In Kazuo Ishiguro's "When We Were Orphans", the surfeit labelling of Christopher Banks as a Sherlock Holmes evokes reader expectations of the Holmesian genre and lets the reader judge Banks and his methods more critically in the light of Holmes. The novel though defies reader expectations in terms of any detective formula fiction it starts to set out – but exactly those expectations and the refusal of their completion that bind Banks and the reader together.
Banks’s childhood view of what had happened to his parents mirrors the world of Sherlock Holmes and follows Banks into his adult world. It is the belief that, against all odds, a Sherlockian detective can solve the crime of his parents' disappearance. However, to make this possible the crime has to be one that equals the crimes in the world of Sherlock Holmes. As Banks adopts the personality of a Sherlockian detective because he labels himself one so does the reader expects certain personality traits because he sees this label. Banks and the reader fall into the same trap of believing that the narrative should go in a particular way because the ideas on and beliefs in detectives rely on a fixed formula.
In debunking Banks as not being a "Sherlock” the novel ridicules the believe in archetypal heroes like Sherlock Holmes and in debunking the principle of a detective itself, in the denouement chapter, it ridicules not only Christopher Banks’s life but also the reader’s expectations. Thus it is not only Banks's world that gets disenchanted but the reader’s world as well.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Sherlock Holmes Label
3 Genre Expectations
3.1 The Detective's Assistant
3.2 Focus on the Detective's Process
3.3 The Early Encounter of the Crime
3.4 The Worlds Compared
4 Expecting the Reinstallment of Order
4.1 Society's Expectations
4.2 The Necessity of Banks's Childhood-Detective-Narrative
5 Identity Deformation as Way to conform to a Sherlockian Rule
6 The Ridiculemen in the Denouement
7 Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This work examines how Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel When We Were Orphans utilizes and ultimately subverts the conventions of the Sherlock Holmes detective genre. The primary research focus lies in analyzing how the protagonist's self-identification as a Sherlockian detective affects both the narrative structure and the reader's own expectations, leading to a deconstruction of the detective myth.
- The influence of Sherlock Holmes as a literary and identity-defining label.
- Subversion of traditional detective genre expectations and formulas.
- The intersection of personal trauma and the "childhood-detective-narrative."
- The psychological deformation of identity through performance and imitation.
- The role of the denouement in disenchanting both the protagonist and the reader.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Focus on the Detective Process
As the reader will notice, there are no scenes in which Banks' process of detection is explained or even looked at and thus When We Were Orphans fails detective formula expectations. The only person in and outside the narrative to have the opportunity of seeing the process of detection is Sarah Hemmings, to whom the mystery of Charles Emery's death gives the opportunity “to watch the great man at his work“ (32). Contrary to reader expectations of detective narrative formula, Banks never analyzes any finger- or footprints, never decodes a cypher, performs any scientific experiments or disguises himself as his role model Sherlock Holmes does. Throughout the novel, Banks does not question any possible suspects or witnesses -such as his former ama Mei Li who he had found weeping in the house after his mother had gone - about the disappearance of his parents. The only investigation he conducts in this direction is a brief conversation with Inspector Kung and later with the yellow snake alias Uncle Philip. A further unfulfilled expectation about detective narratives is the investigation of the crime scene, which in the case of finding Banks' parents would be Banks’ childhood house from which they had disappeared. Banks does not actively look for this crime scene but is brought to the house by his former schoolmate, Morgan.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the premise of the novel and outlines how the labeling of Christopher Banks as a Sherlockian detective establishes specific reader expectations that the narrative subsequently defies.
2 The Sherlock Holmes Label: This section explores how Banks adopts the identity and idiosyncrasies of Sherlock Holmes through his physical environment and personal aspirations.
3 Genre Expectations: This chapter details the conventions of detective fiction, such as the assistant and the analytical process, and argues that the novel intentionally leaves these fulfillments absent.
4 Expecting the Reinstallment of Order: This chapter discusses the societal desire for a detective who restores order and how Banks attempts to embody this figure to resolve his own past trauma.
5 Identity Deformation as Way to conform to a Sherlockian Rule: This section analyzes how Banks distorts his own personality and emotions to maintain the performance of being a detective.
6 The Ridiculement in the Denouement: This chapter examines the final disclosure scene, where the mockery of the detective figure serves to shatter the illusions held by both the protagonist and the reader.
7 Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, suggesting that the novel uses the detective genre as a didactic tool to show the dangers of trusting fixed narratives over reality.
Keywords
Kazuo Ishiguro, When We Were Orphans, Sherlock Holmes, Detective Fiction, Identity, Genre Expectations, Performance, Childhood-Detective-Narrative, Subversion, Denouement, Trauma, Narrative Formula, Disenchantment, Social Order, Inspector Kung.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores how the protagonist of Kazuo Ishiguro's When We Were Orphans attempts to model his life and investigative style after Sherlock Holmes, and how this performance ultimately fails to meet the conventions of the detective genre.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The work covers literary genre theory, the psychological construction of identity, the tension between memory and reality, and the deconstruction of archetypal heroic figures.
What is the central research question?
The central question investigates how the label of "Sherlock Holmes" informs the reader's expectations and how the novel's deliberate subversion of detective formulas functions as a critique of human dependence on fixed narratives.
Which scientific method is applied in this study?
The analysis employs a literary-critical approach, focusing on intertextual comparison between Ishiguro’s text and the canonical Sherlock Holmes stories, alongside a structural examination of the novel's narrative techniques.
What does the main body of the text address?
The main body systematically contrasts the expected features of detective fiction—such as the role of an assistant, the investigation process, and the restoration of social order—with the actual events and behaviors depicted in the novel.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Ishiguro, Sherlock Holmes, detective fiction, identity deformation, genre expectations, and the childhood-detective-narrative.
How does the absence of a "Dr. Watson" figure affect the narrative?
The absence of an assistant forces the reader into a direct, unmediated confrontation with Banks' internal state, making the reader more critical of his flawed reasoning and lack of actual investigative work.
What role does the "childhood-detective-narrative" play in Banks' life?
It serves as a psychological coping mechanism, transforming a traumatic reality into a manageable, solvable puzzle that aligns with his idealized image of a detective hero.
- Quote paper
- Anna Klamann (Author), 2014, Social Critique and Reader Response Criticism In Kazuo Ishiguro's "When We Were Orphans", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/381019
