être libre

Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (Italian, 1609-1662)

The Final Problem

While the existence of Moriarty does not necessarily need to be disproved, it’s intriguing that the reader never actually comes face to face with him. This is the very first time that we hear of this great antagonist, and are also given an account of Holmes’ first meeting with him, when his biographer conveniently wasn’t on the scene. Then, while on the run, Watson gets a glimpse of a “tall man” at Victoria Station, a special train at Canterbury, and an energetic figure walking towards the falls, who are all assumed to be Moriarty. In his farewell note, Holmes writes to the doctor of his final encounter with this elusive figure, and no body is ever found after their supposed deaths. We only hear of the exact events of that fateful day much later, when the two friends meet once more, again through a recollection. In The Valley of Fear, which precedes the Reichenbach incident, we are reminded by Holmes of his secret feud with the Professor, and briefly told of the official force’s doubts as to his criminality. Moriarty is a great antagonist through the fact that his presence is felt more than it is seen: “that’s what puts him on a pinnacle in the records of crime” as Holmes says, and the nebulous nature of this arch-nemesis is no doubt what has insured his enduring appeal.