Detective fiction is drawn around an opposition between the criminal and the lawful. Sherlock Holmes plays his role as detective and threw the ideas of his associate Watson, the reader is asked to "deconstruct," or separate the facts in the story. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story, "The Adventure of the Speckled Ban," the reader is asked to use a form of deconstruction to interpret the story. The form of deconstruction used by Holmes to solve the mystery is similar to the form of deconstruction the reader is using to try and follow in Holmes" footsteps. But, we are not able to compete with this detective's abilities; Holmes is far more advanced and more ready to deconstruct evidence. To the reader, Holmes is considered a criminal for his ability to deconstruct the facts and in a better fashion than the reader.
Before looking at the story it is important to understand the meaning of deconstruction. Upon first introduction to the word, a person would think of the meaning of this word as picking apart the facts to understand something. This definition is partly correct. According to the Random House Dictionary, deconstruction is, "to break something down into constituent parts, or to dissect." When thinking about this definition and relating it to Sherlock Holmes, it is not that hard to draw comparisons. It is well known that Holes is a detective and that his job consists of gathering the facts to solve a mystery. So, it can be said that Holmes is a deconstructor of facts. Holes absorbs as much information as possible and dissects threw the information to draw conclusions about his cases. The writer is inviting Sherlock Holmes to deconstruct the evidence.
On the same token, we are the readers who are being invited to deconstruct Holmes and the story he is involved in. As the reader we are able to see the story as a whole, we are no just set aside to the character of Holmes.