Unlike Holmes we are able to view and think about the actions that all the characters in the book are doing. We are a step ahead of Holmes and our deconstructing involves the story as a whole, as opposed to the story from one character. In the Speckled Band story, Holmes is shut out from the ideas of Watson and the other characters in the story. He only hears the opinions of the woman who is afraid for losing her life. This is where we have an advantage over Holmes. We get to see the whole story, viewing everything at one time. Therefore, our deconstruction of the story is easy to follow because we have all the facts right in front of us.
According to the glossary entries in Emma, "Jacques Derrida, who coined the word deconstruction, argues that in Western culture, people tend to think and express their thoughts in terms of binary oppositions" (pg. 616). The example that the glossary gave was a comparison of seeing an object as white, but not black. In research of binary oppositions, I have learned that they play a role in deconstructing a story. When an author writes a story, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did, he uses certain writing styles to get his point across to the reader. Binary oppositions are one tool that a writer can use to influence his writing. I think that the binary opposition used in The Speckled Band deals with the reader being compared to Holmes.
From Holmes perspective we see "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," in the form of detective fiction. Holmes is the detective taking his own route to deconstructing the facts and solving the crime. Throughout the story it is easy to see how Holmes is keeping his thinking on the case to himself. Every Holmes story involves a character coming to him and explaining a story to him which involves some sort of explicit danger. While the character in danger is telling the story there are two different types of deconstruction going on.