46 pages • 1 hour read
Andrew LaneDeath Cloud
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Investigations
While the investigative process is a staple of all crime fiction and might simply be seen as a plot device, in Death Cloud, it functions as a recurring motif that relates to the theme of Becoming Holmes. When the story begins, Sherlock has no prior experience or conceptual knowledge of how to solve a crime. He is merely driven by curiosity and the desire to help Matty.
However, he quickly demonstrates a dogged determination to get to the facts, even when appearances seem to contradict the conclusions that he reaches. Initially, all the adults in his world discourage him from pursuing the mystery of the death cloud. Despite these injunctions against getting involved, Sherlock takes two steps that set him at odds with the authorities in his life. He collects a sample of the yellow dust surrounding the second victim and later enlists Matty to convey him to a nearby town where he can question an expert on the matter. Both moves prove to be wise in retrospect. The yellow powder is shown to be pollen, and the expert debunks the theory that bubonic plague was responsible for the deaths in Farnham.
Sherlock will go on to investigate the warehouse in town, risking his life in the process. His surveillance in Rotherhithe nearly gets him killed as well, but he persists. Crowe tells him, “There’s a useful rule in life along the lines that you shouldn’t try to fight all the battles that come your way. Choose the battles that are important, an’ let some other fellow fight the rest” (112). Fortunately for the future of crime fiction, young Sherlock disagrees.
Bees
Bees are everywhere in Death Cloud. However, they aren’t perceived as such for much of the novel. For that reason, they symbolize an unknown peril that speaks to the theme of False Perceptions. When Matty first witnesses the lethal bees emerging from an open window, he perceives them as a dark cloud that moves unnaturally. However, he rightly concludes that the cloud is the reason why the occupant of the house died.
The timeframe of the story makes the characters vulnerable to misinterpreting the evidence of their senses. In 1868, nobody had ever heard of killer bees, but the bubonic plague would have been a familiar enough catastrophe to be blamed for the bee stings. The facts are dependent on the historical context of the story and are open to misinterpretation because of it.
As the novel progresses, the black death cloud is revealed to be a species of bee native to Africa. However, the motive for importing so many of these insects to Britain remains incomprehensible. The false perception of young Sherlock can’t be corrected until yet another illusion literally dissolves in the clear light of day. When the baron’s broken body is revealed for what it is, his grudge against the British Empire makes the previously incomprehensible presence of the bees in England understandable.
Journeys
Despite the fact that the story unfolds in the rural village of Farnham, the characters make quite a few journeys: on foot, on horseback, by train, and by boat. All these travels are necessary to solve the case and can be seen as a necessary plot device, but they also symbolize the growing connections among the characters. As such, these journeys relate to the theme of The Value of Allies.
Death Cloud’s central mystery is initiated by Sherlock’s journey to Holmes Manor. He makes the trip unwillingly, but it sets the entire plot in motion. His presence near Farnham makes him accessible to Matty, who then seeks his aid in investigating the mysterious cloud. Being at Holmes Manor also offers the pretext of bringing in a tutor to supervise the teen. Amyus Crowe and his daughter cross an ocean to arrive in England for reasons of their own, but Crowe’s connection to Mycroft also brings him into Sherlock’s orbit. Virginia’s travels on horseback connect her to Sherlock as she observes her father’s new protégé from a distance.
Matty furnishes both bicycles and a boat that will allow the two boys to travel more quickly around the region. They can surveil the baron’s property and visit Professor Winchcombe, thus garnering more facts and more firmly establishing their friendship in the process. The novel ranges farther afield when the entire group coalesces and travels to London and eventually reunites in France. The novel ends with everyone functioning as a team to foil the baron’s schemes, no matter how far he sails away from Britain.
