The Boscombe Valley Mystery - Sample Answer I

Based on the novel THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY, write about a lesson you have learnt from the novel. Support your answer with evidence from the novel.

          One moral lesson that I have learnt from the novel The Boscombe Valley Mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the value of kindness. Sherlock Holmes shows kindness and compassion to all those he deals with and achieves his goal - that of finding the real killer of Charles McCarthy.

          James McCarthy does not want to tell anyone why he has quarrelled with his father, even after he is arrested for his father's murder. However, Holmes' kindness must have won his trust because he discloses the nature of his quarrel. He admits that his father has wanted him to marry Alice Turner but he refused because he is already married to a barmaid, though they are separated now. If not for Holmes' kindness and understanding, he would not have revealed this.

          Alice too is won over by the detective's kindness. She tells him that she has been the subject of the argument between James and his father. He believes that James does not want to marry her as he is too young. She also says that her father is against the marriage.

          Holmes' kindness and compassion is also clear when John Turner goes to see him. He is able to put people at ease and win their confidence and trust with his kind attitude. John Turner confesses his guilt and why he kills McCarthy to him, asking him to keep it a secret until his death as he does not want to hurt his daughter. Out of compassion, Holmes promises that he will reveal the contents of Turner's letter only if James is found guilty. When James is released after Turner's death, he keeps his word and destroy the letter.

          If not for his kind shown to all he comes across in his investigation, many secrets would not have been revealed.

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Today (10/12/2015)
I'm cleaning all the draft post and noticed this sample answer. Not sure if the form 1 student still using this novel or not. But anyway, I just published it.