A case of identity | 
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IndoorDame He says she won‘t believe him, and it‘s dangerous to rob women of their “delusions”. But I think it‘s actually that at that time it doesn‘t occur to him that she might need to know the true character of the people around her so she can use her own critical reasoning skills more effectively in the future, because he assumes there will always be a man around to think and decide for her. 11mo
CatLass007 Again, I see this as a symptom of Holmes‘s cynicism, probably Conan Doyle‘s cynicism expressed through Holmes. The circumstances under which the spirit of women is crushed and then they are forced to conform to the standards of society, a society that is inhabited by both men and women. The women who were crushed are now doing much of the crushing. (edited) 11mo
SpellboundReader Holmes has already decided Mary has no critical thinking skills, so why bother to tell her. His decision will allow her to be victimized again. I think the egotistical behavior of Holmes is horrible, even toward Watson. I'm not quite sure why he puts up with him. 11mo
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Librarybelle Agree, @BeeCurious ! Holmes thinks he‘s superior, no matter what, but especially toward women. Mary is not worthy to learn the solution. 11mo
CogsOfEncouragement If Holmes tells her, she loses her mother completely. She also loses the feeling of being loved and wanted as a bride. Holmes also believes the cold-blooded stepfather to end on the gallows sooner or later. 11mo
SpellboundReader @IndoorDame @CatLass007 @Librarybelle - Holmes really is a tough character to like or even respect, as he shows so little respect to others. I suppose readers can admire his brilliance and hope he mellows out a little throughout the series. This is just my personal reaction to Holmes as a character, so far anyway. 11mo
CatLass007 @BeeCurious You‘re not wrong. 11mo
dabbe Again, I have to go back to Watson. The story is told through HIS eyes, not Holmes's. I'd like to think he's being completely objective in his reports, but even Holmes tells him he gets too fanciful sometimes. On these re-readings, I have really been honing in on Watson more than Holmes for some reason. RE: women ... the mother is sly and (dare I say) evil towards her daughter: two completely opposite portrayals of women who are blood-related. 11mo
SpellboundReader @dabbe Good points, especially about the mother. During each reread I'm sure you are picking up on many different things. Many of these stories are a first read for me, so I've been hyper focused on Holmes. He is a shocking character, even through Watson's eyes. I wasn't expecting that. Of course Holmes is also a product of Victorian society with a male author, so I probably shouldn't be shocked. 11mo
CrystalE02 It could have been both of view of Holmes and Watson. 11mo
dabbe @BeeCurious I also am getting to see Holmes with new eyes, thanks to all of you! What a wonderful reading community this is. 🤩😃😍 11mo
dabbe @CrystalE02 Absolutely. They're both (ahem) Victorian men, though Sherlock does seem to have a more scathing view of women. I think Watson sees them as damsels in distress (aka his wife, Mary). 11mo
kelli7990 Maybe he didn‘t tell her the truth because he knew that she wouldn‘t believe him. 11mo
Aimeesue @CogsOfEncouragement I absolutely agree. Rather paternalistic, but Mary doesn‘t seem to care much about the money - of which they‘re shorting her of only the income, not the principal, right? What would happen to her if he did reveal the scheme? 11mo
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