Henley In Arden
English Department
The Sign of Four
Key Characters
Sherlock Holmes
The main character in the novel. He is presented through the viewpoint of his friend, Dr John Watson, the narrator of the story. Watson describes him as a sharp and highly intelligent individual.
At the start of the novel, Holmes is injecting cocaine, which he argues he needs to numb his mind when there is nothing more interesting to occupy and challenge him. He is proud of his mental capacities and often rude about those he considers less intelligent than himself..
Holmes takes great pleasure in solving mysteries and outwitting others. In this story he correctly determines how Jonathan Small and Tonga steal the Agra treasure from Sholto's house.
He also has a strong sense of right and wrong and at the end of the novel encourages Small to tell the truth so that he is not wrongly accused of Sholto's murder.
Key words
Intellectual, Restless, Observant, Egotistical, Strong deductive powers.
John Watson
He is the narrator of the story. He has lived with Sherlock Holmes for several years, during which time he has witnessed his companion at work on numerous difficult cases.
He is loyal and at the start of the novel, is concerned for his friend's well-being. He accompanies Holmes into potentially dangerous situations, and seems to take pleasure from the adventures he is led into.
When he first meets Miss Mary Morstan, Watson is struck by how attractive she is. Their growing love story is a sub-plot of the novel. A complication in the development of their romance comes in the form of the Agra treasure and Miss Morstan's entitlement to it. In the end, when the treasure has been lost, he feels able, at last, to declare his love.
Key words
Admiring, Honourable, Loyal, Romantic
Mary Morstan
Miss Mary Morstan appears early in the novel and brings two mysteries to Sherlock Holmes. The first is the puzzle of her missing father and the second is a series of strange gifts of beautiful pearls that she has received annually for the past six years.
She remains calm and composed when they arrive to meet the mysterious letter writer at the Lyceum Theatre. She shows the Victorian Angel ideal. The only time she appears upset is when Thaddeus Sholto announces that her father is dead. Even at this time her response is self-possessed - she does not respond with great emotion, but sits down, her distress shown only in her 'white' appearance.
Watson admits that he is attracted to her, and he presents a flattering image of a gentle, collected and modest woman. When reading about Miss Morstan (as with all characters in this novel) it is important to remember that we are seeing her from Watson's point of view.
Thaddeus Sholto
Thaddeus Sholto is a strange-looking character who lives in a richly-decorated house. He is the one who has sent the letter of invitation to Miss Morstan.
Thaddeus tells the story of his father, Major John Sholto, who returned from India eleven years ago with a large sum of money and treasures. He explains the backstory of the treasure.
Thaddeus seems to feel more guilty than his brother, Bartholomew, and is the one who has posted the pearls to Miss Morstan. When his brother is found dead, he worries, rightly, that he will be accused of murder.
He is arrested by Mr Athelney Jones, but later set free when secure alibis are established.
Altheney Jones
The official, although not very good, police inspector. He is presented as being considerably less capable than Holmes, though the private detective allows the policeman to take the glory for solving the crime.
He arrives at Pondicherry Lodge after the murder of Bartholomew Sholto is discovered and jumps to conclusions about the crime and arrests Thaddeus Sholto. Holmes is neither surprised nor concerned by this and promises Thaddeus that he will be able to clear him.
Mr Jones admires Holmes and happily agrees to follow his orders when his first arrests turn out to have alibis.
Jonathan Small
He only actually appears towards the end of the book, but he is referred to by different characters throughout. The reader learns about him from the things other characters say about him and the ways they respond to him.
Holmes identifies him as the wooden-legged man and we learn that Major Sholto died from the shock of seeing Small's face at the window. Mrs Smith, the boat keeper's wife describes him as 'ugly' and 'outlandish'.
When Small is arrested and confesses in full to his crimes, he is revealed as a cunning and manipulative character. He also shows a frightening side when he is angry. His involvement with the Sign of the Four pact and the way he chases the treasure are key to the plot.
Tonga
Tonga is a native Andaman Islander. Small saves his life whilst he is in the prison camp there, so Tonga helps Small to escape. Tonga is the person who murdered Bartholomew Sholto with a poisoned dart when they broke in to steal the treasure. Tonga is used to demonstrate the Victorian fear of 'The Other' and their worries about other cultures. He is eventually shot during the boat chase at the end of the novel.
Key words
Innocent, Modest, Calm, Composed
Key words
Nervous, Self obsessed, Eccentric
Key words
Pompous, Comic, Apologetic, Common
Key words
Frightening, Calculating, Ruthless
Key words
Other, Foreign, Terrifying, Brutal, Cruel
Minor Characters
Bartholomew Sholto
Bartholomew is Thaddeus’s twin brother and Major Sholto’s son. He doesn’t like to share wealth or information with Holmes or Morstan. Bartholomew discovers the chest and is later killed by Tonga with a poison dart.
Major Sholto
Captain Morstan
Major Sholto was an officer and friend of Arthur Morstan. He was the one who was originally approached about the location of the treasure, as Jonathan Small believed that his greed would make him an easy target. Sholton is tasked with the retrieval of the treasure, but takes it all for himself, leaving Small and Morstan without anything. When Morstan later confronts him, Morstan has a heart attack and dies. Sholto hides the body and keeps the treasure. He lives the rest of his life plagued by extreme guilt and fear. He dies after seeing Jonathan Small’s face in a window.
A senior captain within his group and disappeared in London when visiting his daughter. He was a good man, who felt guilty about his actions in the war. He died when his heart gave out and he fell, cracking his skull.
Context
Context is to do with the background of the text - what social and historical factors influenced the author and what he wrote. You MUST include this in your essay. Make sure you link to it the points you are making about the character or theme.
Victorian Era
The Victorian era was a time of amazing growth and optimism for the British Empire. Resources and labor taken from colonies worldwide had made England rich, and for the time being, Britain was all powerful. Business flourished, technology blossomed, and London grew at a great rate - from one million people to six in the space of a century – creating huge problems of because of overcrowding, such as poverty, homelessness, drug abuse, crime. While the great divide between rich and poor continued to be a difficult social issue, Victorian Britons, led by Victoria's husband Albert, put their faith in technology and science. The contrasts of this fascinating time provided Conan Doyle with the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes: a man of science, undistracted by the more human side of life, who moved easily through the city, using his deductive skills and intelligence to solve its moral and practical dilemmas.
Physically, London could be a place of disturbing contrasts, a cosmopolitan city where the middle class drank tea in comfortable drawing rooms while epidemics of typhoid and cholera ravaged the squalid, overpopulated East End. Conan Doyle captures all of these problems and explores their possible consequences.
Victorian Angel
What is a Proper Lady? Also known as a "real lady", a "true lady", simply a "lady", or an "angel in the house", she's the perfect lady in the Victorian British mind. This idea was widely used in Victorian and earlier literature.
She sacrifices herself for the good of her family, religion, and country. She is intelligent enough to smoothly run a household, and wisely spends her husband's money for the good of her family, never guilty of carelessness or selfishness. She is devoted and loyal, never treacherous or scheming. Her manners are never less than perfect, and her good will and charity are a beacon to those lucky enough to live around her. She is perfectly groomed, likely beautiful. However, more important than her personal looks is her gentle smile. Because small size makes her seem more vulnerable, she will probably be on the shorter side. Chances are that she has dark hair and fair skin. A Proper Lady might not always be able to defend herself, but should in most cases possess the strength of mind to not panic, and the willpower to never give in to any vile demands.
Mary Morstan
'She was a blonde young lady, small, dainty, well gloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste.' Ch2
British Empire
Britain had been exploring and colonising lands for centuries, but by the nineteenth century the British Empire was vast. It was a global superpower, controlling over a quarter of the Earth’s land area and a quarter of its population.
The British ruling classes had a strong sense of leadership and felt they had a moral responsibility in the world. They believed other countries needed guidance and to be ruled in the way Britain was ruled. The British exported their system of government, the military, the railway system, the English language and their education system. However, many of those who were sent out to rule the colonies did not always have the best interests of the people at heart. The desire to build wealth for Britain meant that many native peoples and natural resources of the colonised countries were exploited for financial gain. This often stirred up ill feelings and the potential for rebellion such as the Indian Mutiny
Police force
The Victorian era saw the development of the police force. For the first time there were detectives and crimes were being investigated. However, many in the poorer sections of the Victorian community, who had little faith in, or respect for, the police, probably did not bother to report offences. The police force were also not particularly good at their jobs. They failed to solve a lot of the crimes because they didn't have the understanding or abilities to find the answers. As a result, they were often not seen as very useful!
Crime
Whilest crime was reducing, there were occasional panics and scares generated by particularly appalling offences. In the 1850s and early 1860s there were panics about street robbery, known then as 'garrotting'. A press campaign against garrotters in 1862 developed following the robbery of an MP on his way home from a late-night sitting of parliament; and while the number of 'garrotte' robberies was tiny, the press created sensations out of minor incidents. Parliament responded with laws which meant that offenders should be flogged as well as imprisoned.
The murders of Jack the Ripper in the autumn of 1888 were confined to a small area of London's East End, but similarly provoked a nation-wide panic. Jack the Ripper's identity was never revealed, but it was hinted at that he was a man with a good reputation to uphold, rather than a common criminal. There were suspicions he could have been a doctor, or even related to the royal family!
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There were also concerns about 'the dangerous classes' who were thought to lurk in the slums waiting for the opportunity for disorder and plunder.
Class
The Victorian society was divided into nobility Upper Class, Middle Class, and the Working Class. The Victorian Upper Class consisted of the Aristocrats, Nobles, Dukes, other wealthy families working in the Victorian courts. The Upper Class was in a powerful position giving them authority, better living conditions, and other facilities. This group often looked down on the lower classes, or saw them as dangerous. Often in novels the villain is a dangerous lower class person.
The Victorian period was very prosperous for the middle class. Middle-class people also owned and managed vast business empires. The middle-class population at the very start of the Victorian era was limited to a few.
The Industrial Revolution in the mid-century of the era brought about drastic changes in the standard of living of the Victorian Middle-Class people. These revolutions opened the doors for more job opportunities and earn a decent living. This, in turn, had a positive impact on the education of children.
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Themes
