A Study in Scarlet

The shift to an American setting brings a host of new tropes and themes that are not central to the Holmes story. Doyle’s depiction of America relies on the idealized Western Frontier popularized by the novels of earlier 19th century authors like James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving. It is simultaneously a breathtakingly beautiful land filled with possibility and opportunity, and a harsh, rugged, deadly landscape to be conquered and tamed. This sense of contrast and paradox runs through the section. While the Mormons flee persecution to establish a new home because of a broad sense of American freedom and possibility, their community is harsh and hierarchical, with Young sitting on top as a dictator. Similarly, though one may marvel at the hard work, perseverance, and survival skills it takes to survive the conditions of the desert, the Mormon’s belief in divine right and Manifest Destiny force readers to consider the fate of the briefly mentioned Indigenous people Western expansion is continually displacing. In employing the tropes of with the myth of the frontier, the novel relies on anti-Indigenous slurs and harmful stereotypes, typically only using Indigenous people as “savage” (75) obstacles to be overcome and as a juxtaposition to the ostensible civility of white people.

The initial mood of these chapters is hopeful. Not only are Ferrier and Lucy rescued, but once they reach Utah, they prosper. Through his hard work, Ferrier becomes one of the wealthiest men in Salt Lake City, and Lucy grows into a desirable young woman. However, there is an underlying sense of foreboding that haunts everything. Like most utopias, Salt Lake City contains an element of the dystopian. Ferrier and Lucy join the Mormons under duress, given the false choice to convert or die—the first instance of The Imposition of Religious Identity. On top of this, there is also the impending sense of doom invoked by the dramatic irony of readers recognizing the names Stangerson, Drebber, and Hope, and knowing that things do not end well for any of them.

The conflict between Ferrier and Young over Lucy’s arranged marriage is about control. Ferrier feels that he has fulfilled his obligations by attending church and giving to the common fund, but Young, who rules with an iron fist (and secret police force, the Danites), wants nothing less than complete obedience. Lucy’s sexual desirability and the assumption that she can be doled out to the senior members of the community in the same way the land had been raises interesting questions about ownership of both. The implied attack on Lucy’s perceived “virginity”—held as the most important thing about a young woman in the Victorian England of Doyle’s day—connects her to Alice Charpentier, who was sexually assaulted. Given that Inspector Gregson was completely unsurprised that Alice’s brother could murder the man guilty of attacking his sister, the novel is implying that protecting Lucy from forced marriage could account for Hope’s eventual motivation. Similarly, the tyrannical rule of Young and his religious creed undercuts the typically idyllic frontier setting, raising questions about the Mormons taking over territory and imposing themselves on it. Doyle suggests that religious fundamentalism and the kind of freedom Ferrier—and the Mormons—yearn for are incompatible. Ironically, in attempting to create their own utopia, the Mormons have recreated the kind of persecution they fled in the first place.