Sherlock Holmes

. . .but they still have to deal with everyday stuff. . .

. . .like grocery shopping. . .

. . .and making friends.

Take Sherlock Holmes. He's one heck of a brilliant guy. . .

. . .who can crack any case. . .

. . .without anyone's help. But he does spend a lot of time with this

guy. So, if Holmes is so darn brilliant, why does

he need Watson? Well, every hero has to have a sidekick. . .

. . .someone who "gets" him and puts up with all his craziness.

Maybe Watson's just there to keep Holmes company. . .

. . .and be his one and only friend.

Then again, Holmes doesn't seem to need people in his life. . .

. . .so maybe Watson is just around to prove how smart Holmes really is

If Sherlock is clever enough to make a smart guy like Watson feel stupid. . .

. . well, then he must be out-of-this-world brilliant.

Or maybe the author. . .

. . .just needed a nice, sympathetic character. . .

. . . to make Holmes a little more likeable. He does come across a little, shall we say,

prickly. . .

. . .and having a friend like Watson. . .

. . . may be Doyle's way of humanizing Holmes Or maybe Watson is just hanging around to

help move the stories along. Holmes has to explain how he solves the crimes

to somebody. . .

. . .so he might as well do it to a nice guy like Watson.

So, why does Dr. John Watson keep popping up in all the Sherlock Holmes stories?

Is he there to be the hero's faithful sidekick. . .

. . .to provide intellectual comparison. . .

. . . to show Holmes' softer side. . .

. . .or to help move things along? Shmoop amongst yourselves.