The almost un-human personalities of the two men both endear and detach them from the readers, maintaining a certain level of respect and awe while at the same time believing that like the readers, they are just human beings who have their own weaknesses (Dupin his poverty, Holmes his addiction to cocaine).
Apart from ethos, part of Dupin and Holmes' rhetoric in solving their mysteries was a discussion of the theories they formulated and applied in the course of investigating the case. Logos was apparent in the detectives' use of deduction, logical thinking, and the scientific method in looking for clues and solving the mystery presented to them. Their usage of stereotyping and pattern formation as their techniques for clue generation were the closest examples and illustrations of the concepts of deduction, logical thinking, and scientific method in Poe and Doyle's stories.
Dupin's solution to the murders at the Rue Morgue was based on a stereotype and pattern found in the facts available about the case. Pattern formation was apparent in his analysis of the witnesses' accounts of the events before, during, and after the murder. His discovery that each witness's testimony reflected the fact that "[e]ach likens it (the voice heard) -- not to the voice of an individual of any nation...but the converse," a point that led him to conclude that the murderer was of an 'alien' nature, someone who does not speak the language of any of the nationalities of the witnesses (133). Stereotypes pertaining to a ribbon commonly used by sailors on Maltese vessels gave way to the discovery of another suspect, the sailor who actually owns the orangutan (the murderer) (143). Holmes also relied on...
Stating that "men do not carry other people's bills about in their pockets," he had used this stereotypical characteristic to know what made Straker resort to a desperate action such as hurting Silver Blaze for it to lose in the upcoming horse racing competition (476).
Lastly, pathos was used by both detectives in order to illustrate their sense of morality and justice. This characteristic was especially transparent in Holmes' character, whose sense of retributive justice involved allowing the perpetrator to keep his freedom so long as the facts of the case showed him/her as individuals who committed offense for revenge or moral justifications. In "Silver Blaze," Holmes sense of retribution became apparent when he showed no mercy for Straker's death, whose misfortune of having a "second establishment" pressured him to look for more money in other ways. His death was shown as a sorry state that only he (Straker) can be blamed, and nobody else.
Poe's use of pathos in "The murders" was more explicit, wherein the murders of the L'Espanaye women were also a product of misfortune, mainly due to the carelessness of the orangutan's owner's part. Dupin's assertion that the sailor was not to be blamed for the murders but firm belief that his conscience would be enough repayment for his carelessness also showed a similar belief in retributive justice and morality that Holmes staunchly subsisted to.
Bibliography
Doyle, S.A.C. (1986). Sherlock Holmes: the complete novels and stories Vol. 1. NY: Bantam Books.
Poe, E.A. (1964). Great tales of horror. NY: Bantam Books.
