How does Arthur Conan Doyle present the character of Thaddeus Sholto?

Thaddeus Sholto is an eccentric, complex, fearful, and rather unpleasant person whose actions set the story in motion. Initially, he is guilty of conspiring to keep a fortune away from its rightful heir, Miss Morstan—a young woman who must struggle to make a living. Yet his conscience bothers him enough to secretly and anonymously send her a kind of guilt-payment each year—a package containing a valuable pearl. He finally sends a mysterious summons to Miss Morstan, which prompts her to seek Sherlock Holmes's advice.

In addition, when the murder is discovered in Chapter V, Thaddeus is intimately connected with it. The dead man is Thaddeus's twin brother and fellow heir to the creepy estate of Pondicherry Lodge. The police arrest him for the crime.

So Thaddeus is important to the plot, but there is more: His introduction to the reader also foreshadows many of the key themes of the novel—selfishness, greed, dishonor, betrayal, revenge, and making amends. Conan Doyle presents the character in a way that creates a sense of mystery and the grotesque, and prepares us for the dark events that occur later.

First, there is what we learn before we meet Thaddeus Sholto. The pearls he sends anonymously suggest a guilty conscience, and his procedures are furtive. The written messages that accompany the packages are written in variety of different disguised hands, but Holmes can tell the same person is behind them all. The final summons sent to Miss Morstan is written on expensive paper, suggesting wealth. And Holmes—applying his 19th century principles of handwriting analysis—tells Watson that the handwriting suggests the writer is a man of weak character.

This mixture of eccentricity, wealth, and furtiveness is repeated again in the description of Thaddeus's home. When Miss Morstan, Holmes, and Watson finally arrive at his residence, it at first seems a disreputable and sinister place:

"We followed [the servant] down a sordid and common passage, ill lit and worse furnished, until he came to a door upon the right, which he threw open."

Then they encounter Sholto himself, amidst a strange collection of rich furnishings:

"We were all astonished by the appearance of the apartment into which he invited us. In that sorry house it looked as out of place as a diamond of the first water in a setting of brass. The richest and glossiest of curtains and tapestries draped the walls…Two great tiger-skins thrown athwart it increased the suggestion of Eastern luxury....A lamp in the fashion of a silver dove was hung from an almost invisible golden wire in the centre of the room. As it burned it filled the air with a subtle and aromatic odor."

And we are given a glimpse at the unattractive physical appearance and nervous manner of Sholto:

"…[A] small man with a very high head, a bristle of red hair all round the fringe of it, and a bald, shining scalp which shot out from among it like a mountain-peak from fir-trees. He writhed his hands together as he stood, and his features were in a perpetual jerk, now smiling, now scowling, but never for an instant in repose. Nature had given him a pendulous lip, and a too visible line of yellow and irregular teeth, which he strove feebly to conceal by constantly passing his hand over the lower part of his face. In spite of his obtrusive baldness, he gave the impression of youth."

We are also presented with immediate evidence that Sholto is a hypochondriac, and rather self-involved. He asks Dr. Watson to listen to his heart because he has "grave doubts as to my mitral valve." When Watson assures him that his heart sounds normal, he makes this insensitive remark to Miss Morstan:

"Had your father, Miss Morstan, refrained from throwing a strain upon his heart, he might have been alive now."  

This outrages Watson and upsets Miss Morstan. Before Sholto's comment, she hadn't known for certain if her father was dead or alive, and Sholto must have realized this.

So Conan Doyle presents Sholto in an unflattering light, and one that speaks to the moral complexity and dark themes of the novel.

How can you explain the Magic Realism in the novel Dreaming in Cuban?

The novel Dreaming in Cubanby Cristina Garcia uses magical realism as a tool to empower the characters via their experience of supernatural incidents. Magical realism also helps the characters communicate wordlessly with each other and with those who have passed. Members of the Del Pino family are able to communicate with relatives in distant lands through a form of telepathy. At times, they are even able to uncover information that had been kept secret. For...

The novel Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia uses magical realism as a tool to empower the characters via their experience of supernatural incidents. Magical realism also helps the characters communicate wordlessly with each other and with those who have passed. Members of the Del Pino family are able to communicate with relatives in distant lands through a form of telepathy. At times, they are even able to uncover information that had been kept secret. For example, this is apparent in conversations that Pilar has with Celia and Cuba in her mind, regardless of the distance that separates them. This form of celestial communication exists not just among the living; it also works between the living and the dead. Celia has a vision of her dead husband Jorge walking towards her on water, and while she cannot understand him completely, unconscious communication does take place.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, how does Bruno's sister change from the beginning of the story?

The way that Bruno's sister, Gretel, embraces Nazism is one way she changes throughout the story.  

When we are first introduced to Gretel, she is excited about dolls and seems to embody the tendencies of a typical child.  In her role as the "hopeless case," the relationship she shares with Bruno fits the profile of the occasional antagonism between brother and sister.  

She changes with the family's move to Auschwitz.  She starts to...

The way that Bruno's sister, Gretel, embraces Nazism is one way she changes throughout the story.  

When we are first introduced to Gretel, she is excited about dolls and seems to embody the tendencies of a typical child.  In her role as the "hopeless case," the relationship she shares with Bruno fits the profile of the occasional antagonism between brother and sister.  

She changes with the family's move to Auschwitz.  She starts to fervently embrace Nazi ideology.  Hitler Youth posters fill the walls of her room as she deems her doll collection as infantile.  She views Nazism as a way to gain popularity and social acceptance.  She becomes more concerned with appearances, as seen in her idolizing Lieutenant Kotler.   Gretel's approach to the world changes because she sees Nazism as a path to social acceptance and popularity.

The changes that Gretel experiences are representative of how seductive Nazism was to the German public.  Her changes highlight how people can find social inclusion alluring.  Gretel's changes translates to an unwillingness to see the pain and suffering which were the results of Nazism.  

One more change in Gretel is seen when Bruno goes missing.  She is moved by the loss of her brother.  Despite her embrace of Nazism, she goes back with her mother to Berlin.  Perhaps, this change reminds the reader that no matter what, many could not fully avoid the cruelty and savagery intrinsic to Nazism. Gretel's departure from Auschwitz and the sadness she felt at Bruno's absence shows that, despite her changes, Nazism did not completely erode her sense of decency.

Having read An American Genocide by Benjamin Madley, how might acknowledging the reality of United States history help to transform your...

Your question can be answered from more than one perspective. For instance, for those whose ancestors were already in America between 1846 and 1873, especially in California during those dates, there is a great potential for a transformation of understanding identity, community, group, others and history. While for those whose ancestors came to America after those dates the potential for transformed sense of self and community is, it seems, both less and different, although the...

Your question can be answered from more than one perspective. For instance, for those whose ancestors were already in America between 1846 and 1873, especially in California during those dates, there is a great potential for a transformation of understanding identity, community, group, others and history. While for those whose ancestors came to America after those dates the potential for transformed sense of self and community is, it seems, both less and different, although the potential for a transformed sense of others and of history seems equally great.

As one instance to consider for an example, both my maternal and paternal ancestors came to America in 1907 (pure coincidence), and while, as a first-generation American, I don't feel a shift in my identity, I do feel a new sense of shame, regret and sorrow over the events Madley reveals as having been foundational to the existence of my home state of California. My sense of community, though not transformed, is jolted since some of the questions I've had since high school about Central California Indians have found such unsettling answers.

Madley might suggest the important transformation is toward a view and toward actions that accord with the 1948 U.N. Genocide Convention that defines genocide and details genocidal crimes. He might suggest that our transformations in our perceptions of self, community, others and history should help us to answer the questions raised by his discussion of "intent to destroy a group" in California and to demonstrate our commitment to deciding honestly on the issues of apology and reparation.

   Genocide, however, is more than an academic concept. It is a crime defined by an international legal treaty and subsequent case law. On December 9, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Genocide Convention and its genocide definition "unanimously and without abstentions." ... [It has been] signed or acceded to by 147 nations and is supported and further defined as a legal instrument ....

Explanation for, "Oh, just my mother and father and uncle sitting around, talking. It's like being a pedestrian, only rarer. My uncle was arrested...

Toward the beginning of the novel, Montag and Clarisse walk by her home, and Montag notices that all the lights in her house are on. Montag, who finds it unusual to see that many lights on in a home, asks Clarisse what's going on. Clarisse responds by saying,

Oh, just my mother and father and uncle sitting around, talking. It's like being a pedestrian, only rarer. My uncle was arrested another time—did I tell you?—for...

Toward the beginning of the novel, Montag and Clarisse walk by her home, and Montag notices that all the lights in her house are on. Montag, who finds it unusual to see that many lights on in a home, asks Clarisse what's going on. Clarisse responds by saying,

Oh, just my mother and father and uncle sitting around, talking. It's like being a pedestrian, only rarer. My uncle was arrested another time—did I tell you?—for being a pedestrian. Oh, we're most peculiar" (Bradbury, 4).

In Bradbury's dystopian society, the authorities consider it a crime to be a pedestrian or engage in intellectual discussions, which is why Clarisse mentions that her uncle was arrested. Clarisse comes from a family that values the environment and authentic, insightful conversations about life. It is extremely rare to find a family that is not glued to their parlor walls or individually entertaining themselves. In Bradbury's dystopian society, family units are typically divided and dysfunctional. Simply being a pedestrian can get a person arrested and is considered suspicious activity. The dystopian society revolves around constant entertainment, consumerism, and ignorance. Ironically, Clarisse's family is portrayed as a compassionate and enlightened household, though the authorities of the dystopian society consider them a suspicious threat.

How is the community organized in The Giver?

In The Giver, the community is organized with the establishment of conditions that control the environment as well as the lives of the residents.

In this society, there are no geographical differences in the land, and the climate remains the same. Pain has been eliminated; behaviors and dress are regulated. In fact, Sameness, which is thought to eliminate competition and jealousy, as well as control emotions and mental attitudes, is achieved in various ways, such as through the use...

In The Giver, the community is organized with the establishment of conditions that control the environment as well as the lives of the residents.

In this society, there are no geographical differences in the land, and the climate remains the same. Pain has been eliminated; behaviors and dress are regulated. In fact, Sameness, which is thought to eliminate competition and jealousy, as well as control emotions and mental attitudes, is achieved in various ways, such as through the use of medication, counseling, and conditioning. The vocabulary of the people has been reduced to innocuous words so that no intense feelings may be expressed; instead, euphemistic words must be used. If someone does something that is against the rules, such as hurting another's feelings, he/she must apologize immediately. Everyone is required to follow all regulations. Should someone disobey the laws of the community for three times, he or she is then released, which is a process similar to euthanasia.

Almost no one sees color so that everything looks the same to everyone else; children are grouped by age, and each group does something in the same way. For instance, girls of one age all wear their hair the same way, and all children get bicycles when they are nine, etc. At age eleven, the children finally get more gender-specific clothing. When all the children reach the age of twelve, they are assigned their life vocations. For instance, Jonas, the main character, has a father who is a Nurturer, and it is his job to care for infants. Some girls are picked as breeders because men and women take pills for their "stirrings" (sexual urges), and they are not able to reproduce. Couples are permitted to have only one girl and one boy.

The highest position goes to only one person. This individual is selected to be the Giver. He or she is the one chosen to carry the memories of all that has been removed from the community since at certain times such knowledge is needed. While there is some interaction with other communities, generally, there is a fear of what lies in the place called Elsewhere.

What superstition is mentioned in the story?

In "The Black Cat," a short story by famed horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator realizes that his mental health is quickly deteriorating.  Though he bears witness to his own descent into madness, he feels powerless to stop it. As in all of Poe's stories, we know close to nothing about the narrator/main character, save that something or someone is torturing him.

In this case, it appears to be a black cat, which he...

In "The Black Cat," a short story by famed horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator realizes that his mental health is quickly deteriorating.  Though he bears witness to his own descent into madness, he feels powerless to stop it. As in all of Poe's stories, we know close to nothing about the narrator/main character, save that something or someone is torturing him.

In this case, it appears to be a black cat, which he fixates on and imagines to be the reincarnation of his previous pet, a cat named Pluto that he irrationally and perversely murdered in a furious rage when he imagined the cat was avoiding him. In fact, the new cat looks exactly like the one that he murdered, save for a white spot on his chest; He is even missing one eye, just as his old cat. It seems to him that the cat has come back . . . perhaps to seek revenge for its untimely death?  

By writing another cat into the story, Poe seems to be drawing from the old superstition of a cat having nine lives. His wife also makes allusions to the fact that cats are supposed to be the reincarnation of witches; to her, they have an otherworldly power. In fact, the name Pluto could even be a reference to the god of the underworld.

This only seems to exacerbate the narrator's suspicion and distrust of the cat. For example, immediately after the narrator cut the eye from his beloved pet Pluto and then hung him from a tree, his house burned to the ground the next day, leaving only a wall with the outline of a cat with a noose around its neck.  The narrator of course tries to rationalize this away but can’t help superstitiously believing that this was an act of revenge for what he had done to the cat.

In addition to that, when the new cat runs across his path, a reference to another superstition about cats being bad luck, he imagines that it’s trying to trip him.  He picks up an axe to kill the cat and accidentally kills his wife instead. He believes that he just needs to get rid of both the body and the cat in order to finally be able to rest peacefully, ironically not realizing how deep into madness he has sunk. When the police discover the body walled up inside the house, the cat is sitting on top of it, a perfect symbol of retribution for the acts committed by the husband.