Book club: Holmes, you toerag

Oldest Daughter's book club is reading "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Discussion this morning turned to characterization. I had to laugh at their conclusion. All the kids thought that Sherlock Holmes is a real jerk. He puts down other people for their beliefs, mocks them for being less intelligent than he, and even sets them up for abuse by asking them questions he knows that they won't be able to answer fully. He totally is a jerk, although that's not always evident, the way he's presented through Watson's admiring voice. It was great that the kids picked up on this on their own, and even better that they were able to support their thesis by citing his interactions with Watson and with other characters, like Dr. Mortimer.