an analysis on the relationship between sherlock holmes and mycroft holmes...

AN ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND MYCROFT HOLMES

IN THE GREEK INTERPRETER CASE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

to Obtain the SarjanaPendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Yohana Triana Ina Weran

Student Number: 141214094

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTEMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2018

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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AN ANALYSIS ON THE SIBLING RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN SHERLOCK HOLMES AND MYCROFT HOLMES

IN THE GREEK INTERPRETER CASE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By


Student Number: 141214094

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2018


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DEDICATION PAGE

This thesis is dedicated for:

My late father, Mikhael Hali Libur

My mother, Agnes Abong Geroda

My sister, Margareta Meme Mukin

My amazing friends, Asthy, Ping, Tyas, Denza, Sheilla, Finna, Bintang

My lovely friends Vita and Jason


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When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever

remains, however improbable, must be truth

Sherlock Holmes

Life is like riding a bicycle to keep your balance you

must keep moving

Albert Einstein

What strange creatures brothers are

Jane Austen


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ABSTRACT

Weran, Yohana Triana Ina. (2018). An Analysis on the Relationship between

Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes in The Greek Interpreter Case.

Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of

Language and Arts, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma

University.

This thesis analyzes one of the fifty-six short stories of the Adventure of

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle entitled The Greek Interpreter

(1893). In this story, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reveals about Sherlock Holmes’s

family member especially his brother, Mycroft Holmes. The sibling relationship

between Sherlock and Mycroft is worth investigating because of the character.

The character of Sherlock Holmes is known as a weird person because of his

method in solving the case. He makes use of specific techniques, such as

analyzing footprints, faces (animal or human), corpse temperature, corneas,

pulses, snow-covered field or dropped cigarettes ash and other clues to build a

case. Given his unique character, it is unsurprising that readers are intrigued by

the presence of a sibling in the life of this very famous character.

This research focuses on analyzing the sibling relationship between

Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes. According to Furman and Buhrmester

(1985) there are four dimensions of sibling relationship, yet the researcher only

focuses on two dimensions warmth/closeness and status/power. The reason is

warmth closeness is known to be the important part in sibling relationship which

show the intimacy and positive-negative relationship. Then, status/power is the

main dimension which shown the dominance of the older brother to the younger

brother. In analyzing the sibling relationship, the researcher uses the conversations

as the main data. Moreover, the main data are used to answer the research

question. The research question is how is the sibling relationship described in

Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes relationship in the Greek Interpreter case?

The psychological approach was used in this research in order to figure out

the research question. This research was considered as a formalis criticism which

means to determine its meaning and focusing on literary element which is fiction

story such as plot, setting, and the character. The sources are from the novel The

Greek Interpreter and the journals of sibling relationship.

Based on the analysis there was found seven conversations which

indicated the dimension of warmth/closeness. Furthermore, there are fourteen

conversations which indicated the dimension of relative status/power. It can be

concluded that the sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft is really

portrayed in this story from the dimensions of warmth/closeness and status/power.

Moreover, this research is expected to give some contributions to some parties.

For example, it can be used for English lecturer to improve students’ vocabularies.

Also, the novel can be used in analyzing the humanity value based on the

literature work.

Keywords: sibling relationship, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, The

Adventure of Sherlock Holmes and the Greek Interpreter.


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ABSTRAK

Weran, Yohana Triana Ina. (2018). An Analysis on the Relationship between

Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes in the Greek Interpreter Case. Yogyakarta:

English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts

Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma

University.

Skripsi ini menganalisis salah satu cerita pendek Sherlock Holmes dari

lima puluh enam cerita pendek lainnya oleh Sir Arthur Conan Doyle yang

berjudul The Greek Interpreter (1983). Dalam cerita ini Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

mengungkapkan keluarga Sherlock Holmes terlebih khusus kakak tertuanya.

Selain itu, hubungan saudara antara Sherlock dan Mycroft layak diselidiki karena

karakter itu sendiri. Karakter Sherlock Holmes dikenal sebagai orang aneh karena

metodenya dalam memecahkan kasus. Metode tersebut adalah semiotika medis

yang memungkinkan diagnosis meskipun penyakit tidak dapat diamati secara

langsung diketahui berdasarkan gejala atau tanda yang dangkal, sering tidak

relevan dengan mata orang awam. Dia menggunakan teknik-teknik khusus, seperti

menganalisis jejak kaki, wajah (hewan atau manusia), suhu mayat, kornea,

kacang-kacangan, bidang tertutup salju atau menjatuhkan abu rokok dan petunjuk

lain untuk membangun sebuah kasus. Mengingat karakternya yang unik, tidak

mengherankan bahwa pembaca tertarik dengan kehadiran saudara kandung dalam

kehidupan karakter yang sangat terkenal ini.

Penelitian ini berfokus pada menganalisis hubungan saudara antara

Sherlock Holmes dan Mycroft Holmes. Menurut Furman dan Buhrmester (1985)

ada empat dimensi hubungan saudara kandung, namun peneliti hanya berfokus

pada dua dimensi kehangatan/kedekatan dan status/kekuatan. Dalam menganalisis

hubungan saudara, peneliti menggunakan percakapan sebagai data utama. Selain

itu, data utama digunakan untuk menjawab rumusan masalah. rumusan masalah

tersebut adalah bagaimana teori hubungan saudara yang dijelaskan dalam

hubungan Sherlock dan Mycroft Holmes dalam kasus Interpreter Yunani?

Pendekatan psikologi digunakan dalam penelitian ini untuk menjawab

rumusan masalah. Penelitian ini dianggap sebagai penelitian formalis yang mana

untuk fokus dalam unsur sastra seperti alur, tempat, dan tokoh, yang sumbernya

berasal dari novel The Greek Interpreter dan jurnal hubungan saudara kandung.

Berdasarkan analisis ditemukan tujuh percakapan yang diindikasikan

sebagai dimensi kehangatan / kedekatan. Selanjutnya, ada empat belas percakapan

yang ditunjukkan sebagai dimensi status / kekuatan relatif. Dapat disimpulkan

bahwa hubungan saudara antara Sherlock dan Mycroft benar-benar digambarkan

dalam cerita ini dari dimensi kehangatan / kedekatan dan status / kekuatan relatif.

Selain itu, penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan kontribusi kepada

beberapa pihak. Misalnya, dapat digunakan untuk dosen bahasa Inggris untuk

meningkatkan kosakata siswa. Juga novel dapat digunakan dalam menganalisis

nilai kemanusiaan berdasarkan karya sastra.

Kata Kunci: sibling relationship, Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, The

Adventure of Sherlock Holmes and the Greek Interpreter


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all I would like to thank Jesus Christ because of his bless and his

continuous guidance and showers of blessings and mercy in every step throughout

the process of this thesis.

Second of all, I would like to thank Bapak Markus Budiraharjo, S.Pd.,

M.Ed. Ed.D as my advisor and also father in the process of making this thesis. He

gave me a lot of information and advice in finishing this thesis, without his help I

think I would not be able to finish this thesis. I also thank all PBI Lecturers for

their guidance during my study in PBI.

My deepest gratitude is sent to my late father Mikhael Hali Libur and my

beloved mother Agnes Abong Geroda because of their patience and advice for

me finishing my study. I also thank my beloved sister Margareta Meme Mukin

who always brings joy and spirit during the process of finishing my thesis. Love

and affection from them mean a lot for me.

My special gratitude goes to my friends Astini Agun and Silfiyani Fauzi

who also give me an advice and support during my journey in Sanata Dharma

University. They give me a lot of love and various feelings which help me to

develop my personality and make me more mature to face my problems.

I also thank my beloved classmate who also joined the same Proposal

Seminar class, Adhiningtyas Dyah Hartami, for giving her advice and support

during the process of finishing this thesis and also often gave me food and

beverage when we finished our class. I received much love from her.

My sweetest gratitude goes to my Proposal Seminar class; Erni, Shella,

Herman, Kris, Anggi, Christin, Jeny, Erlia, Della, and Gita for their

suggestions and advice in every meeting of the class. Since they gave me a lot of

information, I can finished my thesis well.


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I also warmly thankful for my entire classmate, class D 2014; especially

for Jason, Amara, Sheilla, Finna, Bintang, Edo, Ardi, Erwin, Denza, Vivi,

Andre, Della, for their kindness, caring, support, and patience.

Next, I would like to thank my PPL friends who also gave me positive

energy during the process of PPL in BOSA Senior High School Nanda, Tika,

Friska, Fe, Monik, Suhardy, Aghata, Alfi, Asih, Dara,Gio,Devina, Flo,Eben,

Donny, and Putri.

I also would like to say my very best gratitude to my KKN group,

Vianney, ka Anton, ka Aji, ka Reti, ka Dita, ka Icak, ka Desi, ka Susan, for their

motivation, kindness, caring, love, and cheerfulness.

Last but not least I deliver my best thank to all my friends in English

Language Education Study Program batch 2014 your support was worth more

than I can express.



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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................. i

APPROVAL PAGES ..................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION ............................................................................................... iv

MOTTO ....................................................................................................... v

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY .............................................. vi

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ............................................... vii

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... viii

ABSTRAK ....................................................................................................... ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................... x

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... xii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Research Background............................................................. 1

B. Research Question .................................................................. 5

C. Significance of the study ........................................................ 5

D. Definition terms ..................................................................... 6

1. Analysis ............................................................................ 6

2. Definition of sibling relationship ..................................... 7

3. Sherlock Holmes .............................................................. 8

4. Mycroft Holmes ............................................................... 9

5. The Greek Interpreter ....................................................... 10

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies ..................................................... 14

B. Review of Related Theories ................................................... 16

1. Warmth/closeness ............................................................ 18

2. Relative status/power ....................................................... 18

3. Conflict ............................................................................. 19

4. Rivalry .............................................................................. 19


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C. Review on the Historical Background ................................... 20

D. Theoretical Framework .......................................................... 22

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study................................................................. 24

B. Approach of the Study ........................................................... 26

C. Method of the Study ............................................................... 27

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS

A. Characteristics of Sherlock Holmes ....................................... 29

B. Characteristics of Mycroft Holmes ........................................ 30

C. Warmth/closeness .................................................................. 31

1. Intimacy and companionship ........................................... 31

2. Perceived similarity and admiration................................. 34

D. Status/power ........................................................................... 36

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS

A. Conclusions ........................................................................... 44

B. Implications ........................................................................... 46

C. Suggestions ........................................................................... 47

REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 48

APPENDIX ................................................................................................... 50


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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses the background of the study, research question, the

significance of the study, and definition of terms. The background of this study

presents the reason why the researcher writes this study. Furthermore, the research

question states the question which needs to be answered in the study. Moreover,

the significance of this study is to discuss the contribution of the study. Besides,

the definition of terms presents the specific key terms mentioned in the title and

research question

A. Research Background

Literature is pieces of writing that are valued as works of art, especially

novels, plays and poems. According to Sartre (1988) the definition of literature

begins with two parts of writing which oppose an instrumental of prose to the

poetic attitude and more focuses on the language. Furthermore, there are four

main literary genres of literature which are poetry, fiction, nonfiction and drama.

In this study, the researcher analyzes a novel which is the part of fiction story. A

novel itself means a fictional prose narrative of steady paragraph (Crane, 2007).

The stories from the novel tempt us to connect with the explanation of larger

meanings, values, and phenomena. Moreover, there are five elements in the novel

story which are plot, theme, setting, point of view and character. In this study the

researcher focuses on the character. Piper et al. (2017) explain that characters are


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the media that make the reader come to terms with new kinds of social experience.

The character is also important in the story of a novel, because it can attach people

to read the novel. Furthermore, the characters that will be analyzed in this study

are Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes. In order to analyze the characters, the

researcher used the theory of characterization which explain about the process by

which the writer reveals the personality of the character. There are two ways to

reveal the personality of Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes which are direct

characterization and indirect chracterization. Direct characterization tells the

reader what the personality of the character through the other characters. For

example the character of Sherlock Holmes is told by Watson:

During my long and intimate acquaintance with Mr. Sherlock Holmes I

had never heard him refer to his relations, and hardly ever to his own early

life. This reticence upon his part had increased the somewhat inhuman

effect which he produced upon me, until sometimes I found myself

regarding him as an isolated phenomenon, a brain without a heart, as

deficient in human sympathy as he was pre-eminent in intelligence.

His aversion to women and his disinclination to form new friendships

were both typical of his unemotional character, but not more so than

his complete suppression of every reference to his own people.

(The Greek Interpreter, p. 1)

The example above explains that the author directly tells the reader about the

personality of Sherlock through Watson.

Meanwhile, indirect characterization shows the things can reveal the

personality of the character. There are five different methods of indirect

characterization. First, speech which means what does the character say or how

does the character speak. Second, thoughts which mean what is revealed through

the character’s private thought or feeling. Third, effect on the others toward the

character which means what is revealed through the character’s effect on the other


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people or how do other character feel or behave in reaction to the character.

Fourth, action which means what does the character do or how does the character

behave. The last is looks which mean how does the character look like or how

does the character dress.

The character of Sherlock Holmes has been explained by Watson through

his statement in the opening of the novel. Sherlock is not really friendly and he is

one of the introvert person, therefore he does not have many friends. However, the

contribution of his brother in his life makes this character show the affection

toward his brother. Having an older brother means that he must respects or even

give in to his older brother. However, if we look at the personality of Sherlock

Holmes, we may assume that he is not too close to his brother, he prefers to talk

about the cases rather than his brother. Furthermore, the story of the Greek

Interpreter can be said as an interesting novel because it reveals the other side of

Sherlock’s personality towards his brother and this novel is the first novel which

is depict about the cooperation between Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes.

Furthermore, as the researchers who study about the psychology of sibling

relationship, Furman and Buhrmester (1985) explain that the relationship between

sibling shows an unusual role in the life of the brotherhood. The sibling

relationship is found to be an integral part that serves an emotional bond between

siblings. It can be form as a source of companionship, help, or emotional support.

As Furman and Buhrmester (1985) observe, older siblings may play some roles,

such as caretakers, teachers, and models, in the relationship with their younger

brother. In sum, siblings may gain many social and cognitive skills from the


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relationship in their family, which in turn will certainly be central to their healthy

development into maturity.

Apparently, sibling relationship also appears in the fiction stories, which

are those from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). He is one of the most

renowned detective writers to date, whose major character, i.e. Sherlock Holmes,

appeared in many detective novels at the turn of the 20th

century. In the novel

entitled the Greek Interpreter (1893), Sherlock Holmes is told to be in line with

his brother, Mycroft Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is a consultant detective, whose

expertise in observation of complex cases is no doubt. Readers are intrigued by

his wits, creativity, and resourceful problem-solving skills. According to Ginzburg

(1980), Sherlock Holmes has the outstanding capacities in analyzing footprints,

faces (animal or human), corpse temperature, corneas, pulses, snow covered fields

or dropped cigarettes ash and other clues easily. Aside from the writer who had

been a doctor, Sherlock Holmes's abilities are actually inherited from his parents.

According to Wiltse (1998), Holmes abilities are not only presented as a result of

long hours of study and practice, in conformity with the bourgeois idea of self-

improvement, training, and market equity in useful industries. Yet, Holmes' ability

is also hereditary, like his brother Mycroft.

This study is set to investigate the novel entitled the Greek Interpreter as

an object of the study. A detective novel published at the turn of the century, the

novel promises some insights that serve a good value to investigate. The reason

why the researcher tends to analyze the sibling relationship between Sherlock

Holmes and Mycroft Holmes is that of the character. The character of Sherlock


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Holmes can be said as an abnormal by the people around him. Watson describes

him as an automaton, a calculating machine with somthing positively inhuman in

him. Even sometimes, the composure of Sherlock Holmes regarded as a machine

rather than a man. However, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gives the new story about

the companionship between Sherlock and Mycroft in the story of The Greek

Interpreter. The contribution of a brother in the life of Sherlock Holmes who has a

high level in deduction and observation makes this story worth investigating. In

explaining the sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft, the researcher

used the theory from Furman and Buhrmester (1985) about the dimensions of

sibling relationships. As well as how this theory describes the relationship

between Sherlock and Mycroft.

B. Research Question

Based on the background mentioned earlier, one research question is

formulated as follows:

1. How is the character of Sherlock Holmes described in the dimension of

sibling relationship between him and his brother in the novel of The Greek

Interpreter?

C. Significance of the Study

The significance of the study is to describe the character of Sherlock

Holmes through the dimension of the sibling relationship between him and

Mycroft Holmes and also the novel can be useful to students in improving the


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ability of reading literary work especially English novel. Moreover, Piper et al.

(2017) explain that characters are the media that make the reader come to terms

with new kinds of social experience. The character also important in the story of a

novel, because it can attached people to read the novel. So does in the Sherlock

Holmes’ story, a rigid attitude and the composure in solving the case with the high

level of genius in obervation and deduction is the main reason why people want to

read this novel. Furthermore, the personality of Sherlock Holmes is tried to be

placed in the concept of humanity in relation to the sibling relationship with his

older brother by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, Sherlock Holmes did not

appear in the vacuum world, he appeared in a specific technological world. In the

family, Sherlock grew up as a human being who has a sibling that has an impact

on his life.

D. Definition of Terms

1. Analysis

The definition of analysis is the detailed study or examination of

something in order to understand more about it (“Analysis”). While the analysis in

the literature is the structured of literary analysis focused predominately on the

theme, plot, setting, and character which is used by the author to create the true

meaning of their work. The goal of the literary analysis is to broaden and deepen

the understanding of a work in literature (Sierra College, 2017).


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2. Definition of Sibling Relationship

Cicirelli (1995) describes that sibling relationship denote by two children

in family who experience some degree of common biological origin (full siblings

and half-siblings), define legally (stepsiblings and adoptive siblings), and some

degree of communication or socialization to the norm of sibling peculiarly culture.

Cicirelli (1985) also added that sibling relationship is the total of the interactions

(physical, verbal, and nonverbal communication) of two or more individual who

experience knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings regarding to

each other. Whereas, Freud (1922) describes the sibling relationship as someone

who is invariably involved as a model, helper, and also an opponent.

Moreover, sibling relationships have four dimensions such as

warmth/closeness, relative status/ power, rivalry, and conflict. Furthermore, the

effective quality of sibling relationships also can be various for example sibling

relationship can be close or distant, harmonious or conflicted, cooperative or

competitive. Moreover, relative status and power refer to the degree and direction

of an imbalance in the relationship. While, warmth or closeness show the range of

various qualities such as intimacy, pro-social behavior, companionship,

admiration, perceived similarity, and affection. On the other hand, conflict can be

manifested in terms of quarreling, antagonism, and competition.

3. Sherlock Holmes

The character of Sherlock Holmes is created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Actually, Sherlock Homes is created from Conan Doyle’s own professor name Dr.


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Joseph Bell. The professor could diagnose patient from minor observation that

mean from the little thing (Jensen, 2014). Sherlock Holmes was by all accounts

born on 6th January 1854 and for more than a century his name has been known

in every country of the world and not only his name, but his appearance too. The

hawk-like features and piercing eyes; the dressing-gown and pipe; the deerstalker

cap and magnifying glass - these details are so familiar that if he were to appear

amongst us today we should know him at once. However he is still a mysterious

figure, as wrapped in mystery as the crimes he tried to solve and as in most

legends it is often difficult to separate fact from fiction. According to the

published stories which first appeared in the Strand Magazine in 1891 and which

have since been translated into every language, he practiced as a consulting

detective between 1881-1904, while living at 221b Baker Street with his friend

and colleague Doctor John H. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes’ personality also explained by one of his enemy Irene

Adler. She said that Sherlock Holmes was the most perfect reasoning and

observing machine that the world has seen, but he was not without feelings,

because he appreciated the opera and classical music. He was however reserved

towards women, because he felt their influence a distraction to his work, so he

would not allow himself (as Watson did) to become swayed by their romantic

allure. Nevertheless, Holmes took an interest in a Miss Irene Adler, whom he

always referred to as 'the woman'. She was born in New Jersey in 1858 and

outwitted him in the case of A Scandal in Bohemia.


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Dr. Watson also described Sherlock to be the worst tenant in London, who

keeps his cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe-end of a Persian slipper,

and his letters transfixed by a jack-knife to the center of the wooden mantelpiece.

Strange visitors, chemical experiments and late-night violin playing also tried the

patience of their landlady Mrs. Hudson. He was however the great detective's

loyal companion and Holmes was aware of his value. He said to him on one

occasion: “it may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor

of light.”

4. Mycroft Holmes

Mycroft is the older brother of Sherlock Holmes by seven years. He

appears or mentioned in four stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle such as “The

Greek Interpreter”, “The Final Problem”, “The Empty House”, and “The Bruce-

Partington Plans”. The personality of Mycroft Holmes is explained by Sherlock

Holmes in his conversation with Dr. Watson:

“… I said that he was my superior in observation and deduction. If the art

of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an arm-chair, my

brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived. But he has no

ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his way to verify his

own solution, and would rather be considered wrong than take the trouble

to prove himself right Again and again I have taken a problem to him, and

have received an explanation which has afterwards proved to be the

correct one. And yet he was absolutely incapable of working out the

practical points..."

(The Greek Interpreter, p. 1).

The statement is to describe Mycroft Holmes’ personality from Sherlock’s

point of view. Furthermore, the character of Mycroft Holmes is described by

Watson when they meet each other for the first time.


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“Mycroft Holmes was a much larger and stouter man than Sherlock. His

body was absolutely corpulent, but his face, though massive, had

preserved something of the sharpness of expression which was so

remarkable in that of his brother. His eyes, which were of a peculiarly

light, watery gray, seemed to always retain that far-away, introspective

look which I had only observed in Sherlock’s when he was exerting his

full power.”


5. The Greek Interpreter

The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter began with a discussion between

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson about the hereditary traits. Previously, Watson

has always assumed that Holmes is unique, an only child, with singular

capabilities. However, Sherlock is quick to set his friend straight with the factual

information that he has an older brother called Mycroft. Sherlock considers that

the intellect of Mycroft outstrips his own, but the detective also recognizes that

Mycroft does not have the energy to go along. Mycroft is perfectly comfortable to

be considered wrong, rather than to make the efforts to prove that he is right.

In the story, Sherlock has on occasion sought out the advice of his brother

by visiting Mycroft at the Diogenes Club. This time Sherlock has been sought by

Mycroft for Mr. Melas, a Greek interpreter and neighbor of Mycroft. A man by

the name of Harold Latimer had sought out the services of Mr. Melas, to act as a

Greek interpreter. Mr. Melas escorted in a blacked-out cab and although told the

destination was to be Kensington, the journey lasted for longer than it should.

Latimer also produced a bludgeon, with the implicit threat of violence. Latimer

would tell Mr. Melas that he would be rewarded for his services, but also

demanded future silence from the interpreter. After a couple of hours, the blacked-


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out cab eventually pulls up at a large expensively decorated house. At the house,

Mr. Melas encounters a second man, Wilson Kemp, and soon there if more

evidence about just how irregular this interpreting job was going to be. A third

man was brought into the presence of the Greek interpreter, but initially the mouth

of this man was covered in sticking plaster. Mr. Melas was asked to ask the

anonymous man certain questions, but as Mr. Melas realized that Latimer and

Kemp were both ignorant of the Greek language, the interpreter managed to

interpose his own questions as well.

From his own questions Mr. Melas discovered that the captive man was

named Paul Kratides, a Greek man who Latimer and Kemp were trying to make

sign some papers. Paul Kratides had been in England for three weeks, but had no

idea where he currently was. At that moment the questioning was interrupted

when a woman entered the room. This woman immediately called out to Kratides,

calling him by his first name. Paul Kratides then ripped off his mouth guard, and

called the woman Sophy. Paul and Sophy were quickly separated, and then Mr.

Melas was escorted from the house into the blacked-out cab again.

Another long drive ensued, but rather than being returned home, Mr.

Melas was dropped off on Wands worth Common. The Greek interpreter did not

dawdle and immediately went to gain the advice of Mycroft Holmes. Then, the

advertisements directly had been placed in the papers. The ads asking for

information about a Greek lady staying in England, or a man named Paul

Katrides. The problem had been half accomplished by Mycroft before Sherlock

Holmes, and Mycroft brings the next development, for he has had an answer to


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the placed newspaper notices. There was the informant named Mr. Davenport. He

told that Sophy is staying at house known as the Myrtles in Beckenham. With

some urgency plans are made to go to Beckenham, it is decided to get Inspector

Gregson to join them. It was also thought a good idea to collect Mr. Melas, in case

a Greek interpreter is required. When they arrived at the Melas residence, they

found that the Greek interpreter has already been picked up by a cab, something

that did not mean well for the safety of the interpreter. Then, when Holmes

brothers, Watson and Gregson arrived at the Myrtles it appeared that the house

has been abandoned evidence shows the departure of heavily laden coach.

Though the house was not quite as empty as it appeared, as breaking

through a locked door, they found Paul Kratides and Mr. Melas. Both men have

been gassed with charcoal fumes. The rescue proves too late for Paul Kratides, but

the attention of Dr Watson sees Mr. Melas saved. The rescue has also come too

late to arrest Latimer and Kemp, or rescue Sophy. The gaps in Sherlock Holmes’s

knowledge of the case are soon filled in.The friend of Paul had warned him about

the influence that Latimer was insist over Sophy, and they had travelled to

England from Greece to fix that situation. Paul Kratides had though become a

prisoner of Latimer, and the latter had tried to make the former sign over Sophy’s

property, of course, Paul Kratides had refused to do so, which ultimately lead to

his own death. There was a footnote to the adventure for news arrived of the death

of two Englishmen, Latimer and Kemp, in Hungary. It appeared that the two have

killed each other during a fight, but Sherlock Holmes has a strong feeling that the


13

deaths of the two men have been caused by Sophy: the sister of Paul who getting

her revenge.


14

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter consists of four parts. The first part is the review of related

literature. This part reviews other related studies which use the same subject in the

study. The second part is the review of related theories. This part reviews the

theory employed in the study. The third part is the review of the historical-

biographical background. This part discusses the social culture historical that

happened when the author wrote the novel. The fourth part is the theoretical

framework. This part discusses the theories that are used in analyzing the novel.

A. Review of Related Studies

There were many researchers who discussed Sherlock Holmes, yet the

researcher only took four researchers. The first was Rosemary Jann (1990), she is

a professor of Departement of English and Cultural Studies of George Mason

University. In the study of Sherlock Holmes she analyzed Sherlock Holmes codes

of the social body. She discusses the persistance of Sherlock Holmes in the

readers‟ mind with the accuracy in recognizing the facts and clues made them

want to read the novel. Moreover, she also points out that many critics have

followed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‟s biographer Pierre Nordon in viewing Holmes

as a resonant symbol of the late Victorian faith in the power of logic and

rationality to insure order.


15

The second researcher who is also discussed Sherlock Holmes was

Edward Wiltse (1998). He analyzed Sherlock Holmes and seriality. He is a

professor in Nazareth College as a staff of English and Communication

Departement. He is teaching Twentieth-century British and Irish literature and

post-colonial literature, he also interested in the research of crime and detective

fiction, film, cultural studies, rhetoric and composition. In analyzing Sherlock

Holmes, he discussed the explosion of Sherlock Holmes‟ story onto the literary

scene in the 1890‟s as a late stage in the decline of what had been a dominant

literary mode. He also defined the invention of the short story serial or series is

based on continuous character and setting, for example is from the story of

Sherlock Holmes. Wiltse (1998) also points out that Doyle‟s new genre had

ramification across the cultural spectrum not only for the emergent narrative

technologies but also more strictly “literary” production.

The third researcher was Louise Jensen (2014). She is an author of many

books which is related to psychology. Moreover, in the study of Sherlock Holmes,

she analyzed Sherlock Holmes‟ trademarks as a sex symbol, action hero and

comedian in the 21st

Century. She discussed the companionship between the

world‟s only consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and the veteran war doctor

referred to as Dr. John Hamish Watson. The analysis is taken from the first novel

of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle entitled Study in Scarlet. Jensen (2014) also analyzed

the representation of Sherlock Holmes with deerstalker, the magnifying glass, and

the curved pipe are signs and the trademarks which make the character of

Sherlock Holmes recognisable for the reader around the world. Moreover, she is


16

also explained Sherlock Holmes‟ image that actually inspired by Conan Doyle‟s

own professor, Dr. Joseph Bell. He could diagnose patients‟ diseases based on

minor observation which also became the inspiration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

created Sherlock Holmes.

The fourth researcher was Eduarda De Carli (2014), she was a student in

Aalborg University which analyzed Sherlock Holmes characterization in the novel

of A Study in Scarlet. The study aims to analyze the characterization of Sherlock

Holmes in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‟s text and in a contemporary television

appropriation, in order to investigate its representation as well as some of the

choices made when adapting the original first person narration into film.

Likewise in this study, the researcher also uses the same subject, Sherlock

Holmes. Yet, the significance of this study is to reveal the companionship through

brotherhood relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes in the

novel of the Greek Interpreter.

B. Review of Related Theories

The main theory which is used to describe the sibling relationship between

the character of Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes is from Furman and

Buhrmester (1985) about the quality of sibling relationship. Before we discussed

about the theory, we must know who are Wyndol Furman and late Duane

Buhrmester.

Wyndol Furman is a professor in Denvar University as a staff of

Departement of Psychology. He has contribution to SAGE Publications. He has


17

current research and project called project star which is an 18 year longitudinal

study of romantic relationship, other close relationship, and adjustment in

adolescene and early adulthood.

Furthermore, late Duane Buhrmester was a dean of Behavioral and Brain

Science (BBS) and a professor of psychological sciences at UT Dallas. He was an

active and respected researcher and teacher. In his administrative role, he served

on vital University. He also was on the editorial board of the international journal

of behavioral development and frequently spoke at International psychological

conference. His current research before he died is The Network of Relationships

Inventory: Behavioral Systems Version in 2009.

Further, they were working together in the study of sibling relationship. In

the study, they found that there are four dimensions of sibling relationship which

are warmth/closeness, relative status/power, rivalry and conflict.

1. Warmth/Closeness

There are positive and negative effects for siblings in each dimension.

According to Furman and Buhrmester (1985), sibling relationship can be form of

cooperation vs competitive and agreeable vs quarrelsome. Even though in the

positive and negative behavior considered as bipolar (two different sides), they

have to be treated as different dimension too. According to Furman and

Buhrmester (1985) warmth/closeness is predictable to be formed in the range of

various qualities such as intimacy, pro-social behavior, companionship,

admiration, nurturance, perceived similarity, and affection. They define that


18

feeling of warmth or closeness is greater in same-sex than in opposite-sex. The

siblings with the same-sex have the strongest feelings of warmth and closeness,

the similarity in gender appears to promote relationships that remind friendship in

some respect. Older siblings can serve as caretakers, teachers, or models. In some

instances, they can even help compensate for absent or distant parents. In their

interactions with each other, siblings may acquire many social and cognitive skills

that are central to healthy social development.

2. Relative Status/Power

This dimension has consistently occurred in taxonomic studies of

interpersonal characters or types of relationships. Based on the result of the study

from Furman and Buhrmester (1985), relative age had a strong effect on

awareness of status/power and when the subject was the older member of the

family, it reported the bigger nurturance and dominance over their siblings and

admired more by younger siblings.

Furman and Buhrmester (1985) added that although investigators have

usually focused on dominance, there are also positive qualities, such as admiration

and nurturance (caretaking). In these taxonomic studies, relative status/power

relationships have also been found to vary along a dimension of positivity-

negativity which is cooperation/friendly vs competitive/ hostile, warm/agreeable

vs cold/quarrelsome. Moreover, the range of the difference in age also influenced

perceptions of relative status/power as indicated by significant interaction. When


19

the siblings were 4 or more years older, they engaged in the greatest amount of

nurturing and caretaking behavior to each other.

3. Conflict

Conflict is expected to be displayed in terms of quarreling, competition,

and perceived parental favoritism. Moreover, according to Furman and

Buhrmester (1985) age is the significant effect on the conflict factor. Children

with a narrow-spaced sibling are having more conflict between them rather than

with wide-spaced sibling. The same result also happens on the quarreling,

antagonism, and competition scales.

4. Rivalry

Furman and Buhrmester (1985) point out that in the dimension of rivalry

children described the greater rivalry in parental favoritism. While in adulthood, it

may be less salient because in adulthood siblings specifically no longer live with

each other or with the parents.

C. Review on the Historical-biographical Background

In the era of making the Sherlock Holmes story in the late 19th

century,

Western intellectuals tend to describe 'modernity' as incompatible with

'enchantment' (Saler, 2003). Based on the study from Saler (2003), Max Weber

argues that two intrinsic aspects in modernity are rationalization and

bureaucracies as opposed to the magical attitudes to human existence which


20

characterize medieval and early medieval thinking that describe the gloomy

images of the 'iron cage'. The theory put forward by Max Weber who argued that

rationalization and the rule of trapping people in “thinking” about reasoning

which cause the fear of romanticism and had to be repeated by later cultural

doubters until the 20th

century.

Moreover, the masterpiece of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

portrays a specific modern form of enchantment. There are two reasons why

Sherlock Holmes represents the specific modern of enchantment. First, Sherlock

has his own form of rationalism called „animistic reason‟, which offer an

alternative to the narrower instrumental reason that claimed as a defining element

of modernity. Second, many adult readers at the turn of the century and beyond

were able to pretend that Sherlock is in the real life, and his creator is fictitious

through the „ironic imagination‟, a more capacious and playful understanding of

the imagination. Sherlock Holmes first appearance is in The Strand magazine in

1891.

Saler (2003) defines that Doyle affirmed his belief of the existences of

fairy so that many people believe that Sherlock Holmes was real. Thus, many of

the early readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories assumed that the author must

share the attribute of fairies and modernity in the aspect of rational thinking. The

attributes made Holmes so typically modern through his secularism, rationalism,

and skepticism. Though, from an early age, Doyle had expressed ambivalence

about modernity. Saler (2003) explains Conan Doyle had been raised as a Catholic

and educated by Jesuit but as a young man, he left Catholicism and gravitated


21

toward the rationalist and positivist stand of his medical school instructors at the

University of Edinburgh. Yet, he was not comfortable with modern atheism and

materialism either, his disappointment with aspects of the modernity and

dissatisfaction with agnosticism led him to explore spiritualism beginning in

1886, a year before he wrote Sherlock Holmes story.

In sum, Sherlock Holmes was the first character of literature to be treated

as if he was real and his creator is fictitious. Clausen (1984) defines the first

appearance of Sherlock Holmes was in 1887 (Study in Scarlet) made him become

the popular works of fiction ever created. “No other Victorian literary character

has maintained so powerful a hold on so many twentieth-century readers‟

imagination” (Clausen 1984, p. 104).

D. Theoretical Framework

The main theory that is used in this analysis is based on Furman and

Buhrmester (1985) about four dimensions of the sibling relationship. This theory

is to describe the relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes through the

sibling‟s dimension. The dimensions of sibling relationship are warmth/closeness,

status/power, rivalry and conflict.

Other theories which will be used in describing the characteristics of

siblings are from Cicirelli (1995) about sibling relationships across the lifespan.

The theory from Cicirelli (1995) is used to elaborate the unique characteristic of

sibling relationship and also the definition of sibling relationship. Moreover,

Freud (1922) defines about group Psychology and the analysis of ego. Based on


22

the study, Freud (1922) defines that each individual has the desire of explores the

path to find satisfaction for they instinct and sometimes it makes the individual

disregard they relationship with others. Therefore, Freud (1922) also explains that

actually in the individual‟s mental life, someone else invariably involved as a

model, object, helper, and also opponent.

Furthermore, Stocker et al. (1997) explain about sibling relationship in

early adulthood. In the theory, they describe about the nature of sibling

relationship in early adulthood and characterize the dimension of sibling

relationship which appears in the adulthood relationship. Moreover, those theories

support the theory of sibling relationship by Furman and Buhrmester (1985) and

also help the researcher to explain further information about sibling relationship

between Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes.

Moreover, Hogan (2011) describes the introduction of studying literature.

He explains that, this study aims to integrate literary insight with work from

neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and elsewhere in order to contribute to the

ongoing interdisciplinary research. He also identifies that drawing the sources of

neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, but stressing the particular value of

literature will treats the general structure of emotion which are both egoistic and

emphatic, as well as particular emotions including romantic love, mirth, grief,

guilt, shame, and jealousy.

The researcher also applied the theory from Sartre (1988) about what is

literature. In this book, Sartre (1988) points out that literature begin with two parts

of writing which opposes an instrumental of prose to the poetic attitude and more


23

focused on the language. Moreover, there are four main literary genres of

literature which are poetry, fiction, nonfiction and drama.

Furthermore, the theory from Crane (2007) is used in this study to give the

definition of novel. According to Crane (2007) novel means a fictional prose

narrative of steady paragraph. The stories from the novel tempt the reader to

connect with the explanation of larger meanings, values, and phenomena. He also

point out that there are five elements in the novel story which are plot, theme,

setting, point of view and character.

In explaning the definition of character, the researcher used the theory

from Piper et al. (2017). Based on their study, character means the media that

make the reader come to terms with new kinds of social experience. Moreover, the

the character in a novel can attached people to read the novel.

The other theory that also supports the theory of personality is from

Maslow (1954). He describes the theory of personality attempt to enlarge our

conception of the human personality by reaching into the “higher” levels of

human nature. In this book, Maslow also represents a different philosophy of

human nature, a new image of man.


24

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses three parts which consist of object of the study, an

approach to the study, and method of the study. The object of the study deals with

the identity of the novel. Moreover, the approach of the study discusses the

approaches which employed in analyzing the study. In addition, the method of the

study discusses the steps taken in analyzing the novels.

A. Object of the Study

Sherlock Holmes is one of famous detective stories. It was created by Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th

century. 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. The Greek Interpreter itself

launched in 1893 of September in the edition of the Strand Magazine.

Furthermore, in 1893, the Greek Interpreter was republished as a part of The

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes as a compilation work of short Sherlock Holmes

stories.

The Greek Interpreter is the part of 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories

written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and one of 12 stories in the

cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. The story was originally

serialized in The Strand Magazine in 1893. This story introduces Holmes's elder


25

brother Mycroft. Moreover, Doyle ranked The Greek Interpreter seventeenth in a

list of his nineteen favorite Sherlock Holmes stories.

Based on the article of Quatermain (2016), the short Sherlock Holmes

stories had been published in the Strand Magazine, and the powers of the

consulting detective were well established. In the adventure of the Greek

Interpreter though, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced a figure whose skills

potentially exceed those of his most famous creation. This figure was Mycroft

Holmes, but he did not have the inclination, or the energy, to undertake the same

kind of work as his brother did. The case of the Greek Interpreter is not a difficult

one for Sherlock Holmes to solve, for indeed, some of the preparatory work, in the

form of newspaper advertisements, has already been undertaken by Mycroft. In

investigating the case though, there is a certain amount of urgency that is not

always present in Sherlock Holmes tales.

Furthermore, The Greek Interpreter was in an episode of the 1960s BBC

television adaptations, from the programmer’s second series. Shot in color, first

aired in October 1968. This shot is starred by Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock.

Unfortunately, this is one of the second series' missing episodes. The episode

would be adapted for television by Granada TV and in the Adventures of Sherlock

Holmes, Jeremy Brett would star as the detective. This adaptation kept fairly close

to the original storyline, although Mycroft Holmes had been introduced in an

earlier episode, and also the ending was amended, with the criminals being

captured by Holmes.


26

The Greek Interpreter was also adapted by BBC Radio 4 under the same

name in 1992, as part of a long-term series of BBC radio adaptations of the whole

Sherlock Holmes Canon, directed by playwright and radio drama director Bert

Coules. The radio adaptation starred Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.

The Greek Interpreter was one of the off-screen cases from the BBC series of

Sherlock Holmes, was a loose adaptation which appeared on Dr. Watson's

personal blog. The article on the blog is dated 16 June and is briefly glimpsed

(along with two other cases) during the episode A Scandal in Belgravia.

B. Approach of the Study

The approach that was used in this study is psychological approach from

Freud (1922). In this approaches, Frued describes that the individual psychology

is concerned with the individual man and explores the paths by which he seeks to

find satisfaction for his instinct. However, there is an exceptional condition which

is the individual psychology in a position to disregard the relation of the others. In

the individual’s mental life, someone else is invariably involved as a model, as an

object, as a helper, and also can be as an opponent. Moreover, the relations of an

individual to his parents and to his brother or sister are the main subject of

psycho-analytic which may be claimed as a social phenomenon. The relation is

come under the influence of only a single person or from a very small number of

persons that is each one of whom has become enormously important to him. That

is why if we look at Sherlock’s personality, we know that as an individual he has

his own paths to explore his satisfaction in solving the case. However, as Freud


27

explains in his theory, an individual also need someone else in his life, for

example a brother, as well as in the story of Sherlock and Mycroft. Sherlock

considers his brother as a model and helper. Therefore, in the story Sherlock said

that sometimes the interesting case came to him through his brother. It means that

a small number of a person in his life become enormously important to him.

In supporting the Psychology approach from Freud (1922), the researcher

used the theory of sibling relationship from Furman and Buhrmester (1985). The

theory is about the four dimensions of sibling relationship which explain that

sibling relationship can be described through the dimensions such as

warmth/closeness, relative status/power, conflict and rivalry. Further, the theory

from Cicirelli (1995) describes about sibling relationships across the lifespan

which explains the attribute of sibling relationship that has the certain unique

characteristic. These unique characteristics consist of five parts. First, the

relationship with a sibling is usually the longest relationship that an individual

will experience in the total lifetime. Second, the sibling relationship is ascribed

rather than earned. Third, the sibling relationship in childhood and adolescence

are more one of intimate daily contact. Fourth, the relationship between siblings is

often seen as one of relative egalitarianism. Fifth, siblings’ life has in common a

long history of shared as well as non-shared experience.

C. Method of the Study

In analyzing the novel, the researcher applied formalist criticism.

Historically, the term “formalism”, is a criticism and theory as in aesthetics,


28

usually signifies a concern with an artwork’s formal features, not just its thematic

or representational elements (Bogel, 2013). The critic pays special attention to the

elements of the work, for example fiction: plot, point of view, characters, setting,

tone and style, theme, symbol. Moreover, the strength of formalism is “close

reading” skill which means the efforts to obtain the full understanding of a reading

material. With the full understanding of the novel, the reader can grasp the idea of

the author in a way of analyze the character in the novel, and then try to draw the

relation between the character and other characters, and the last the reader can

design their own meaning toward the novel. As well as in this study the researcher

has an argument toward the novel of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is

known has a intimate relationship with Watson. It begun when Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle published his first novel entitled A Study in Scarlet in 1887. The

companionhip between these two charcacters are no doubt. Sherlock spends most

of his time with Watson rather than with Mycroft. However, in this study the

researcher wants to show that actually Sherlock and his brother are also close to

each other.

Furthermore, there are four steps in analyzing the novel. First, the

researcher tried to understand the content of the story. Second, the researcher

begun to analyze the character. In this study the researcher chose the character of

Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes to be placed in the sibling relationship and

revealed their companionship in solving the case. Third, the researcher begun to

draw the relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft through the conversation and

statement from the characters. Fourth, the researcher started to write the analysis

of sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft.


29

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter presents the findings of the study. In this chapter, there are

two dimensions which are used to explain the sibling relationship between

Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes which are warmth/closeness and status/power.

A. Characteristics of Sherlock Holmes

The character of Sherlock Holmes is known from the hawk-like features

and piercing eyes; the dressing-gown and pipe; the deerstalker cap and

magnifying glass. These details are so familiar if he were appear amongst us today

we should know him at once. Dr. Watson revealed Sherlock’s personality in A

Study in Scarlet (1887) as a man who has moments of intense energy and passion

as well as just as intense moments of depression and contemplation. Dr. Watson

also describe Sherlock’s personality as the worst tenant in London who keeps his

cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe-end of a Persian slipper, and his

letters transfixed by a jack-knife to the center of the wooden mantelpiece. Strange

visitors, chemical experiments and late-night violin playing also tried the patience

of their landlady Mrs. Hudson. He was however a great detective's loyal

companion and was aware of his value.


30

B. Characteristics of Mycroft Holmes

Mycroft Holmes is the older brother of Sherlock Holmes by seven years.

He appears or mentioned in four stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle such as “The

Greek Interpreter”, “The Final Problem”, “The Empty House”, and “The Bruce-

Partington Plans”. His character also describe by Watson when they first met.

“Mycroft Holmes was a much larger and stouter man than Sherlock. His

body was absolutely corpulent, but his face, though massive, had

preserved something of the sharpness of expression which was so

remarkable in that of his brother. His eyes, which were of a peculiarly

light, watery gray, seemed to always retain that far-away, introspective

look which I had only observed in Sherlock’s when he was exerting his

full power.”


Meanwhile, his personality is described by Sherlock in The Greek Interpreter:

... he has no ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his way to

verify his own solution, and would rather be considered wrong than take

the trouble to prove himself right. And yet he was absolutely incapable of

working out the practical points which must be gone into before a case

could be laid before a judge or jury.”


The different character and personality from these brothers are create the

relation of symbiosis mutualism. It means that one has much energy to look after

the evidence (Sherlock Holmes) while the other one (Mycroft Holmes) has no

energy so he just gives the case and helps in his own way. The character,

personality and the companionship between them is described in their

conversations. While sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft described

through the dimension of sibling relationship which is mentioned by Furman and

Buhrmester (1985). In their study of the quality of sibling relationship, there are

four dimensions of sibling relationship, yet the researcher only focuses on two


31

dimensions which are warmth/closenes and status/power. The reason is because

these two dimension take the big role of siblings relationship in a adulthood.

NB: The bold sentences are the conversation that proves the dimension.

A. Warmth/Closeness

According to Furman and Buhrmester (1985) warmth/closeness is defined

as a cooperation or friendly vs. competitive or hostile, warm or agreeable vs. cold

or quarrelsome. Moreover, warmth/closeness is also can be form of intimacy, pro-

social behavior, companionship, admiration, nurturance, perceived similarity, and

affection. However, in this study, the researcher focuses on two forms which are

intimacy and companionship and perceived similarity and admiration.

1. Intimacy and Companionship

In the story of the Greek Interpreter, there are some conversations

between Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes as well as Sherlock and Watson,

which help the researcher to describe this dimension. The importance of this story

is that for the first time Sherlock Holmes talks about his older brother. According

to Cicirelli (1995) in the recent years, the attention is focused on the relationship

between siblings and the factors influencing such relationship. In every novel of

Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shows that the main character such a

weird person and it is because of his methods in solving the case, which are in

analyzing footprints, faces (animal or human), corpse temperature, corneas,


32

pulses, snow-covered field or dropped cigarettes ash and another clues (Ginzburg,

1980). Ginzburg (1980) defines that;

The method is called medical semiotics or symptomatology the discipline

which permits diagnosis, though the disease cannot be directly observed

on the basis of superficial symptoms or signs, often irrelevant to the eye of

the layman, or even of Dr. Watson (p. 12).

In addition, Freud (1922) acclaimed that Sherlock acts like that to satisfy

himself for his instinct, so he does not care about the other people think of him.

Moreover, in the Greek Interpreter case, Sherlock and Mycroft show the close

relationship through the knowledge about each other for example Sherlock tells

Watson about his brother’s schedule, occupation, and achievement. Beside the

intimacy between these brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft also show the

companionship by helping each other in solving the case of the Greek Interpreter.

However, how can the intimacy and companionship between Sherlock and

Mycroft remained, if these brothers are rarely met? Based on the study of Stocker

et al. (1997), in adulthood, siblings are also likely to vary in affectionate features

of their relationship. Therefore, it is rarely seen in many Sherlock Holmes stories

which tell about the sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft.

Furthermore, in maintaining the relationship, Cicirelli (1995) explains that

sibling relationship in adulthood is maintained by telephone communication,

letters, and periodic visits. Moreover, Stocker et al. (1997) define that “adult who

lives far apart with their sibling can maintain contact through the mail and over

the telephone” (p. 212). Therefore, there are three examples include the story of

Bruce Partington Plans which explain about how Sherlock and Mycroft

communicate with each other.


33

As we walked home together, Holmes stopped at a telegraph office and

sent off several wires. (The Greek Interpreter, p. 6).

Holmes handed me his brother‟s telegram.

Must see you over Cadogen West.

Coming at once.

— Mycroft.

(Bruce Partington Plans, p. 789).

At London Bridge, Holmes wrote a telegram to his brother, which he

handed to me before dispatching it. It ran thus:

See some light in the darkness, but it may possibly flicker out. Meanwhile,

please send by messenger, to await return at Baker Street, a complete list

of all foreign spies or international agents known to be in England, with

full address.

— Sherlock.

(Bruce Partington Plans, p. 793).

The way they maintain their brotherly relationships is unique, although the

content of the telegram is not like asking “how are you” and so on, but in that

way, they remain in touch. The rarity of meetings between them makes their

relationship far from the conflict. As explained before, intimacy appears when the

sibling knows each other well. “Communication between siblings about their

lives, either directly or indirectly (through a parent or others), may produce

empathy and vicariously shared experiences, facilitating greater similarity”

(Cicirelli 1995, p. 2). In addition, Cicirelli (1995) also points out that sibling

relationship is ascribed rather than earned which means brotherhood or sisterhood

is a status that is obtained by birth. Even though, there will be the separation of an

active sibling relationship under certain circumstances, there is no separation of

the sibling status. It means that even though they do not regularly communicate

with each other but their relationship as a sibling still lingers in their daily life.


34

The same action is also done by Sherlock Holmes when he begins to talk

about his brother to Watson that also showed a great sense of intimacy to his

brother. Sometimes, Sherlock also calls his brother “my dear Mycroft”. He admits

that, sometimes, some cases come to him through his brother.

“You see, Watson,” he remarked, “our evening has been by no means

wasted. Some of my most interesting cases have come to me in this

way through Mycroft. The problem which we have just listened to,

although it can admit of but one explanation, has still some distinguishing

features.”


The companionship between Sherlock and Mycroft is proven by Sherlock

upon receiving the case from Mycroft. He works very hard to resolve the case.

Then, if Mycroft wants advice, Sherlock will glad to help.

2. Perceived Similarity and Admiration

The story of the Greek Interpreter also told about Sherlock ability in

deduction. Actually, Sherlock’s ability does not only come by itself but it is

hereditary. According to Wiltse (1998), Holmes’s ability is also hereditary, as his

brother Mycroft who has similar genius suggests and the disinterested pursuit of

knowledge for its own sake. According to Furman and Buhrmester (1985),

“warmth/closeness is predicted to be established in the range of molecular

qualities such as intimacy, pro-social behavior, companionship, admiration,

nurturance, perceived similarity, and affection” (p. 450). At the beginning of the

encounter of Mycroft and Watson in the Greek Interpreter case, Sherlock does not

really talk too much about his brother to limit his brother’s privacy in taking care


35

of him. The conversation about his brother is starting when Sherlock and Watson

are chattering about Sherlock’s ability in observation.

During my long and intimate acquaintance with Mr. Sherlock Holmes I

had never heard him refer to his relations, and hardly ever to his own early

life. This reticence upon his part had increased the somewhat inhuman

effect which he produced upon me, until sometimes I found myself

regarding him as an isolated phenomenon, a brain without a heart, as

deficient in human sympathy as he was pre-eminent in intelligence. His

aversion to women and his disinclination to form new friendships were

both typical of his unemotional character, but not more so than his

complete suppression of every reference to his own people. I had come to

believe that he was an orphan with no relatives living, but one day, to my

very great surprise, he began to talk to me about his brother. (The Greek Interpreter, p. 1)

Furthermore, Stocker et al. (1997) explain that;

In adulthood, siblings are also likely to vary in the affectionate features

of their relationships. Siblings may provide support and affection for

each other as they move through normative developmental transitions

such as getting married, raising a family, developing a career, and, in

some cases, caring for aging parents (p. 210).

The reason why Sherlock initiates straightly to talk about Mycroft is that

he has affection for him and wants to show that his brother is a person who has a

higher level of genius than himself. Because of this dignity, Sherlock decides to

talk about Mycroft to Watson. The admiration from Sherlock Holmes to Mycroft

is also shown in his conversation with Watson that mentions about the art in the

blood can take on a strange shape, and his brother Mycroft has it in a larger degree

than him. The acceptance and acknowledgment of siblings themselves can create

a dimension of warmth / closeness in their relationships.

“To some extent,” he answered, thoughtfully. “My ancestors were

country squires, who appear to have led much the same life as is

natural to their class. But, none the less, my turn that way is in my

veins, and may have come with my grandmother, who was the sister of

Vernet, the French artist. Art in the blood is liable to take the


36

strangest forms.” “But how do you know that it is hereditary?” “Because

my brother Mycroft possesses it in a larger degree than I do.”


Moreover, as stated in Cicirelli (1995) “siblings live have in common

history of shared and non-shared experience. Shared experiences contribute to

siblings' similarity whereas no-shared experiences contribute to their individual

differences” (p. 2). The communication between siblings about their lives, either

directly or indirectly (through a parent or others), may produce empathy and

variously shared experiences which facilitate of greater similarity. The similarities

between Sherlock and Mycroft are shown by high observation skills and

deductions that cannot be defeated by anyone.

In sum, Sherlock points out a sense of closeness and warmth between him

and Mycroft. The communication that remains between them through telegram

makes their relationship unique to both Watson and the readers. The uniqueness of

this relationship is because of Sherlock Holmes. He shows great arrogance and

ingenuity so that no one in London can defeat his ability to solve a complex case.

However, the thought disappeared along with his confession of a brother in his

life who also helped him in solving a case and sometimes an interesting case he

handled came from his brother.

B. Status/Power

Status/power is typically described by the dominance from the older

siblings to younger siblings. However, the relationship is thought to become more

egalitarian and cognitively competent during adulthood. Moreover, Furman and


37

Buhrmester (1985) point out that when the subject is the older member of the

family, they reported the bigger nurturance and dominance over their siblings.

Furthermore, Furman and Buhrmester (1985) analyze that although investigators

have usually focus on dominance, the dimension of status/power also have

positive qualities which are admiration and nurturance (caretaking). In these

taxonomic studies, relationships have also been found in various elements of

positive and negative relationships which are cooperation/friendly vs.

competitive/hostile and warm/agreeable vs. cold/quarrelsome.

Cicirelli (1995) defines that there is usually equivalence in siblings’

feelings of acceptance for one another, which allows them to relate as equals. The

friendship, warm or agreeable, competitive, the equivalence between Sherlock and

Mycroft are described in their conversation when Sherlock and Watson visit him

in the Diogenes Club. In the story, Sherlock and Mycroft try to make a deduction

on the random people outside Mycroft's workspace window. The accuracy and

precision of these brothers in observation led Watson to awe, even Watson

admitted the intelligence of Mycroft Holmes.

“By the way, Sherlock, I expected to see you round last week, to

consult me over that Manor House case. I thought you might be a little

out of your depth.”

“No, I solved it,” said my friend, smiling.

“It was Adams, of course.”

“Yes, it was Adams.”

“I was sure of it from the first.” The two sat down together in the bow-

window of the club. “To anyone who wishes to study mankind this is the

spot,” said Mycroft (The Greek Interpreter, p. 2).

“Look at the magnificent types!

Look at these two men who are coming towards us, for example.”

“The billiard-marker and the other?”

“Precisely. What do you make of the other?”


38

The two men had stopped opposite the window. Some chalk marks over

the waistcoat pocket were the only signs of billiards which I could see

in one of them. The other was a very small, dark fellow, with his hat

pushed back and several packages under his arm.

“An old soldier, I perceive,” said Sherlock.

“And very recently discharged,” remarked the brother.

“Served in India, I see.”

“And a non-commissioned officer.”

“Royal Artillery, I fancy,” said Sherlock.

“And a widower.”

“But with a child.”

“Children, my dear boy, children.”

“Come,” said I, laughing, “This is a little too much.”

“Surely,” answered Holmes, “it is not hard to say that a man with that

bearing, expression of authority, and sunbaked skin, is a soldier, is

more than a private, and is not long from India.”

“That he has not left the service long is shown by his still wearing his

„ammunition boots‟, as they are called,” observed Mycroft


I began to understand what my friend meant when he said that his

brother possessed even keener faculties that he did himself. He glanced

across at me and smiled (The Greek Interpreter, p. 2).

According to Furman and Buhrmester (1985) “when the siblings were 4 or

more years older, they engaged in the greatest amount of nurturing and caretaking

behavior to each other” (p. 455). It means that the difference in age is also

influenced perceptions of relative status/power as indicated by significant

interaction. Furthermore, Cicireli (1995) is also points out that “the difference of

power or status may exist between siblings based on age, size, intelligence,

knowledge, social skills, economic success, achievements, influence with parents,

and so on” (p. 2).

In fact, Mycroft is seven years older than Sherlock which means that he

started his education earlier than Sherlock. In addition, in this story there are some

statements from Sherlock that express the power or status of his brother.


39

“To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to

underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate

one’s own powers. When I say, therefore, that Mycroft has better

powers of observation than I, you may take it that I am speaking the

exact and literal truth.” (The Greek Interpreter, p. 1)

“The Diogenes Club is the queerest club in London, and Mycroft one of

the queerest men.


These two conversations show that Sherlock respects his brother, he admits

that his brother is a queerest man and he has better powers of observation than

Sherlock. As Freud (1922) explains in his study, an individual is consider his

mother and father or his brother and sister as a model and helper. As well as in

Sherlock and Watson conversation, Sherlock considers his brother to be his role

model. Even sometimes Mycroft has a correct solution to solve the case.

“I said that he was my superior in observation and deduction. If the art

of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an arm-chair, my

brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived.


“Again and again I have taken a problem to him, and have received an

explanation which has afterwards proved to be the correct one”


“It is not his profession, then?” “By no means. What is to me a means of

livelihood is to him the merest hobby of a dilettante. He has an

extraordinary faculty for figures, and audits the books in some of the

government departments. (The Greek Interpreter, p. 1)

There are many men in London, you know, who, some from shyness,

some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company of their

fellows. Yet they are not averse to comfortable chairs and the latest

periodicals. It is for the convenience of these that the Diogenes Club

was started, and it now contains the most unsociable and unclubable

men in town. No member is permitted to take the least notice of any other

one. Save in the Stranger’s Room, no talking is, under any circumstances,

allowed, and three offences, if brought to the notice of the committee,


40

render the talker liable to expulsion. My brother was one of the

founders, and I have myself found it a very soothing atmosphere.”


The dominance of Mycroft is seen through the different occupations and

achievements between him and Sherlock. Even Sherlock said that what he did to

live, was just a hobby for Mycroft. However, how great is Mycroft, he is also has

a weakness which are the lack of energy and ambition. So he chooses to work

behind the desk instead of running around to find a proof. This is the difference

between Sherlock and Mycroft, so as for the case he received he would surely

gives to his brother.

But he has no ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his

way to verify his own solution, and would rather be considered wrong

than take the trouble to prove himself right. And yet he was absolutely

incapable of working out the practical points which must be gone into

before a case could be laid before a judge or jury.”


“Sherlock has all the energy of the family,” said Mycroft, turning to me.

“Well, you take the case up by all means, and let me know if you do any

good.” (The Greek Interpreter, p. 6).

Since Mycroft has no energy and ambition, sometimes he gives some cases

to Sherlock and let him solve it and give an idea or advice if it is needed.

Moreover, Stocker et al. (1997) explain that “in particular, adults with healthy

psychological functioning and high self-esteem were hypothesized to have

warmer sibling relationships” (p. 212). Therefore, the relationship between

Sherlock and Mycroft have mutual advantages to each other, they have same

cognitive perspective and it comes from the healthy psychological so they receive

a warmer relationship and work together to solve the complex case.


41

“By the way, Sherlock,” said he, “I have had something quite after your

own heart—a most singular problem—submitted to my judgment. I

really had not the energy to follow it up save in a very incomplete

fashion, but it gave me a basis for some pleasing speculation. If you would

care to hear the facts. “My dear Mycroft, I should be delighted.” (The

Greek Interpreter, p. 2)

Freud (1922) added that “in the individual’s mental life, someone else is

invariably involved as a model, as an object, as a helper, and as an opponent” (p.

1). Hence, we see the reason why Mycroft gives all the cases to Sherlock. He

considers Sherlock as a helper and someone who can be trusted to solve the case.

Moreover, in the story, Mycroft gives Sherlock a case about a Greek interpreter.

Mr. Melas is the interpreter from Greek, he told that the night when the crime was

happening someone hired him to become an interpreter, then he went to the place,

but something was wrong with the appointment. A guy was kidnapped, but Mr.

Melas could not do anything to save him. After the appointment, he was forced to

get out and be ordered not to tell anyone about what he saw. Thence, he came to

Mycroft to help him rescue the Greek man. That was the beginning of the

cooperation between Sherlock and Mycroft in solving the case of the Greek

Interpreter. In order not to bother his brother in solving the case, Mycroft took

steps first by post the ads related to the case.

Then Sherlock looked across at his brother.

“Any steps?” he asked.

Mycroft picked up the Daily News, which was lying on the side-table.

“Anybody supplying any information as to the whereabouts of a Greek

gentleman named Paul Kratides, from Athens, who is unable to speak

English, will be rewarded. A similar reward paid to any one giving

information about a Greek lady whose first name is Sophy. X 2473.

“That was in all the dailies. No answer.”

“How about the Greek Legation?”

“I have inquired. They know nothing.”



42

After that, Sherlock and Watson back to their house and on the way to home

Sherlock stops at a telegraph office and sent off several wires then he talks to

Watson.

“You see, Watson,” he remarked, “our evening has been by no means

wasted. Some of my most interesting cases have come to me in this

way through Mycroft. The problem which we have just listened to,

although it can admit of but one explanation, has still some distinguishing

features.” (The Greek Interpreter, p. 6)

The cooperation between Sherlock and Mycroft show the positive side of

relative status/power. Rather than competitive, the relationship between Sherlock

and Mycroft better described as cooperation in solving the case. In conclusion,

relative status/power does not only mean the dominance from the older sibling to

the younger sibling but it aid an admiration and nurturance (caretaking). Again,

this dimension has the positive and negative relationships which are

cooperation/friendly vs. competitive/hostile and warm/agreeable vs.

cold/quarrelsome. In Sherlock and Mycroft relationship genuinely describes the

cooperation rather than competitive as well as warm and agreeable rather than

cold/quarrelsome.

In sum, the character, personality and the companionship between

Sherlock and Mycroft is described in their conversations and also the theory from

Furman and Buhrmester (1985) about the dimensions of sibling relationship. The

first one is the dimension of warmth/closeness. In this dimension, Sherlock and

Mycroft show the intimacy through the acknowledgement to each other,

especially from Sherlock to Mycroft. Moreover, the way they maintain their

relationship through telegram is also appear in this dimension. In addition,


43

warmth/closeness also defines in the form of perceived similarity. The capability

in observation and deduction represent the perceived similarity between them. The

second is the dimension of relative status/power. This dimension indicated by the

dominance from the older brother to the younger. Yet, the dominance from

Mycroft to Sherlock is shown through the different occupations between them.

Moreover, this dimension also represents the admiration and nurturance

(caretaking), especially from Sherlock to Mycroft and also the cooperation in

solving the case of the Greek interpreter.


44

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter consists of three parts. The first part is the conclusion which

discusses the finding result based on the analysis. The second part is implication

which discusses how this study implicates in education. The third part is the

suggestion for the future researchers.

A. CONCLUSIONS

The story of the Greek Interpreter is the short story of The Memoirs of

Sherlock Holmes. Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the dimension of

the sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft in the story of the Greek

Interpreter is described by the dimension of warmth/closeness and relative

status/power.

This thesis focuses on two dimensions which are warmth/closeness and

relative status/power. The first one is warmth/closeness. According to Furman and

Buhrmester (1985) warmth/closeness is predictable to be established in the range

of various qualities which are intimacy, pro-social behavior, companionship,

admiration, nurturance, perceived similarity, and affection. In this dimension

Sherlock and Mycroft describe the companionship through helping each other in

solving the case of the interpreter. Moreover, the admiration has also appeared in

the story through the conversation between Sherlock and Watson about Mycroft,


45

for example is when Sherlock said that his brother has the greater ability in

observation than him.

Furthermore, there are seven conversations which indicated as the

dimension of warmth/closeness. Though they rarely meet, Sherlock and Mycroft

retain communications between them through phone communications, letters, and

periodic visits. This is also conveyed by Cicirelli (1995), he points out that sibling

relationships in adulthood are maintained through the telephone communication,

letters, and periodic visits. Moreover, Stocker et al. (1997) also add that adults

who living far from their relatives can maintain contact by mail and by telephone.

Thus in this story, we could see that Sherlock and Mycroft maintain their

relationships through media especially telegram.

The second is status/power. Furman and Buhrmester (1985) define that

although investigators have usually focused on dominance, there are also positive

qualities of status/power, which are admiration and nurturance (caretaking). In

these taxonomic studies, status/power relationships have also been found to vary

along a dimension of positive and negative relationships which are

cooperation/friendly vs. competitive/ hostile and warm/agreeable vs.

cold/quarrelsome. Furthermore, in this short story, there are fourteen

conversations which indicated as the dimension of status/power. The dimension

can be seen through the cooperation and agreeable between Sherlock and Mycroft

to solve the case. Although Mycroft may not followed Sherlock Holmes in

searching a proof, he still helped him with an advice and also the right steps so as


46

not to be a trouble to Sherlock in solving the case. In this dimension, of course,

cannot be separated from the word of dominance from the older brother to the

younger. The dominance of Mycroft is seen from his work that directly takes the

responsibility to the British Government and also the founder of Diogenes Club.

In sum, the sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft were

described by the dimension of warmth/closeness and status/power. Also this view

of sibling relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft is unique if we put it in the

humanity value among siblings in the real world.

B. IMPLICATIONS

The story of Sherlock Holmes will be useful for the students and lecturer

to be applied to the learning activity. Furthermore, the novel can be used to

improve the students’ English skills especially in vocabulary skill. Moreover, the

novel is also can be used by the lecturer in basic reading class or Prose class. In

basic reading class, the novel can be the media for student to increase their

vocabularies in English. Moreover, the lecturer may asks them to read the passage

or paragraph from the novel in front of the class and try to guess what the

meaning of the passage. For the Pros class, the novel can be used to analyze the

moral values and the aspect of humanity from the characters, the setting, and plot

of the novel. Furthermore, the novel also can be useful for student to boost

students’ interest and improve their ability in reading literary work especially

English novel.


47

C. SUGGESTIONS

The stories of the adventure of Sherlock Holmes divided into fifty-six

stories which were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. One of those stories is the

adventure of Sherlock Holmes and the Greek Interpreter which is used by the

researcher in this research. By analyzing the novel, the future researchers will feel

the best experience during the process of writing the thesis, because the story from

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is different from other novels. In his novel, Sir Arthur

Conan Doyle is like asking the readers to solve the case together with Sherlock

Holmes. Based on the researcher’s experience, the best part of this novel is that

when in the end of the story Sherlock Holmes explains very detailed about the

chronological situation of the case. Moreover, the other things which can be

analyzed in the story of Sherlock Holmes based on researcher’s experience are:

1. An analysis on the relationship between Sherlock and Watson through the

theory of friendship.

2. An analysis on the point of view of Sherlock Holmes’s attitude towards

the cases.

3. The rivalry between Sherlock Holmes vs Arsene Lupin.


48

REFERENCES

Bogel, F. (2013). New formalist criticism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Buhrmester, D, & Furman, W. (1985). Children's perception of the qualities of

sibling relationships. 449-456.

Carli, E. D. (2014). A study in character: an analysis of sherlock holmes'

characterization in a study and elementary's "pilot". Porto Alegre, 1-6.

Cicirelli, V. G. (1995). Sibling relationship across the life span. West Layafette,

Indiana: Plenum Press.

Clausen, C. (1984). sherlock holmes, order, and the late-victorian mind. Georgia

Review, 104-112.

Crane, G. (2007). The nineteenth-century American novel. New York: Cambridge

University Press.

Freud. (1922). Group psychology and the analysis of the ego. the international

psycho-analytical library, 1-5.

Ginzburg, C. & Davin, N. (1980). Morelli, Freud and Sherlock Holmes: clues and

scientific method. Oxford Journal, 5-15.

Hogan, P. C. (2011). What is literature teaches us about emotion. New York:

Cambridge University Press.

Jann, R. (1990). Sherlock Holmes codes the social body. John Hopkins

University, 685-687.

Jensen, L. (2014). A study of sherlock holmes' new trademarks as a sex symbol,

action hero, and comedian in the 21st century. Aalborg University, 4-5.

Jones, A. H. (n.d.). Literature and medicine: narrative ethics. The Lancet, 1244-

1246.


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Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row.

Piper, A., Hewitt, M. A., Sinha, K., Ruths, D., & Vala, H. (2017). Studying

literary characters and character networks. McGill University, 1-2.

Saler, M. (2003). 'Clap if you believe in Sherlock Holmes': mass culture and the

re-enchantment of modernity, c. 1890-c. 1940. The Historical Journal,

599-622.

Sartre, J. P. (1988). What is literature? Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard

University Press.

Stocker, C. M., Lanthier, R. P., & Furman, W. (1997). Sibling relationships in

early adulthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 210-221.

Wiltse, E. (1998). "So constant an expectation": Sherlock Holmes and seriality.

The Ohio State, 105-109.

Online sources:

Biography. (2018, May 26). Retrieved on March 3rd

, 2018 from The

Biography.org website: https://www.biography.org/people/arthur-conan-

doyle-9278600

Museum Tour. (n.d.). Retrieved from Museum Tour: http://www.sherlock-

holmes.co.uk/bio/bio_one.htm

Quartermain, C. (2018, March 24). Owlcation, Humanities, Literature. Retrieved

from Owlcation: https://owlcation.org/humanities/Plot-Summary-of-the-

Adventure-of-the-Greek-Interpreter


APPENDIX


50

Biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle Biography

Doctor, Author, Journalist (1859–1930)

On May 22, 1859, Arthur Conan Doyle was born to an affluent, strict

Irish-Catholic family in Edinburgh, Scotland. Although Doyle's family was well-

respected in the art world, his father, Charles, who was a life-long alcoholic, had

few accomplishments to speak of. Doyle's mother, Mary, was a lively and well-

educated woman who loved to read. She particularly delighted in telling her

young son outlandish stories. Her great enthusiasm and animation while spinning

wild tales sparked the child's imagination. As Doyle would later recall in his

biography, "In my early childhood, as far as I can remember anything at all, the

vivid stories she would tell me stand out so clearly that they obscure the real facts

of my life."


51

At the age of 9, Doyle bid a tearful goodbye to his parents and was

shipped off to England, where he would attend Hodder Place, Stonyhurst—a

Jesuit preparatory school—from 1868 to 1870. Doyle then went on to study at

Stonyhurst College for the next five years. For Doyle, the boarding-school

experience was brutal: many of his classmates bullied him, and the school

practiced ruthless corporal punishment against its students. Over time, Doyle

found solace in his flair for storytelling, and developed an eager audience of

younger students.

Medical Education and Career

When Doyle graduated from Stonyhurst College in 1876, his parents

expected that he would follow in his family's footsteps and study art, so they were

surprised when he decided to pursue a medical degree at the University of

Edinburgh instead. At med school, Doyle met his mentor, Professor Dr. Joseph

Bell, whose keen powers of observation would later inspire Doyle to create his

famed fictional detective character, Sherlock Holmes. At the University of

Edinburgh, Doyle also had the good fortune to meet classmates and future fellow

authors James Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson. While a medical student,

Doyle took his own first stab at writing, with a short story called The Mystery of

Sasassa Valley. That was followed by a second story, The American Tale, which

was published in London Society.


52

During Doyle's third year of medical school, he took a ship surgeon's post

on a whaling ship sailing for the Arctic Circle. The voyage awakened Doyle's

sense of adventure, a feeling that he incorporated into a story, Captain of the Pole

Star. In 1880, Doyle returned to medical school. Back at the University of

Edinburgh, Doyle became increasingly invested in Spiritualism or "Psychic

religion," a belief system that he would later attempt to spread through a series of

his written works. By the time he received his Bachelor of Medicine degree in

1881, Doyle had denounced his Roman Catholic faith.

Doyle's first paying job as a doctor took the form of a medical officer's

position aboard the steamship Mayumba, travelling from Liverpool to Africa.

After his stint on the Mayumba, Doyle settled in Plymouth, England for a time.

When his funds were nearly tapped out, he relocated to Portsmouth and opened

his first practice. He spent the next few years struggling to balance his burgeoning

medical career with his efforts to gain recognition as an author. Doyle would later

give up medicine altogether, in order to devote all of his attention to his writing

and his faith.

Personal Life

In 1885, while still struggling to make it as a writer, Doyle met and

married his first wife, Louisa Hawkins. The couple moved to Upper Wimpole

Street and had two children, a daughter and a son. In 1893, Louisa was diagnosed

with tuberculosis. While Louisa was ailing, Doyle developed an affection for a

young woman named Jean Leckie. Louisa ultimately died of tuberculosis in


53

Doyle's arms, in 1906. The following year, Doyle would remarry to Jean Leckie,

with whom he would have two sons and a daughter.

Writing Career

In 1886, newly married and still struggling to make it as an author, Doyle

started writing the mystery novel A Tangled Skein. Two years later, the novel was

renamed A Study in Scarlet and published in Beeton's Christmas Annual. A Study

in Scarlet, which first introduced the wildly popular characters Detective Sherlock

Holmes and his assistant, Watson, finally earned Doyle the recognition he had so

desired. It was the first of 60 stories that Doyle would pen about Sherlock Holmes

over the course of his writing career. Also, in 1887, Doyle submitted two letters

about his conversion to Spiritualism to a weekly periodical called Light.

Doyle continued to actively participate in the Spiritualist movement from

1887 to 1916, during which time he wrote three books that experts consider

largely autobiographical. These include Beyond the City (1893), The Stark Munro

Letters (1895) and A Duet with an Occasional Chorus (1899). Upon achieving

success as a writer, Doyle decided to retire from medicine. Throughout this

period, he additionally produced a handful of historical novels including one

about the Napoleonic Era called The Great Shadow in 1892, and his most famous

historical novel, Rodney Stone, in 1896.

The prolific author also composed four of his most popular Sherlock

Holmes books during the 1890s and early 1900s: The Sign of Four (1890), The

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892), The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894)


54

and The Hound of Baskervilles, published in 1901. In 1893, to Doyle's readers'

disdain, he had attempted to kill off his Sherlock Holmes character in order to

focus more on writing about Spiritualism. In 1901, however, Doyle reintroduced

Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of Baskervilles and later brought him back to life

in The Adventure of the Empty House so the lucrative character could earn Doyle

the money to fund his missionary work. Doyle also strove to spread his faith

through a series of written works, consisting of The New Revolution (1918), The

Vital Message (1919), The Wanderings of a Spiritualist (1921) and History of

Spiritualism (1926).In 1928, Doyle's final twelve stories about Sherlock Holmes

were published in a compilation entitled The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes.

Death

Having recently been diagnosed with Angina Pectoris, Doyle stubbornly

ignored his doctor's warnings, and in the fall of 1929, embarked on a spiritualism

tour through the Netherlands. He returned home with chest pains so severe that he

needed to be carried on shore, and was thereafter almost entirely bedridden at his

home in Crowborough, England. Rising one last time on July 7, 1930, Doyle

collapsed and died in his garden while clutching his heart with one hand and

holding a flower in the other.


55

The Greek Interpreter

The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter is a short Sherlock Holmes story

written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is a case that Holmes trying to solve a

kidnapping, but is more famous for being the story that introduces Mycroft

Holmes, Sherlock’s older, smarter brother.


56

Publication of the Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would write The Adventure of the Greek

Interpreter for publication in the September 1893 edition of the Strand Magazine;

with the previous month’s case being The Adventure of the Resident Patient.Later

on, in 1893, The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter would be republished as part

of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, a compilation work of short Sherlock

Holmes stories.

A Short Review of the Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

For two years, the short Sherlock Holmes stories had been published in the

Strand Magazine, and the powers of the consulting detective were well

established. In The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter though, Conan Doyle

introduced a figure whose skills potentially outstripped than his most famous

creation. This figure was Mycroft Holmes, however Mycroft Holmes did not have

the inclination nor the energy, to undertake the same kind of work as his brother

did.

The case of the Greek interpreter is not a difficult one for Sherlock Holmes

to solve becausethere are some preparatory work in the form of newspaper

advertisements, which has already been undertaken. In investigating the case,

there is a certain amount of urgency which is not always present in Sherlock

Holmes’s story. In the end of the urgency, Sherlock Holmes does not allow to

apprehend the criminals, but as with other cases where the criminals appear to

escape, justice does seemingly catch up to them. The episode would be adapted


https://owlcation.com/humanities/PLot-Summary-of-the-Adventure-of-the-Resident-Patient

57

for television by Granada TV; and in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Jeremy

Brett would star as the detective. This adaptation kept fairly close to the original

storyline, although Mycroft Holmes had been introduced in an earlier episode, and

also the ending was amended, with the criminals being captured by Holmes.

Plot Summary of the Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter began with a discussion between

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson about the hereditary traits. Previously, Watson

has always assumed that Holmes is unique, an only child, with singular

capabilities. However, Sherlock is quick to set his friend straight with the factual

information that he has an older brother called Mycroft. Sherlock considers that

the intellect of Mycroft outstrips his own, but the detective also recognizes that

Mycroft does not have the energy to go along. Mycroft is perfectly comfortable to

be considered wrong, rather than to make the efforts to prove that he is right.

In the story, Sherlock has on occasion sought out the advice of his brother

by visiting Mycroft at the Diogenes Club. This time Sherlock has been sought by

Mycroft for Mr. Melas, a Greek interpreter and neighbor of Mycroft. A man by

the name of Harold Latimer had sought out the services of Mr. Melas, to act as a

Greek interpreter. Mr. Melas escorted in a blacked-out cab and although told the

destination was to be Kensington, the journey lasted for longer than it should.

Latimer also produced a bludgeon, with the implicit threat of violence. Latimer

would tell Mr. Melas that he would be rewarded for his services, but also

demanded future silence from the interpreter. After a couple of hours, the blacked-

out cab eventually pulls up at a large expensively decorated house. At the house,


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Mr. Melas encounters a second man, Wilson Kemp, and soon there if more

evidence about just how irregular this interpreting job was going to be. A third

man was brought into the presence of the Greek interpreter, but initially the mouth

of this man was covered in sticking plaster. Mr. Melas was asked to ask the

anonymous man certain questions, but as Mr. Melas realized that Latimer and

Kemp were both ignorant of the Greek language, the interpreter managed to

interpose his own questions as well.

From his own questions Mr. Melas discovered that the captive man was

named Paul Kratides, a Greek man who Latimer and Kemp were trying to make

sign some papers. Paul Kratides had been in England for three weeks, but had no

idea where he currently was. At that moment the questioning was interrupted

when a woman entered the room. This woman immediately called out to Kratides,

calling him by his first name. Paul Kratides then ripped off his mouth guard, and

called the woman Sophy. Paul and Sophy were quickly separated, and then Mr.

Melas was escorted from the house into the blacked-out cab again.

Another long drive ensued, but rather than being returned home, Mr.

Melas was dropped off on Wands worth Common. The Greek interpreter did not

dawdle and immediately went to gain the advice of Mycroft Holmes. Then, the

advertisements directly had been placed in the papers. The ads asking for

information about a Greek lady staying in England, or a man named Paul

Katrides. The problem had been half accomplished by Mycroft before Sherlock

Holmes, and Mycroft brings the next development, for he has had an answer to

the placed newspaper notices. There was the informant named Mr. Davenport. He


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told that Sophy is staying at house known as the Myrtles in Beckenham. With

some urgency plans are made to go to Beckenham, it is decided to get Inspector

Gregson to join them. It was also thought a good idea to collect Mr. Melas, in case

a Greek interpreter is required. When they arrived at the Melas residence, they

found that the Greek interpreter has already been picked up by a cab, something

that did not mean well for the safety of the interpreter. Then, when Holmes

brothers, Watson and Gregson arrived at the Myrtles it appeared that the house

has been abandoned evidence shows the departure of heavily laden coach.

Though the house was not quite as empty as it appeared, as breaking

through a locked door, they found Paul Kratides and Mr. Melas. Both men have

been gassed with charcoal fumes. The rescue proves too late for Paul Kratides, but

the attention of Dr Watson sees Mr. Melas saved. The rescue has also come too

late to arrest Latimer and Kemp, or rescue Sophy. The gaps in Sherlock Holmes’s

knowledge of the case are soon filled in.The friend of Paul had warned him about

the influence that Latimer was insist over Sophy, and they had travelled to

England from Greece to fix that situation. Paul Kratides had though become a

prisoner of Latimer, and the latter had tried to make the former sign over Sophy’s

property, of course, Paul Kratides had refused to do so, which ultimately lead to

his own death. There was a footnote to the adventure for news arrived of the death

of two Englishmen, Latimer and Kemp, in Hungary. It appeared that the two have

killed each other during a fight, but Sherlock Holmes has a strong feeling that the

deaths of the two men have been caused by Sophy: the sister of Paul who getting

her revenge.


an analysis on the relationship between sherlock holmes and mycroft holmes...

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