Comparison – Contrast Essay in Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

Father of detective work, Sherlock Holmes and father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, can be compared and contrasted in Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. Sherlock Holmes can be identified as one of the most brilliant fictional characters of the 19th century period. As a “consulting detective”, he uses his extraordinary abilities and logical reasoning to solve some of the most difficult cases. Equally as brilliant in his field, Sigmund Freud is identified in the novel as a neurologist that extensively studies the human mind and behavior. Both Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud share many similarities in Meyer’s novel. One obvious parallel is each character’s remarkable abilities in their profession. In chapter IV Holmes does an impressive analysis of the Dr. Freud and surprises everyone after using clues to identify many of the Dr.’s personal and professional characteristics. Freud’s intelligence is likewise showcased when he is able to reveal the underlying cause of Holmes’ addiction to cocaine in the last paragraph of the story. Another similarity is that both characters are loners. Other than Dr. Watson, Holmes does not trust or allow others in his life. As for Dr. Freud, he is excluded from society and colleagues due to his radical ideas and methods of work. Both characters also happen to smoke Tobacco. For Holmes it was “huge amounts of shag”, during his cases whereas Freud would indulge in cigars. Although both Holmes and Freud shared many similarities, they also have many differences. A prominent difference derives from the antagonist, Cocaine. In the novel, Holmes is clearly addicted to cocaine when Meyer writes, “but as for help, you must put it out of your minds, all of you. I am in the grip of this devilish malady and it will consume me!” As for Dr. Freud, all though he was addicted at one point, he is the one that discovered the drug and was able to break free from its control. Another difference is that Holmes is not married and Freud is. Examples of this can be found when the author makes it clear that Holmes has no interest to be married due to death of his mother stemming from her betrayal. As for Freud, he can be portrayed as being happily married when reading, “Dr. Freud seized his wife round waist and began to waltz her about the dining-room…” One more difference is the plain fact that Holmes is a detective and Freud is a psychiatrist. Although they may use similar techniques, their professions differ in many ways. Furthermore, Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud share many similarities in the methods they use professionally. Both characters involve cocaine in their careers. For Holmes, he used it when a case was not interesting enough, and for Freud cocaine was “more or less a sideline and not directly related to his present researches.” Each character is also very detail oriented in the way they execute their work. Holmes pays attention to very subtle clues to gather information, whereas Freud pays close attention to his patient’s reactions and behavior. Lastly, they both use education immensely in their field of work. For the detective, he relies on physics and chemistry when analyzing his clues, and for the psychiatrist, he involves neurology along with other sciences in his studies.
Equally, Holmes and Dr. Freud also share many differences in their professional methods. A visible difference is that Sherlock uses a magnifying glass when working and Sigmund relies greatly on his stop watch when preforming on patients. An example is provided with Freud stops Holmes’ compulsion temporarily when using the stop watch to hypnotize him. Unlike Holmes who relies on investigating outdoors for much of his work, Freud mainly works indoors at his study. This is evident when Holmes does his analysis on Freud and reveals much of the time and dedication he spends in his study. Lastly, another professional difference between them is that Sherlock operates with a partner, Dr. Watson, whereas Sigmund works alone.
In the end, Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud have many parallels and differences both individually and professionally in Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution.