me!" (Doyle 166). Holmes and Watson fill each other's needs; Watson provides Holmes with an ego boost, and Holmes needs Watson to inconspicuously gather clues. Watson is overwhelmed by Holmes' power of observation, and Watson feels more powerful by association.
             Watson plays the bumbling apprentice, who spends most of the novel trying to solve the difficult case in his Holmes's stead. As Holmes himself says, "in noting your fallacies I was occasionally guided towards the truth."(Doyle 165). Always on the receiving end of Holmes' egotistical remarks, Watson is nonetheless intent on proving his own wits by attempting to use Holmes' own techniques. Watson's character is meant to mirror our own understanding of Holmes and the events surrounding the case. Dr. Watson gives Holmes the opportunity to show off, disproving the simple conclusions by using his superior talent for observation.
             With both of the main protagonists set up from the very beginning, Doyle starts his long trail of confusing clues and twisting plots. The introduction places us at
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