Question

Did Dr. Holmes intend for the "speckled band" to attack Dr. Roylott? Respond to the story's ending. (3-4 sentences)

A. Yes, it was a deliberate plan by Dr. Holmes.
B. No, Dr. Holmes did not anticipate the attack.
C. It's unclear, and the story leaves room for interpretation.
D. The story does not provide enough information to answer.

Answer 1

Dr. Holmes did not intend for the speckled band to attack Dr. Roylott; the snake's attack was unintentional and resulted from Dr. Roylott's scheme backfiring.

Step-by-step explanation:

No, Dr. Holmes did not anticipate the speckled band to attack Dr. Roylott in the story "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The outcome of Dr. Roylott being killed by his own snake, the “speckled band,” was an act of poetic justice but it wasn't Holmes's intent.

Holmes's objective was to protect his client and solve the mystery, not to orchestrate the death of the antagonist. The deadly result occurred because of Dr. Roylott's plan backfiring on himself, a consequence that Holmes could not have foreseen or planned for.

In the story "The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it is clear that Dr. Holmes did not anticipate the attack on Dr. Roylott. Throughout the story, Dr. Holmes investigates the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Helen Stoner's sister and uncovers the truth behind the speckled band. However, he does not expect the band to directly attack Dr. Roylott as an act of revenge.