Characterisation of other characters
There are quite a few characters in the short story “The Red-Headed League” by Arthur Conan Doyle, but not all of them are relevant for the way the action develops. In this section, we will focus on three of the most important characters: Vincent Spaulding (John Clay), Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
Vincent Spaulding (John Clay)
Vincent Spaulding is a fake name adopted by John Clay, who is a famous “murderer, thief, smasher, and forger”.
Outer characterisation
His outer characterisation is offered directly by Wilson and indirectly by references to his looks:
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Inner characterisation
When it comes to the man’s inner characterisation, his features are revealed through the way he acts with others. As Spaulding, the famous criminal comes across as smart and good at his job in the pawnbroker’s shop. Wilson trusts him so much that he leaves his shop in Spaulding’s hands for a few hours every day while he is away in an office. Because Spaulding claims to like taking photos and developing them in the cellar, Wilson sees nothing wrong with his assistant’s presence in the basement.
Spaulding proves to be a master of persuasion, as he convinces Wilson to apply for the position he placed in a newspaper ad:
“‘I wish to the Lord, Mr. Wilson, that I was a red-headed man.’
“‘Why that?’ I asks.
“‘Why,’ says he, ‘here’s another vacancy on the League of the Red-headed Men. It’s worth quite a little fortune to any man who gets it…'
He even accompanies Wilson to Fleet Street, where he is supposed to apply for the job. Although peculiar, his behaviour does not seem strange to Wilson:
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Sherlock Holmes
In this story, Sherlock Holmes reveals his power of persuasion, as well as some of the features that make him famous. When he first hears about Wilson’s story, he is very intrigued:
As a rule, when I have heard some slight indication of the course of events, I am able to guide myself by the thousands of other similar cases which occur to my memory. In the present instance I am forced to admit that the facts are, to the best of my belief, unique.
Holmes is very attentive to details and reveals quite a few things about Jabez Wilson; at first, Wilson is surprised; still, after hearing the way Holmes deduced things, he mocks the detective and states that what he does is not so intriguing after all.
After hearing the outcome of the events in Wilson’s case, Sherlock Holmes is quite amused and bursts into laughter. However, he is aware that something strange is happening and he is determined to solve the mystery. What is more, Holmes tends to see the best in everything, so he explains to Wilson that he is the winner in the whole affair:
“As far as you are personally concerned,” remarked Holmes, “I do not see that you have any grievance against this extraordinary league. On the contrary, you are, as I understand, richer by some £30, to say nothing of the minute knowledge which you have gained on every subject which comes under the letter A. You have lost nothing by them.”
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Doctor Watson
Doctor Watson functions as a supporting character in the story and symbolises the way in which readers relate to Sherlock Holmes and his cases. At first, Watson is as intrigued by Wilson’s story as Holmes is, and he even tries to do a bit of a detective’s work when he analyses Wilson. Still, the man looks just like “an average commonplace British tradesman” to him. This shows that Watson lacks the spirit of deduction and attention to detail that characterise Holmes.
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