28 pages • 56 minutes read
Arthur Conan DoyleA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Is Holmes’s method of inductive reasoning—observing evidence to arrive at conclusions—realistically effective or merely the lucky guesswork of a contrived fiction? How useful are his critical thinking processes for real life?
Evaluate Holmes’s observations at the beginning of the story (about “the commonplace” being the territory of always astounding curiosities). Are Holmes and Watson just philosophizing here, or are they touching upon a practical reality?
Is Holmes a hero? Is his character trustworthy or noble?
To what extent is Miss Sutherland innocent? Should she have known better? Does her inability to perceive hidden data render her complicit in what happened?
What role does Dr. Watson play in the story? Apart from being the narrator, how significant is he to Holmes and to Miss Sutherland?
While defending himself to Holmes, Windibank declares that his scheme began as a “joke.” What does this statement say about his character? How innocent is he, and at what point did the innocent fun become abuse? Does he deserve to go to court?
The title “A Case of Identity” refers most immediately to the double-identity of James Windibank and Hosmer Angel. What other identities are highlighted that may add layers of meaning to the title?
Conan Doyle often took inspiration from actual cases, and he is known to have worked with the police more than once. Research the historicity of this case and find parallels to real-life events upon which the author may have drawn. Does this corroborate Holmes’s early statements about life being “infinitely stranger” than anything people can invent?
What does Holmes’s decision at the end—not to tell Miss Sutherland the truth—say about his character? What about his comment about women and their “delusions”?
If you’ve read other Sherlock Holmes stories, address how this story contributes to the rest of the canon. What developments in “A Case of Identity” help move the overall narrative forward? Does this story contain any moments that are key to the larger storyline?
By Arthur Conan Doyle