Professor Moriarty
Want to read this along with me? This essay is part of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1894. I used the epub version found on Feedbooks.com.
And now we come to this, the final story in the Memoirs and what Doyle believed would be the final Holmes story ever. Of course, we now know in retrospect that Holmes survived his encounter and went on to appear in five more books, but the next book (The Hound of the Baskervilles) is eight years after this story. As such, this iconic story is commonly looked at as a natural end-point for the first half of the canon.
And what an end-point it is. There’s not really a proper mystery in this story, but plenty of adventure. There are a lot of changes to the formula, and a number of intriguing references contained within. But most notably, this story is known for being the introduction of Holmes’ more notorious foe, Professor Moriarty (who has not yet gained a first name, although his brother also has the first name of James). Since this story contains the most information about Holmes’ nemesis, I’ll devote a whole essay to him, and then I’ll follow up on other points of this story in a second essay.
First off, it’s interesting that Doyle introduces one of his most pivotal characters (and indeed, the only villain of Holmes’ that is well-known) in the story in which he plans to kill Holmes off. But according to letters Doyle wrote at the time, his intention was to give Holmes an adversary that is worthy of his skill, so that Holmes’ demise could be seen as a sacrifice, ridding the world of a notorious evil.
Moriarty is a fantastic example of a very effective style of antagonist – the shadow or “evil twin” of the protagonist. Moriarty is similar to Holmes in many ways. Both men are scientists, who have applied logical reasoning to the matter of law (whether upholding it or violating it). Both men are incredibly observant. Both of them are capable of crafting elaborate plans and strategies that can span large areas and equally large lengths of time. Even Holmes admits the equality of the two, giving Moriarty his now legendary title of “the Napoleon of crime” and confessing a grudging respect for the man to Watson:
“… I had at last met an antagonist who was my intellectual equal. My horror at his crimes was lost in my admiration at his skill.”
But the scene where Holmes and Moriarty meet is the best example of how the antagonist is the shadow of the protagonist.
“‘All that I have to say has already crossed your mind,’ said he.
“‘Then possibly my answer has crossed yours,’ I replied.
“‘You stand fast?’
“‘Absolutely.’
Of course, such a confrontation between two scientific minds will involve some scientific theories. I’ve already mentioned the Victorian obsession with phrenology, and Moriarty’s first words to Holmes are nothing short of a phrenological insult, saying that Holmes has “less frontal development” than expected. But in Holmes’ description of Moriarty to Watson, we see something of the (now outdated) theory that criminal instincts are inherited.
“But the man had hereditary tendencies of the most diabolical kind. A criminal strain ran in his blood, which, instead of being modified, was increased and rendered infinitely more dangerous by his extraordinary mental powers.”
Although Holmes will only match wits with Moriarty in one more case, he is mentioned in five stories in total (which is about as many as Irene Adler, another noteworthy character in the Holmes lore), but this story is by far the most powerful and engaging look at the character. While I look at some of the other minor characters in the canon and wonder how they became to ensnared in the greater mythology of Sherlock Holmes, there’s no doubt in my mind why Moriarty has the place he does in the minds of Doyle’s fans. Even if this glimpse in Holmes’ nemesis is tantalizingly brief, we fully believe that this is a villain that is utterly equal to Holmes’ skill, and utterly worthy of defeat. He stands the test of time as one of the greatest villains in literature, and with good reason.