Julian Barnes’ book Arthur & George fabricates the context for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s true crime article The Case of Mr. George Edalji. Within this fabrication, he depicts the characters of writer and ophthalmologist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and of solicitor Mr. George Edalji from the early stages of their lives to when their paths eventually cross. While a very important part of this story is the nuance which accompanies the beginnings and endings of stories ( Doyle was infamous for having stated that he thinks up the ending of a Sherlock Holmes story before he thinks up the — I think a more developed and less visceral matter is that of identity. The theme of identity, and perhaps especially how others perceive your identity, is wrought throughout the plot of Arthur and George, and explicated further within the content of the pages. The basis of this theme could perhaps find its origins in the case of Mr. George Edalji, which was confounded by the mistaken identity of the perpetrator. Additionally, the case against Edalji required that his character and identity be formally assessed in order to determine whether or not he could have actually committed the crimes in question. This questioning only proceeded, however, once the external portrayal of his identity was determined as transgressive. Thus, the topic of race and nationality play an additional role in the persecution of Edalji, because he was viscerally targeted due to the darkness of his skin (and his Parsi father).
Outside of the very clear matters of identity that clouded the case brought against Edalji, the identity of Doyle contributed equally to the eventual connection of the two men. Doyle’s identity is shaped by his Scottish origin, from a mother who was both bread-maker and bread-winner for his household, and a father who he perceived too pathetic to attempt any occupation other than alcoholism. From this complex, he was determined to fulfill the ‘knight in shining armor’ role for his mother. This lead to the formation of his most exterior identity: a sociable and determined english sportsman. However, his identity was far more transgressive than Edalji’s, yet equally observed due to his fame. Doyle engaged in spiritualism, despite following his mother’s movement toward atheism. And, although he was a keen ophthalmologist, he spent free-time in his office writing wildly successful mysteries. Transgressive, still, he acquired a mistress while his wife, whom he had viewed as the image of perfection and positivity, died of consumption. Doyle lived a life in which he followed no strict guidelines of how to be, and tended to become whomever he needed to be to enjoy the activities he wanted to. Yet, Edalji, whom Barnes depicts as extraordinarily average, is the one that is found under scrutiny. The dichotomy of Edalji and Doyle’s identities in Barnes’ Arthur and George, demanded that the question be asked:does law allow ample room to propose one’s character as refuting evidence, and vice versa, does the law require that one’s external identity be part of the judgement process when trying to find a guilty personage.
