed by consciousness, sometimes unconsciousness is the reason
behind our unintended action towards something. As stated, ―To him (Sigmund
Freud) the unconscious is the explanation for the meaning behind dream, slip of
the tongue, and certain kinds of forgetting, called repression (Feist, 2006: 24)
In order to understand a defense mechanisms there are usually ―sign‖ that
someone uses a defense mechanisms. There are denial and parapraxis. The denial
and parapraxis can be used to analyzed someone‘s unusual action. Like, their
action is contradictive to their words.
Denial, it is a process where the subject tries to ignore or deny because of
some reasons. It is an action of rejecting an event out of consciousness that is
done by someone due to traumatic past experiences or it is too shameful to be
expressed. When the subject denies the feeling, he/she forces that feeling or
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thought out of consciousness and enter to the realm of unconscious. As stated by
Mcleod ―Denial involves blocking external events from awareness. If some
situation is just too much to handle, the person just refuses to experience it
(2009).‖ It is like when a boy who is attracted to a girl, but because of some
reasons like the girl is too beautiful or too rich for him, he feels ashamed to
introduce himself to her. When his friend asked him whether is he likes her or not,
he says no. The answer that he gives is a denial. He actually likes her but he
denies that feeling, and when he denies that feeling, unconsciously the feelings are
brought into unconscious mind that result into a repression.
Parapraxis, it is also a psychological term which means an unintended
action that caused by repressed material. It is where the repression/repressed
feeling found its way out of unconsciousness into reality and is not realized by the
person who represses the feeling. As Barry states, ―whereby repressed material in
unconscious finds an outlet through such everyday phenomena as slip of the
tongue, slips of the pen, or unintended action (2002: 98).‖
2. Mistery Genre
Detective story is one of sub-genre of mystery genre. This type of genre is
usually about crime and the process of solving the crime. The ―puzzle‖ in the
story is usually very hard to be solved, lack of clues and require someone special
to solve it using the most acceptable logical reason. The detective is the only one
who has different perspective to something that happened. As Encyclopædia
Britannica say in its article,
Detective story, type of popular literature in which a crime is introduced
and investigated and the culprit is revealed.
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The traditional elements of the detective story are: (1) the seemingly
perfect crime; (2) the wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial
evidence points; (3) the bungling of dim-witted police; (4) the greater
powers of observation and superior mind of the detective; and (5) the
startling and unexpected denouement, in which the detective reveals how
the identity of the culprit was ascertained. (2016)
Sometimes there are detective stories that put a supernatural conflict in the stories,
but still, the way the detective solves the case uses rational reasoning. It reveals
the supernatural even using logic. Usually the supernatural event turns out just
made by people.
The defense mechanisms theories are meant to be used to a person. Those
theories can be used to analyze a character in a literary work too since the author
put human aspects into the character that he made.
Characters are the person represented in dramatic or narrative work, who
are interpreted by the reader as possessing particular moral, intellectual,
and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their
distinctive ways of saying it –the dialogue –and from what they do –the
action (Abrams, 2005: 46).
Since Sherlock Holmes stories are included as detective stories with mystery
genre, the objective of this study is to analyze the main character, Sherlock
Holmes. However, the theories of defense mechanisms cannot be fully applied in
analyzing the character. It is cannot be fully applied because to analyze someone,
in psychology, it needs two way of communication between the analyst and the
patient. In this case it cannot be done because the character that is analyzed cannot
give a feed back.
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C. Theoretical Framework
The theories that are used here are denial and parapraxis. The denial is
used to determine what feelings that threatened Sherlock Holmes and when it
happened. It is used because denial is the characteristic of defense mechanisms.
The way that the writer finds his denial is by seeing and analyzing Sherlock
Holmes‘ actions and statements. Whenever he does something unusual, the writer
marks his action. Unusual here means could be mean contradictive to human
nature. Therefore, whenever he did something unusual, there was a big chance
that he tried to repress something. The parapraxis is also used in this study to help
the writer in finding things that threatened Sherlock Holmes in the story. It is
because Freud believes that parapraxes are the reason behind everyone‘s
unintended action and it reveals the unconscious realm of someone.
After the denial is found on Sherlock Holmes, the writer uses the theory of
defense mechanisms to determine what kind of defense mechanisms that Sherlock
Holmes uses. The types of defense mechanisms itself that used in this study are
repression, reaction formation, displacement, fixation, regression, projection,
introjection, and sublimation. Each type of defense mechanisms has their own
characteristic and that help the writer to understand each characteristic of defense
mechanisms. So, to determine in which kind of defense mechanism that refelcts
the acts of Sherlock Holmes, the acts of Sherlock Holmes is matched by the
characteristic of each defense mechanisms.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
Sherlock Holmes is one of many famous detective stories. It was created by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at late 19th
. The first story of Sherlock Holmes was
published in 1887, titled Study in Scarlett and then followed by the second book
titled Sign of Four that was published in 1890.
In the first book, Study in Scarlett, it is about how Dr. Watson met Sherlock
Holmes and about their first case together, which is about a murder crime. In the
second book, Sign of Four, it is about finding a lost treasure that also involed a
murder crime.
After the first two novels, the story of Sherlock Holmes became popular. In
1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the first short story of Sherlock Holmes titled
―Scandal in Bohemia‖ and published it at The Strand Magazine. It was followed
by 11 others short stories and finished in 1892. Then, it was published in one book
titled The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes. After it was published, Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle still published short stories of Sherlock Holmes in The Strand Magazine
until 1893 and published in a book titled The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Then,
he ―killed‖ Sherlock Holmes.
That are the book that is analized in this undergraduate thesis. Those books
are chosen because those books are the first original story before Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle stopped to write Sherlock Holmes stories for the first time. Even though the
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objects are novels and short stories there are still a relation to each other that
connect the stories.
He ―killed‖ Sherlock Holmes in the short story titled ―The Final Problem.‖
The reason he killed Sherlock Holmes is that he wanted to devote his time in
making historical novel. The public was giving a strong reaction that time, asking
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to bring back Sherlock Holmes. After eight years, he
finally wrote about Sherlock Holmes in a novel titled The Hound of Baskervilles
(1901), The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905), Valley of Fear (a novel) (1915),
His Last Bow (a short stories compilation) (1917), and The Case-Book of Sherlock
Holmes (a short stories compilation) (1927).
The stories of Sherlock Holmes had been made into a lot of films since his
first appearance in 1887. Some newest Sherlock Holmes films are Sherlock
Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011) that is played by
Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and a TV series titled Sherlock Holmes is
played by Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes that aired in 2010 (first
season), 2012 (second season), and 2014 (the third season). Because of that,
Sherlock Holmes, fictional story made by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is awarded a
world record as most portrayed literary human character in film and TV, 254
times.
In brief, Sherlock Holmes is a detective consultant. He lives in a lodge
house, 221B Baker Street. He shares the lodge with Dr. John Watson, who later
become Holmes‘ assistant and the one who writes the story of Sherlock Holmes
(Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes Sherlock Holmes stories through Dr. Watson‘
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point of view, though a few stories are written from Holmes‘ point of view and
third person‘s point of view).
He got his cases from 3 kinds of sources, given by civilians that come to him
asking for help, some are private detectives and second source is from
government, like Scotland Yard‘s detectives like Gregson, Anderson, and
Lestrade. Even sometimes he got a case from his brother, Mycroft Holmes.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach that is going to be used in this study is psychoanalytic
approach. Psychoanalytic approach is a form of literary criticism that uses the
techniques in psychology in order to interpret or analyze a literary work.
―Psychoanalytic criticism is a form of literary criticism which uses some of the
techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature (Barry, 2002: 96).‖
This approach is using some of the techniques in psychology to interpret, criticize,
or analyze a literary work. The aim in psychoanalytic approach is to understand
the aspects of human mind in the literary work, or in this case is to understand the
character‘s behavior and ―the reason‖ behind his action. In real life, the basic
method of psychoanalysis is to make the patient talks freely. Unfortunately, the
subject of this study, Sherlock Holmes, cannot do that. Therefore rhat is the
reason why the approach is used. It can analyze the subject‘s unconscious mind
through the statements that he made. As stated, ―The basic reason, again, is that
the unconscious, like the poem, or novel, or play, cannot speak directly and
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explicitly but does through images, symbols, emblems, and metaphors (Barry,
2002: 102).‖
C. Method of the Study
The object that was studied in this study was the main character of Sherlock
Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which was Sherlock Holmes.
Therefore, to support this study, the writer conducted a library research.
The primary sources of this study were taken from the compilation of
Sherlock Holmes stories entitled Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and
Stories Volume I. For secondary sources the writer used internet sources and some
theories from books like Beginning Theory and Theories of Personality.
In order to find Sherlock Holmes‘ defense mechanisms, the writer did the
following steps.
Firstly, the writer read to understand the theory of defense mechanisms. The
writer did that in order to understand the characteristic of defense mechanisms. It
helped the writer to find Sherlock Holmes‘ defense mechanisms easily.
Secondly, the writer read Sherlock Holmes stories and searched for
Sherlock‘s unusual act. If the writer found an unusual act from Sherlock Holmes,
there was a big probability that his action could be related to defense mechanisms.
Thirdly, the writer analyzed the Sherlock Holmes‘ acts by identified what he
was doing and why he was doing it.
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Fourthly, the writer matched the characteristics of the act of Sherlock
Holmes and the characteristics of each defense mechanism to identify what kind
of defense mechanisms that Sherlock Holmes uses
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
A. The Emergence of the Defense Mechanisms
Sherlock Holmes shows a defense mechanism for the first time in the
novel Study in Scarlet. It happens when Sherlock Holmes is explaining the way he
analyzed Dr. Watson and knew that he just came back from Afghanistan. Dr.
Watson was amazed that Sherlock Holmes knew that he just came back from
Afghanistan, after knowing the way Holmes knew that he just came back from
Afghanistan, he said that it‘s quite simple after all. Dr. Watson said that it reminds
him of a detective in the story by Edgar Allan Poe. ――You remind me of Edgar
Allan Poe‘s Dupin. I had no idea that such individuals did exist outside of
stories.‖ (Doyle, 1986:18).‖ It turns out Sherlock Holmes shows a reaction that he
is not pleased with that and mocking Dupin‘s behavior.
Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. ―No doubt you think that you are
complimenting me in comparing me to Dupin,‖ he observed. ―Now, in my
opinion, Dupin was a very inferior fellow. That trick of his of breaking in
on his friends‘ thoughts with an apropos remark after a quarter of an
hour‘s silence is very showy and superficial. He had some analytical
genius, no doubt; but he was by no means such a phenomenon as Poe
appeared to imagine.‖(Doyle, 1986:18)
Almost same attitude is also showed by Sherlock Holmes when Watson is
asking about Lecoq
―Have you read Gaboriau‘s works?‖ I asked. ―Does Lecoq come up to
your idea of a detective?‖
Sherlock Holmes sniffed sardonically. ―Lecoq was a miserable bungler,‖
he said, in angry voice; ―he had only one thing to recomend him, and that
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was his energy. That book made me positively ill. The question was how
to identify an unknown prisoner. I could done it in twenty-four hours.
Lecoq took six months or so. It might be made a textbook for detectives to
teach them what to avoid.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 19)
From the word by Dr. Watson, there is no intention at all that Watson is
mocking Sherlock Holmes. He was just saying that he was recalled about Dupin
and asking whether Holmes was inspired by Lecoq or not. Even though Sherlock
Holmes did not seem to be like those two detectives, he had one or two things that
he had learned from them, those were Lecoq‘s spirit and acknowledge that Dupin
is a genius in analizing something.
In the next paragraph, Sherlock Holmes was angry to the condition that
happened. He had no case to be solved. There was no unique, strange or difficult
case that came to him to be solved. He hated that condition, because he had
nothing to do.
―There are no crimes and no criminals in these days,‖ he said querulously.
―What is hte use of having brains in our proffesion? I know well that I
have it in me to make my name famous. No man lives or has ever lived
who has brought the same amount of study and of natural talent to the the
detection of crime which I have done. And what is the result? There is
nocrie to detect, or at most, some bungling villainy with a motive so
transparent that even scotland yard official can see through it.‖ (Doyle,
1986:19)
That paragraph reveals why Sherlock Holmes was easly angered to Watson‘s
word. He had nothing to do and he felt that his brain was useless. Not being able
to be angry to the condition, Sherlock Holmes unconsciously directing his anger
by being angry to Watson when Watson mentioned two detectives from literary
works.
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Besides Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes redirects his hatred when he has no
case to something else, to drugs. Sherlock Holmes‘ addiction to drugs is told by
Dr. Watson in the novel entitled The Sign of Four. They both have a debate about
Holmes‘ addiction. As a doctor, Watson was against Holmes‘ addiction because it
was destructive to the body. On the other side, Holmes liked the effect of the
drugs.
Dr. Watson saw Sherlock Holmes was using drug by injecting it to him.
And it was not the first Sherlock Holmes does that. It was the third time Watson
saw him did that. Watson did not have enough courage to protest to Sherlock
Holmes about his bad behavior before. But, Watson could not tolerate what
Sherlock Holmes was doing, and threw a complaint to him. Sherlock Holmes was
not really listening to what Watson had said. He said that the drugs brought him a
good effect. He said that the drugs helped him clarified his mind, so he ignored
the bad effect of the drugs that he had been used because he thought that it was
more benefical to him. Even though Dr. Watson had told him all the bad effect
again, he still did not care about it. Only a case that could stop him doing his
drugs addiction.
―My mind,‖ he said, ―rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me
work, give me the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper
atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulant. But abhor the
dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have
chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only
one in the world. (Doyle, 1986: 123-124)
Sherlock Holmes used drugs whenever he had nothing to do or a case to be
solved. This was said by Watson in the short story entitled ―The Yellow Face.‖
―Save for the occasional use of cocaine, he has no vice, and he only turned to the
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drug as a protest against the monotony of existence when cases were scanty and
the papers uninteresting (Doyle, 1986: 547).‖
The action of when Sherlock Holmes was angry to Dr. Watson and uses
his drug are a defense mechanism of Sherlock Holmes when he did not have any
case at all. To Sherlock Holmes, having no case at all was a stressful event. So, he
showed a defense mechanism to reduce it.
In the Study in Scarlett, Sherlock Holmes shows a defense mechanism
toward another thing. It happened when Watson gave him a compliment after he
explained how did he know that Watson just came back from Afghanistan. He
said that his ability was just a normal thing, but his expression showed the
opposite. According to Watson, Sherlock Holmes seems like he was flattered.
―Wonderful!‖ I ejaculated
―Commonplace,‖ said Holmes, tough I thought from his expression that he
was pleased at my evident surprise and admiration. (Doyle, 1986:21)
When Sherlock Holmes said ―commonplace‖ in the first time, Watson was
complimenting him is a denial. He tried to deny his feeling, a feeling that he liked
to be complimented. Usually, when people got a compliment from other people,
he would say ―thank you,‖ but not him. Even though he tried to deny that feeling,
it did not fully succeed. When someone complimented him, his expression could
not hide the pleasure of being complimented.
A strange attitude was also shown by Sherlock Holmes in the same book
when he ignored the case that he waits. The reason was only because after the
case, only Scotland Yard detectives that will get the credits
―My dear fellow, what does it matter to me? Supposing I unravel the
whole matter, you may be sure that Gregson, Lestrade and Co. Will pocket
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all the credit. That comes of being an unofficial personage. (Doyle,
1986:22)
In the end, he took the case after all.
Sherlock Holmes also refused to answer Watson‘s questions because he
was affraid that Watson would say that turned out his method was just an ordinary
way after all. Yet, when Watson complimented him, Holmes showed an
expression that he likd the compliment.
You know a conjurer gets no credit when once he has explained his trick;
and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to
the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all.‖
―I shall never do that,‖ I answered; ―you have brought detection as
near an exact science as it ever will be brought in this world.‖
My companion flushed up with pleasure at my words, and the
earnest way in which I uttered them. I had already observed that he was
sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her
beauty. (Doyle, 1986:33)
He was also showing same flattered expression just like when Watson
complimented him for the first time.
Sherlock Holmes showed a disappointment when Watson did not give him
a compliment. It was in the short story entitled ―The Stock-broker‘s Clerk.‖
Sherlock Holmes was explaining how he knew that Watson had just been
recovered from from his unwell condition. But here, Watson did not give him a
compliment, he thought that turns out it was so simple after all.
Like all Holme‘s reasoning the thing seemed simplicity itself when it was
once explained. He read the thought upon my features, and his smile had a
tinge of bitterness.
―I am affraid that I rather give myself away when I explain,‖ said he.
―Result without causes are much more impressive. You are ready to come
to Brimingham, then?‖ (Doyle, 1986: 567)
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It is like what Sherlock Holmes had said in the novel A Study in Scarlett ―if I
show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion
that I am a very ordinary individual after all (Doyle, 1986:33).‖ When he knew
that Dr. Watson thinks, he seems disapointed. He thought that it is not special
enough to impresses someone and gains a compliment. Here, Sherlock Holmes
showed his displeasure when he did not get a compliment. This displeasure
indicates that Sherlock Holmes‘ desire to be complimented.
When Sherlock Holmes refused to take the case just because the only party
that got the credit was Scotland Yard‘s detectives, he was indirectly saying that he
was the only one that should get the credit. It is because deep in his unconscious
mind, he wanted a credit, a compliment from other people.
Sherlock Holmes also indirectly stated the same thing when he refused to
answer Dr. Watson‘s questions just because he was afraid that Watson would say
his method was just an ordinary method. The truth from the sentence is that he did
not like it when his ability was not acknowledged by other people. He wanted
people to see him as extraordinary person.
There is one time when Sherlock Holmes tried to be a humble person
when someone threw him a compliment about his work. It is in the short story
titled ―The Five Orange Pips.‖ A client, John Openshaw, came to him to get some
help and he was recommended by someone that once Sherlock Holmes helped.
Mr. John Openshaw gave him a compliment to Sherlock Holmes, and Holmes
tried to be humble here but he failed, because in the end he was proud of his
works.
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―I have heard of you Mr. Holmes. I heard from Major Prendergast how
you saved him in the Tankerville Club scandal.‖
―Ah, of course. He was wrongfully accused of cheating at cards.‖
―He said that you could solve anything.‖
―He said too much.‖
―That you are never beaten.‖
―I have been beaten four times—three times by men, and once by a
woman.‖
―But what is that compared with the number of your successes?‖
―It is true that I have been generally successful.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 333)
At first, Sherlock Holmes tried to repress his proudness that was caused by
Mr. Openshaw‘s compliment. Receiving more compliment from Mr. Openshaw,
Sherlock Holmes could not hide his feeling that he liked the compliment. This
time, Sherlock Holmes did not show a flattered face like before, but from his
words, it was indicating that he was proud of the compliment given by Mr. John
Openshaw.
Sherlock Holmes shows a parapraxis in the last chapter of the novel A
Study in Scarlett. It is when Sherlock Holmes explains the ways he solved the
case. Contradictive to what he did before, where he refused to answer Watson‘s
questions about the case, this time Watson did not ask anything about the case,
Sherlock Holmes did it by himself. Watson was asking how Sherlock Holmes
could say that the case was simple when Watson thinks that it is not. When
Sherlock Holmes explained that it is about thinking backward, Watson did not
understand.
―I confess,‖ said I, ―that I do not quite follow you.‖
―I hardly expected that you would. Let me see if I can make it clearer.
Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what
the result would be. They can put those events together in their minds, and
argue from them that something will come to pass. There are few people,
however, who, if you told a result, would be able to evolve from their own
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inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result. This
power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning backward or analytically.‖
―I understand,‖ said I.
―Now this was a case which you were given a result and had to everything
else for yourself. Now let me endeavor to show you the steps in my
reasoning…..‖ (Doyle, 1986: 116)
Usually, people will automatically explain when someone do not
understand about something, but when someone already understand, he will stop
explaining or maybe asking whether there is another thing that he still not
understand or not. Here, when Dr. Watson said that he understood, Sherlock
Holmes did not stop. He kept explaining about the case. This is kind of an
unintended action indicating he wanted to show off so he could get a compliment
from Watson.
After finished explaining, he really got a compliment from Watson. Even
Watson offered him to write the story, and Holmes did not deny it.
―It is wonderful!‖ I cried. ―Your merits should be publicly recognized.
You should publish an account of the case. If you want, I will for you.‖
―You may do what you like, doctor,‖ he answered. (Doyle, 1986: 119)
For a detective, becoming famous or known by a lot of people was
actually not beneficial to him. Someone who hated him could easily plot a
revenge, his enemy would hide from him, or someone who knew his method
would cheat him and led him to a wrong direction. Of course Sherlock Holmes
would get a compliment or an acknowledgement from other people, but it also
made him and his job endangered. Sherlock Holmes even recomended Watson to
write about his first case. It was about Sherlock Holmes‘ first case that made him
decide to be a detective. It is in the short story titled ―The Musgrave Ritual.‖ ―I
should be glad that you should add this case to your annals, for there are points in
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it which make it quiete unique in the criminals records of this or, I believe, of any
other country (Doyle, 1986: 606).‖
Sherlock Holmes denied that he liked an acknowledgement, credit, or
compliment in the second book, titled Sign of Four. Again, he showed a denial
that he did not need a credit from the cases that he solved, he took the case just for
entertaining himself, like a hobby. Sherlock Holmes said ―I claim no credit in
such cases. My name figures in no newspaper. The work itself, the pleasure of
finding a field for my peculiar power, is my highest reward (Doyle, 1986: 124).‖
Based on what has been analyzed before, it is contradictive to what he has
done before, when he was like showing his ability to Watson to get a compliment
or letting Watson publish the story about him. Based on that and his expression
when he is complimented, it indicates that he likes being complimented, that
sentence is just a denial.
Even though he said that he did not need a compliment for his works, in
the same novel, Sign of Four, he was showing off again, this time it was about his
ability in disguise. Sherlock Holmes was disguised as an old man in the story for
investigating a case, but when he was home, he did not take off his ―mask.‖ It
made Watson did not recognize him, but saw him as stranger.
He was an aged man, clad in seafaring garb, with an old pea-jacket
unbuttoned up to his throat. His back was bowed, his knees were shaky,
and his breathing was painfully asthmatic. As he leaned upon a thick
oaken cudgel his shoulders heaved in the effort to draw the air into his
lungs. He had coloured scarf around his chin, and I could see little of his
face save a pair of keen dark eyes, overhung by bushy white brows and
long gray side-whiskers. Altogether he gave me the impression of a
respectable master mariner who had fallen into years and poverty. (Doyle,
1986: 194)
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That was what Watson and Athelney Jones, a police detective, see when Sherlock
Holmes comes in without taking off his disguise. They even had a debate with the
old man (Sherlock Holmes), when the old man(Sherlock Holmes) said that he had
an information about the case and wanted to give the information to Sherlock
Holmes only and insisted to leave because Holmes is not there, but Watson and
Athelney Jones hold him.
He finally unmasks himself when Dr. Watson and Athelney Jones light up
their cigars. They were so surprised.
He came across sullenly enough and seated himself with his face resting
on his hands. Jones and I resumed our cigars and our talk. Suddenly,
however, Holmes‘s voices broke in upon us.
―I think that you might offer me a cigar too,‖ he said
We both started in our chairs. There was Holmes sitting close to us with an
air of quiet amusement. (Doyle, 1986: 195)
Even Mr. Athelney Jones gave him a compliment, ――you would have made an
actor and a rare one. You had the proper workhouse cough, and those weak legs of
yours are worth ten pound a week.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 196).‖ That is Athelney Jones
compliment about how good Sherlock Holmes disguise is.
What Mr. Athelney Jones did was the thing Sherlock Holmes wanted, a
compliment. Sherlock Holmes was in the case which was not solved yet. Instead
of unmasking himself and talks to Watson and Jones how he was going to solve
the case, he is show off in front of Watson and Jones. Sherlock Holmes did that to
draw Watson and Athelney Jones‘ attention and receive a compliment from them,
or at least one of them.
Those actions are showing that Sherlock Holmes likes getting a
compliment from someone and he wants acknowledgement from other people.
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The cause that the feeling unconsciously buried in Sherlock Holmes unconscious
mind can be caused by never getting a compliment before, even though he wants
it. So, he gives it up. Maybe he thinks that there‘s no way that he can get a
compliment, he has no friend to compliment him, and he works alone.
In the Sign of Four, Sherlock Holmes threw a protest on Watson‘s story
about their adventure. It wass a story after Dr. Watson publishing his first case
that discussed above. Sherlock Holmes was saying that he did not like Watson‘s
work because he put romanticism in the story. Holmes said, that his method was
like a science work, should not be mixed with romanticism.
―Honestly, I cannot congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be,
an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional
manner. You have attempted to tinge with romanticism, which produce
much of the same effect if you worked a love-story or an elopement into
the fifth proposition of Euclid.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 125)
Even though Watson said that there is a romance in that case, Sherlock Holmes
kept arguing that it is should be pressed and focused on the way he solved the
case.
―Some facts should be suppressed, or, at least, just a sense of proportion
should be observed in treating them. The only point in the case which
deserved mentioned was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to
cause, by which I succeeded in unraveling it.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 125)
This is showing a parapraxis of Sherlock Holmes from a feeling he has.
About his feeling that he likes compliments. Here, he wants Watson to focus on
him so he can get more compliments from people who read Watson‘s work. He
wants an attention and he unconsciously thinks the romance is blocking him from
the compliment.
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Sherlock Holmes also threw almost a same protest on Watson in the short
story titled ―The Adventure of the Copper Beeches.‖ In the story Sherlock Holmes
protested on the writing that was written by Dr. Watson about them. Holmes said
that Watson was not really focusing on what Sherlock Holmes did but to
unimportant things.
It is pleasant to me to observe, Watson, that you have so far grasped this
truth that in the these little records of our little cases which you have been
good enough to draw up, and, I am bound to say, occasionally to
embellish, you have given prominence not so much to the many causes
celebres and sensational trials in which I have figured but rather to those
incidents which may have been trivial in themselves, but which have given
room for those faculties of deduction an of logical synthesis which I have
made my special province. (Doyle, 1986: 492)
Of course that is debated by Watson, and Sherlock Holmes adds that Watson is
wrong because he adds some things to make the story looks alive. ―You have
erred perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your statements
instead of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record that severe
reasoning from cause to effect which is really the only notable feature about the
thing (Doyle, 1986: 492).‖
But Watson feels that he does that already. ―It seems to me that I have done full
justice in the matter (Doyle, 1986: 492).‖ And Sherlock Holmes‘ answer is
―If I claim full justice of my art, it is because it is an impersonal thing—a
thing beyond myself. Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon
the logic rather that upon the crime that you should dwell. You have
degraded what should have been a course of lectures into a series of tales.‖
(Doyle, 1986: 493)
That is absolutely contradictive to the purpose of why Watson writes story
about Sherlock Holmes. It is not to give a lesson to people, but to tell people about
Sherlock Holmes success in solving a crime, because he thinks that it is wonderful
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and it has to be recognized by people. ――It is wonderful!‖ I cried. ―Your merits
should be publicly recognized. You should publish an account of the case. If you
won‘t, I will for you‖ (Doyle, 1986: 119).‖
Sherlock Holmes also shows a defense mechanism toward romance things.
It is showed in Sherlock Holmes‘ act in the novel The Sign of For. When Sherlock
Holmes protests on the romance that Watson put in the story, showing Sherlock
Holmes‘s displeasure to romance, or love relationship.
―Honestly, I cannot congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be,
an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional
manner. You have attempted to tinge with romanticism, which produce
much of the same effect if you worked a love-story or an elopement into
the fifth proposition of Euclid.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 125)
It is like Sherlock Holmes has a denial to the romantic things or even a love
relationship. But, that‘s not only time Sherlock Holmes shows a denial about
romance or love.
A denial about a same thing is shown after that. It is when Ms. Mary
Morstan, their client, finishes her explanation about her case and leaves. Dr.
Watson was amazed by Ms. Morstan appearance. ―‖What a very attractive
woman!‖ I exclaimed, turning to my companion (Doyle, 1986: 135).‖ That is
showing that Dr. Watson is interested to Ms. Morstan, and that is a normal man
does when he sees a beautiful girl. This is how Dr. Watson describes Ms. Mary
Morstan,
Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward
composure of manner. She was a blonde young lady, small, dainty, well
gloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste. There was, however,
plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with it a suggestion
of limited means. The dress was a somber grayish beige, untrimmed and
unbraided, and she wore small turban of the same dull hue, relieve only by
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a suspicion of white feather in the side. Her face had neither regularity of
feature nor beauty of complexion, but her expression was sweet and
amiable. And her large blue eyes were singularity spiritual and
sympathetic. (Doyle, 1986: 131)
Based on Watson‘s description about Ms. Morstan, she is indeed an attractive. At
least men at that time will found her attractive.
When Dr. Watson says that she is attractive, and also indirectly states his
interest in Ms. Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes did not agree with that. He says
that emotional thoughts or feelings to someone that is related to the case can bias
the judgment.
―It is of the first importance,‖ he cried, ―not allow your judgment to be
biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a
problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning….‖
(Doyle, 1986: 135).
In the book, after they solved the case, Watson said to Ms. Mary Morstan.
On the other hand, Ms. Morstan also falls in love to Dr. Watson, and they are
going to have a marriage. When Dr. Watson told Sherlock Holmes about the good
news that he has, Sherlock Holmes reacted differently. Unlike other people that
giving a congratulations when they heard such good news, Sherlock Holmes is not
congratulating Watson. ――I feared as much,‖ said he. ―I really cannot congratulate
you‖ (Doyle, 1986: 235).‖ His reason is still the same like before, he does not
want to his judgment biased by emotional thing. ―Love is an emotional thing, and
whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all
things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment (Doyle, 1986: 235).‖
From that reason, Sherlock Holmes is really blocking all emotional things
from his consciousness. Even though congratulating Watson about his relationship
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39
with Mary Morstan will not bias his judgment, since the case is solved, he still not
does it. But that does not mean that Sherlock Holmes does not have any emotional
feeling at all.
In a short story entitled ―Scandal in Bohemia,‖ Watson said that Sherlock
Holmes had a special woman in his life. ―To Sherlock Holmes she is always the
woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name (Doyle,
19876: 239).‖ Who is ―she‖? ―She‖ that Watson means is Irene Adler. Watson
says that whenever Holmes mentions Irene Adler, he always uses ―the woman.‖
The use of ―the‖ is actually indicating a special person, ―In majority cases, the
definite article denotes that the following noun refers to a special person, animal
or thing as distinct from others of the same kind. (R. W. Zandvoort, 1969: 117).‖
Sherlock Holmes threw a compliment to woman for the first time in that
short story, and the woman was Irene Adler. In the story, a King of Bohemia
asked Sherlock Holmes to take back a private photograph of King of Bohemia and
Irene Adler. So, Sherlock Holmes stalked on Irene Adler. After finished, he told
Watson things that he had done, and he described Irene Adler is an attractive
woman. ―I only caught a glimpse of her at the moment, but she was a lovely
woman, with a face that a man might die for (Doyle, 1986: 252).‖ Actually,
Sherlock Holmes also gives a compliment to Mary Morstan.
I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met and might
have been most useful in such work as we have been doing. She had a
decided genius that way; witness the way in which she preserved that Agra
plan from all other papers of her father. (Doyle, 1986: 235)
But Sherlock Holmes did that because Ms. Mary Morstan kept the data of the
case carefully and gave most helpful data to Sherlock Holmes correctly, and also
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40
he had met her in many times when he worked on the case. But, as for Irene
Adler, he never met her personally. He just saw a glimpse of her, and he gave a
good point about Irene Adler‘s physical appearance. It is indicating that he is
interested to Irene Adler.
In the end of the story, Sherlock Holmes showed an action that proved that
he was interested to Irene Adler. It was after they finished the job, even though
they did not get the photograph back, the king was satisfied with them. When the
king asked about the payment Sherlock Holmes asked the Irene Adler‘s
photograph.
―I am immensely indebted to you. Pray tell me in what way I can reward to
you. This ring ---―he slipped an emerald snake ring from his finger and
held it upon a palm of his hand.
―Your Majesty has something which I should value even more highly,‖
said Holmes.
―You have but to name it.‖
―This photograph!‖
The King stared at him in amazement.
―Irene‘s photograph!‖ he cried. ―Certainly, if you wish it.‖ (Doyle, 1986:
262)
It is very contradictive to what the king asks for Holmes‘ payment before,
at the beginning of the case. Sherlock Holmes asks a lot of money to the king as
the payment for the case.
―Then, as to money?‖
―You have carte blanche.‖
―Absolutely?‖
―I tell you that I would give one of the provinces of my kingdom to have
that photograph.‖
―And for present expenses?‖
The King took heavy chamois leather bag from under his cloak and laid it
on the table.
―There are three hundred pounds in gold and seven hundred in notes‖ he
said.
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Holmes scribbled a receipt upon a sheet of his note book and handled it to
him. (Doyle, 1986: 248)
That is indicating that Sherlock Holmes does not interested with the king‘s money
again. He is more interested to Irene Adler than to the money.
Sherlock Holmes‘s action of asked a lot of money to the king is very
unusual. In the two cases before, A Study in Scarlett and The Sign of Four,
Sherlock Holmes did not mention about money at all. In the other short story,
titled ―The Speckled Band,‖ The client, Helen Stoner, asked for Sherlock Holmes
help about mysterious sound which was heard by her sister before her death that
she heard the night before. She said that she may not have enough money to pay
Sherlock Holmes, and Sherlock Holmes does not mind about it. ―I can only say,
madam, that I shall be happy to devote the same care to your case as I did to that
of your friend. As to reward, my profession is its own reward; but you are at
liberty to defray whatever expenses I may be put to, at the time which suits you
best (Doyle, 1986: 399).‖ And, even though in The Sign of Four was about
finding a treasure, he did not ask for payment. What Sherlock Holmes did to the
King of Bohemia was showing that Sherlock Holmes had repression about a man
that should give respect to woman. In the story, the king once had a scandal with
Irene Adler when he was young.
―We were both in the photograph.‖
―Oh, dear! That is very bad! Your Majesty has indeed committed an
indiscretion.‖
―I was mad—insane.‖
―You have compromised yourself seriously.‖
―I was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am thirty now.‖ (Doyle,
1986: 247)
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It was not because the client was a king so he asked for big payment, to Sherlock
Holmes the status of a client was not important to him. ―I assure you, Watson,
without affectation, that the status of my client is a matter of less moment to me
than the interest of his case (Doyle, 1986: 445).‖ So, it is seemed like Sherlock
Holmes wanted to give a lesson to the king not to break a woman‘s feeling. It was
showing that deep down, Sherlock Holmes did not like people disrespecting a
woman.
Even though Sherlock Holmes says that a client was just a client to him,
―A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a problem (Doyle, 1986: 135),‖ he did
not tell the truth to his client Ms. Mary Sutherland. The case was about Ms. Mary
Sutherland‘s fiancé who was gone on their wedding day, so she consulted to
Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes found out that her fiancé was actually her
step-father that disguised to take her money. So when Watson asked if he had
already told her about it, he said that it would hurt her. ―You may remember the
old Persian saying, ‗there is danger for him who taketh tiger cub, and danger also
for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman‘ (Doyle, 1986: 305).‖ Sherlock
Holmes did not want to hurt Ms. Sutherland‘s feeling, so he kept the truth away
from her. But, he threatened her step-father to not bother her again.
Those action of Sherlock Holmes are indicating that Sherlock Holmes
konws how to behave to women and he has an attracted feeiling to women. But,
due to his job, he built a defense mechanism to those things.
Another event that made Sherlock Holmes showed a defense mechanism is
when someone talked about his addiction to drugs. Kind of defense mechanisms is
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shown by Sherlock Holmes towards drugs in the beginning of novel The Sign of
Four, Sherlock Holmes is a drug addict, especially to cocaine.
Yet upon that afternoon, whether it was Beaune which I had taken with my
lunch or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation
of his manner, I suddenly felt that I could hold out no longer.
―Which is it to-day,‖ I asked, ―morphine or cocaine?‖
He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume which he had
opened
―It is cocaine,‖ he said, ―a seven-per-cent solution. Would you care to try
it?‖ (Doyle, 1986: 123)
His addiction to drugs usually occured when he had no case to solve at all.
Sherlock Holmes was a smart person actually. He had a very good knowledge
about chemistry, it was stated as Watson in his list about Sherlock Holmes‘
ability. ―7. Knowledge of Chemistry.—profound (Doyle, 1986: 14).‖ So, he knew
the effect of cocaine, yet he kept using it. His reason was that the cocaine helped
him stimulate his mind. ―I find it, however, so transcendently stimulating and
clarifying to the mind (Doyle, 1986: 124).‖ But, in the story of ―The Five Orange
Pips‖ Sherlock did not seems happy when Watson said that he had poisoned
himself with cocaine and tobacco.
―It was a singular document. Philosophy, astronomy, and politics were
marked at zero, I remember. Botany variable, geology profound as regards
the mud-stains from any region within fifty miles of town., chemistry
eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational literature and crime records
unique, violin player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer, and self-poisoner by
cocaine and tobacco. Those, I think, were the main points of my analysis.‖
Holmes grinned at the last item. (Doyle, 1986: 344)
Then Sherlock Holmes directed it to another conversation. His action showed that
he wanted to avoid conversation about his addiction. It was clear that Sherlock
Holmes had an addiction to drugs. He was also aware of the negative effects of his
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addiction, but he denied it because he thought that the drugs helped him to
stimulate and clear his mind.
Sherlock Holmes did a defense mechanism when he found a very dificult
case. Dr. Watson often said that Sherlock Holmes always focuses on the case that
he gets. Sherlock Holmes even not rest, eat, or sleep if he is not solve the case yet.
It is in the short story entitled ―The Man with the Twisted Lip‖ where Watson told
about Holmes‘ behavior. In that story, Sherlock Holmes had to find someone
missing, it was a missing person case. Sherlock Holmes had worked all day long
but he did not know how and where the person was missing. So, when there was a
time to take a rest, he did not take a rest but thinking the entire clue that he got
about the case.
Sherlock Holmes was a man, however, who, when he had an unsolved
problem upon his mind, would go for days, and even for a week, without
rest, turning it over, rearranging his facts, looking at it from every point of
view until he had either fathomed it or convinced himself that his data
were insufficient. (Doyle, 1986: 368)
And, in that case also Sherlock Holmes did not sleep all night long to think about
the case he had.
It was soon to evident to me that he was now preparing for an all-night
sitting. He took off his coat and waistcoat, put on large blue dressing-
gown, and then wandered about the room collecting pillows from his bed
and cushion from the sofa and armchairs. With these he constructed a sort
of Eastern divan, upon which he perched himself cross-legged, with an
ounce of shag tobacco and a box of matches laid out in front of him. In the
dim light I saw him sitting there, an old briar pipe between his lips, his
eyes fixed vacantly upon the corner of the ceiling, the blue smoke curling
up from him, silent, motionless, with the light shining upon his strong-set
aquiline features. (Doyle, 1986: 368)
That was what Dr. Watson saw before he slept and found Sherlock Holmes in the
same position in the morning.
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So he sat as I dropped off to sleep, and so he sat when a sudden ejaculation
caused me to wake up and I found the summer sun shining into the
apartment. The pipe was still between his lips, the smoke still curled
upward, and the room was full of a dense tobacco haze, but nothing
remained of the heap of shag which I had seen upon the previous night.
That was not the first time Sherlock Holmes spent all his time thinking
about the case. In the Sherlock Holmes‘ very first case as a proffesional detective,
―The Musgrave Ritulal,‖ Sherlock Holmes does almost the same thing. It is one of
Holmes‘ friend in university that becomes his client. When investigating the case
he found some difficulties and he did something that was almost similar to what
he had done above. He sat without moving to get the answer he was looking for.
―For twenty minutes I sat motionless, thinking the matter out (Doyle, 1986: 621).‖
That was the first time Sherlock Holmes face a difficulty in a case that he has.
That kind of action that Sherlock Holmes did is a form of defense mechanisms
that done by Sherlock Holmes if he has a very difficult case that made him feel
stressed.
Sherlock Holmes did a defense mechanism toward his feeling that he
needs a friend. Before Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson‘s first case, A Study in
Scarlett, Sherlock Holmes worked alone, even after a few weeks Sherlock Holmes
lived with Dr. Watson. Their adventure began when Sherlock Holmes asked Dr.
Watson to come with him to the crime scene.
He hustled on his over coat, and bustled about in a way that showed that an
energetic fit had superseded the apathetic one.
―Get your hat,‖ he said.
―You wish me to come?‖
―Yes, if you have nothing to do.‖ A minute later we were both in a
hansom, driving furiously for the Brixton Road. (Doyle, 1986: 22)
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Since then, Watson follows Sherlock Holmes everywhere a case exists. In almost
all the stories, Sherlock Holmes invites Watson to accompany him. It seems
normal since they are live together in one apartment.
But, in the short story entitled ―The Stock Broker‘s Clerk,‖ Sherlock
Holmes came to ask Dr. Watson to accompany him in the case that he got. It
seemed a bit different because Dr. Watson had already moved out from their
apartment in Baker Street to live with his wife Mary Watson (Mary Morstan) that
he met at the case The Sign of Four. ―Shortly after my marriage I had bought a
connection in the Paddington district (Doyle, 1986: 565).‖
Dr. Watson was busy with the practice that he had, so he could not visit
his friend, Sherlock Holmes. It was three months after he moved from Baker
Street. So, he was surprised because Sherlock Holmes suddenly visited him. It
turned out, the reason Sherlock Holmes pays a visit to Dr. Watson is to ask him to
one of his case.
―And I hope, also,‖ he continued, sitting down in the rocking-chair, ―that
the cares of medical practice have not entirely obliterated the interest
which you used to take in our little deductive problems.‖
―On the contrary,‖ I answered, ―it was only last night that I looking over
my old notes, and classifying some of our past results.‖
―I trust that you don‘t consider your collection closed.‖
―Not at all. I should wish nothing better than to have some more of such
experiences.‖
―To-day, for example?‖
―Yes, to-day, if you like.‖
―And as far off as Birmingham?‖
―Certainly, if you wish it.‖ (Doyle, 1986: 566)
Dr. Watson said that Sherlock Holmes seldom went out from his
apartment unless it was a business matter. Here, after Dr. Watson did not live in
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Baker Street anymore, Sherlock Holmes visited him to accompany him in a case.
It was like showing that Sherlock Holmes needed a friend.
He almost had no friend before he met Watson. It was because most
people thought that he was a bit odd. ―He is a little queer in his ideas (Doyle,
1986: 5),‖ and another one that said by Stamford is,
Holmes is a little scientific for my tastes—it approaches to cold-
bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest
vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out
of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects. To do
him justice, I think that he would take it himself with the same readiness.
He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge (Doyle,
1986: 6)
That is why Sherlock Holmes did not have a lot of friends. People were keeping
their distance with Sherlock Holmes. This is forcing Sherlock Holmes to live
alone and repressing his feeling that he wants a friend. That is why when Sherlock
Holmes met Watson who appreciate his ability and see him as a great man,
Sherlock Holmes keep his friend close to him.
B. Type of Sherlock Holmes’ Defense Mechanisms
From the characteristic of what Sherlock Holmes does when Watson
mentioned about Dupin and Lecoq in the novel The Study in Scarlett and the
reason why he used drugs are indicating that Sherlock Holmes was doing a
defense mechanism called displacement. It is where the person is directing
something that threaten him into another object or person.
When Sherlock Holmes was angry to the detectives that mentioned by
Watson, it was the act of Sherlock Holmes redirects his anger. To Sherlock
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Holmes, having nothing to be solved is a stressful event, so he redirects that
feeling to something else to reduce the anxiety. Not only to the detectives that
mentioned by Watson, he also redirects that stressful feeling to drugs, like in the
novel The Sign of Four. In the conversation in the novel The Sign of Four,
Sherlock Holmes says that he needs work to his brain. He feels that his brain is
useless when he has nothing to do. So, to reduce that anxiety he uses drugs. This
is also indicating that Sherlock Holmes is doing displacement. He pushes away
his anxiety or clear his mind from that kind of anxiety by making his brain busy to
something else, like he said that it can help him clarifies his mind.
Another defense mechanism that Sherlock Holmes does is repression.
Sherlock Holmes has a repression about his feeling that he likes a compliment. He
shows a repression whenever someone throws him a compliment or everytime he
recieves a compliment. Deep down, he wants an acknowledgement, a credit from
other people, but he tries to bury that feeling. So, to reduce that feelings, instead
of saying ―I like or I want a compliment,‖ he says ―I have no reason to do it, they
will not give me a credit‖ or ―you will say I am an ordinary man if I explain.‖
That is a defense mechanism called projection. It is where a person tries to reduce
his anxiety by attributing his anxiety to another thing. Sherlock Holmes does that
maybe because he really wants an acknowledment or credit, but if he says that he
wants that, people judge him that he is a snobbish.
Sherlock Holmes even shows a denial about that. He says that he does his
job not for a credit, ―I claim no credit in such cases. My name figures in no
newspaper. The work itself, the pleasure of finding a field for my peculiar power,
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is my highest reward (Doyle, 1986: 124).‖ He denies that he likes it or he wants it.
He represses that feeling from his consciousness, and unconsciously buried in the
unconscious mind. This is a repression of Sherlock Holmes that causes a
parapraxis like when he shows such expression when Watson complimented him
and explaining without being asked.
A protest that Sherlock Holmes does to Watson, in The Sign of Four and
―The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,‖ about not really focusing to his ability,
happens because Sherlock Holmes has a repression that he wants to be recognized
or appreciated, and that is the parapraxis. Sherlock Holmes feels that his ability is
not appreciated enough, so he wants Watson to focuses more to him and his
ability than to the other things. Sherlock Holmes wants people to appreciate his
ability because he thinks people should know it.
Sherlock Holmes does a defense mechanism called repression to romance
things. He has repressed her feeling to women or romance so he will not bias his
judgment. That is Sherlock Holmes repression. He represses anything about
romance, love, and emotional feelings.
People must have emotional feelings toward someone or something. It can
be negative feelings or positive feelings. As a human, Sherlock Holmes must have
hate feelings to someone or emotional feelings to someone, but he tries to deny
those feelings in order to keep himself neutral. To Sherlock Holmes emotional
feelings can endanger his deduction to a case, so he represses those feelings.
On the other side, when Sherlock Holmes defends himself from emotional
feeling, he actually has some emotional feelings. Defending himself from
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emotional feeling does not mean he does not have any emotional feeling at all. Of
course Sherlock Holmes has some emotional feelings, but then he represses those
feelings and unconsciously those feelings enter to his unconscious realm.
Sherlock Holmes does a repression toward drug effect. He seems avoiding
Watson‘s words about the bad effects of his addiction to drugs. That means he
knows the negative effects of drug addiction and represses it. What he has done
above is the parapraxis of that repression, where he unconsciously avoids talking
about the addiction.
The action that Sherlock Holmes does not go to sleep everytime he has an
unsolved case is showing the characteristic that he is doing a defense mechanism
called regression. It is where a person faces a stressful event he will do the same
thing when he faces a stressful event for the first time. Of course this is not the
first time Sherlock Holmes faces a stressful event. Watson says that it is a habit of
Sherlock Holmes when he will not sleep when faces an unsolved case, so that act
is not the first time. The case makes Sherlock Holmes feel stressed due to lack of
clue, so he cannot goes to sleep and he has to think about the case until he gets the
answer. Before the regression, people experience a fixation. It is the action of
someone that faces a stressfull event for the first time. The fixation of Sherlock
Holmes is shown in the short story titled ―The Musgrave Ritual.‖ His action, sit
motionless, in the short story ―The Musgrave Ritual,‖ is a fixation where Sherlock
Holmes, for the first time, faces a stressfull event. Then, when he finds another
dificult case he does a regression that similar to the fixation.
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Sherlock Holmes has a repression about a feeling that he needs a friend.
The defense mechanism here actually happens before Sherlock Holmes and Dr.
Watson‘s first case. It is when Sherlock Holmes still works alone. Sherlock
Holmes has a repression about the feeling that he needs a friend. Sherlock Holmes
has only a few friends, it is because most of people who know him think that
Sherlock Holmes is a bit odd. One person that says about oddity is Stamford in the
novel The Study in Scarlett. ―He is a little queer in his ideas (Doyle, 1986: 5),‖
and another one that said by Stamford is,
Holmes is a little scientific for my tastes—it approaches to cold-
bloodedness. I could imagine his giving a friend a little pinch of the latest
vegetable alkaloid, not out of malevolence, you understand, but simply out
of a spirit of inquiry in order to have an accurate idea of the effects. To do
him justice, I think that he would take it himself with the same readiness.
He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge (Doyle,
1986: 6)
So, because not much people who like or understand what Sherlock Holmes is
doing and want to be a friend with himself, he represses the feeling that he needs a
friend.
The actions of Sherlock Holmes taking Dr. Watson everytime he has a
case when they live together, or even when they are no longer living together are
seen as the parapraxis of a repression that Sherlock Holmes has. Sherlock Holmes
actually needs a friend, so when he meets someone that understands what he is
doing and like what he is doing, he tries to keep him close.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Sherlock Holmes does defense mechanisms toward several
things. It can be seen in A Study in Scarlett, The Sign of Four, The Adventure of
Sherlock Holmes, and The Memoir of Sherlock Holmes. He shows that he has
defense mechanisms.
Sherlock Holmes does a defense mechanism to a condition where he has
no case to solve. Like in the first book, A Study in Scarlett, where Sherlock
Holmes looks angry to Dr. Watson because he is mentioning Dupin and Lecoq.
Turns out, Sherlock Holmes is having no case to solve at all, and he redirects that
hatred to something else. Besides that he also redirects his hatred to drugs, it is
showed in the novel The Sign of Four.
Sherlock Holmes shows a defense mechanism toward his feeling that he
likes a compliment. As seen in the novel A Study in Scarlett, Sherlock Holmes is
easily flattered by the compliment that was given by Dr. Watson. That shows that
Sherlock Holmes likes a compliment about his ability. In that novel, it shows that
Sherlock Holmes is afraid that people will think that he is an ordinary man if he
explains his method. He also shows a kind of disappointment when he does not
receive any compliment in the short story entitled ―The Stock-broker‘s Clerk.‖
Sherlock Holmes also likes to show off to make people around him amused and
gain a compliment from them, like in the novel The Sign of Four. And in the same
novel, Sherlock Holmes also throws a protest to Watson because in the novel
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before that Watson had wrote, is not really focusing on Holmes‘ analytical
reasoning that solve the case. Those evidences show that Sherlock Holmes likes a
compliment but he buries that feeling because maybe that kind of feeling is
shameful to himself or to society.
Sherlock Holmes shows a defense mechanism toward romance things.
Sherlock Holmes throws a protest on Watson because he put romanticism in the
novel The Study in Scarlett. When Dr. Watson says that Ms. Morstan is an
attractive woman, Sherlock Holmes disagrees because he thinks that emotional
feelings can bias a judgment. He even does not give congratulation to Watson
when he tells him that he engages to Ms. Morstan. He also says he does not even
want to marry. But in the short story ―Scandal in Bohemia,‖ Sherlock Holmes
seems to fall in love with Irene Adler, someone that is supposed to be his target.
This indicates that Sherlock Holmes have that kind of romance feeling. But,
because of his job he buries that feeling.
Sherlock Holmes does a defense mechanism toward conversation about
his addiction. In the short story ―Five Orange Pips,‖ Sherlock Holmes seems to
avoid the conversation Dr. Watson and him are talking about Holmes‘
characteristics. When Watson mention about his addiction to drugs he seems
avoid it. That act is indicating Sherlock Holmes‘ denial to the bad effect of his
addiction.
Sherlock Holmes does a defense mechanism whenever he finds a very
difficult case. Whenever he finds a difficult case he tends not to sleep or even eat.
He sits silently thinking about the case that he has, sometimes with smoking. He
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sits and thinks at least until he knows what to do next. In short story titled ―The
Man with the Twisted Lip,‖ Sherlock Holmes sits all night long thinking about the
case. The case makes Sherlock Holmes feels stressful and forces him to do a
defense mechanism.
Sherlock Holmes does a defense mechanism toward his feeling that he
needs a friend. Before Sherlock Holmes met Dr. Watson, he worked on his cases
alone, he did not have any assistance. Maybe that is because the number of people
that thinks that he is a genius is very rare. People think that he is a freak. But Dr.
Watson is not one of them. He appreciates Sherlock Holmes‘ ability and admires
him. After they are live together, Sherlock Holmes asks Dr. Watson to come with
him to solve the case. Even when they are no longer live together, sometimes
Sherlock Holmes are still asking him to come. These indicate that Sherlock
Holmes is actually needs a friend. But since most of people thinks that he is freak,
he buries that feelings.
From the characteristic of Sherlock Holmes‘ act whenever he does a
defense mechanisms, there are four types of defense mechanism that used by
Sherlock Holmes. The types that used are displacement, repression, regression,
and fixation.
Sherlock Holmes does a displacement when he is angry to Watson about
Dupin and Lecoq. He is angry because he does not have a case to solve, and he
redirects his anger to Watson. Besides redirecting his anger to Watson, sometimes
he redirects his anger that caused by the same thing to drugs.
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Sherlock Holmes does a repression. He does a repression toward several
things;
Compliment. He repressed this feeling because maybe somehow he thinks
that it is shameful. But from his action, it shows that he likes a compliment, even
seems disappointed when does not get a compliment.
Romance things. He buries this feeling because he thinks that romance or
love can bias his judgment. But, he seems angry when a man does not respect a
woman. even he seems to fall in love with Irene Adler, his target.
Negative effects of drugs addiction. Actually Sherlock Holmes is aware of
the bad effect of drugs, but he buries that because he feels that the drugs can help
him clears his mind. That is why when someone talks about it, he tries to deny it
or avoid the conversation about that.
Sherlock Holmes has defense mechanism toward his feeling that he needs
a friend. Sherlock Holmes almost did not have any friend before he met Dr.
Watson. When he befriended Watson who appreciated his ability, he tried to keep
him close. That act is like the parapraxis of the repression. The repression itself
actually happened before he met Dr. Watson. He buried that feeling because no
one wanted to be a friend of him because people thought that he was a freak
person.
Sherlock Holmes does a defense mechanism called fixation and
regression. It was when he faced a difficult case for the first time. He sat
motionless to think about the case until he got an answer. That is fixation. After
that he is still doing the same thing whenever he has a difficult case, He sits
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motionless thinking about the case until he gets the answer. And that act called a
regression.
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