The class discussions about Sydney Paget’s illustrations for “The Man With the Twisted Lip” by Arthur Conan Doyle struck a lot of interesting thoughts for me. The most prominent image in my mind has to be the illustration of the “Lascar scoundrel”. Our discussion mostly followed the word “Lascar” in relation to the illustration, however I also found the following use of the word “scoundrel” just as intriguing. “Scoundrel” is used as an adjective to further alienate and/or discriminate against the man in the drawing. It suggests that he is a rogue, lying man. Another familiar use of the word, is “scoundrel” as a way to describe vermin. In Paget’s illustration, this imagery comes forward in the way that the man’s shoulders are pushed into his ears, and in the beastly interpretation of how he is pushing the woman away. His body language reads aggressively, and the way his limbs are positioned in contrast to the woman are loose and unpoised. 

One of the other topics of discussion that interested me, was the strategic placement of the dark and light. For one thing, the difference in shading between the two characters is obviously showcased. On one hand, you have the “innocent” white woman, while on the other you have the dark, shady immigrant. The shading extends to the background of the illustration as well. The idea of the woman being in the light shows that she is both clean and of British descent, while the man stands in the dark where he is supposedly involved with the dirty act of drugs, and is a representation of coloured areas around the world. On an opposite note however, the darkness can also appear to be a place he has been confined to, or seeks comfort in. His argument with the lady could be interpreted as his way of protecting his territory against the colonizer.