Std. XII 4.4 The Sign of Four

4.4 The Sign of Four

 

4.4 The Sign of Four- Novel 

Writer: Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle:

         Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ‘A Study in Scarlet’. Four novels and fifty-six short stories include Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are considered milestones in the field of crime fiction. The Sherlock Holmes stories are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. Other than Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories as well as plays, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels.

The Novel: The Sign of Four:

         ‘The Sign of Four’ is the second novel of Arthur Conan Doyle in which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solve the mystery of the hidden treasure and murder. This story has references of Indian places. In the text book the story begins from Chapter II. Here the suspense of the invitation and the journey to find out the reality are given.

Characters:

Sherlock Holmes: He is the story’s protagonist. He is the famous detective. He has a supreme or almost superhuman intelligence that allows him to solve the difficult cases.

Mary Morstan: A young woman who needs Holmes’ help. Miss Morstan comes to Sherlock Holmes to see if he can help her find out what happened to her father, Captain Morstan, who disappeared a few years previously.

Thaddeus Sholto: Thaddeus Sholto is one of Major Sholto’s sons. He is brother of Bartholomew Sholto. He is an unusual character. Thaddeus is the one who decides to contact Miss Morstan and asks her to meet him.

Toby: Trained Dog

Dr.John Watson: He is the narrator of the story and Sherlock Holmes’ loyal assistant. He is a doctor by profession.

Major Sholto: Guard of Andaman, criminal

Tonga: He is a native of the Andaman Islands who was helped by Jonathan Small when suffering from ill health. So, he is loyal to Small. (Criminal)

Jonathan Small: He is the wooden-legged man who seeks revenge on Major Sholto for the theft of the Agra treasure. He is one of “the four” original men who acquired the treasure. A wooden legged man, criminal

Captain Morstan: Captain Morstan was an officer in the British army who served in India. He is Mary Morstan’s father, and his unexplained disappearance is the catalyst for the novella’s plot. He was a friend of Major Sholto.

Major Sholto: He is the father of Bartholomew and Thaddeus Sholto. He was a friend of Captain Morstan, with whom he served in India.

Abdullah Khan: He is an Indian man and one of the signatories of “the sign of the four” and the man who told Jonathan Small about the Agra treasure.

Dost Akbar: He is an Indian man and one of the signatories of “the sign of the four.” He lures the merchant—the man who is carrying the Agra treasure—into the trap set by the other men.

Mahomet Singh: He is an Indian man and one of the signatories of “the sign of the four.” He colluded with Jonathan Small, Abdullah Khan and Dost Akbar to seize the Agra treasure.

 

Essence of Sign of the Four:

           It has a complex plot involving service in India, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen Agra treasure, and a secret pact among four convicts ("the Four" of the title) and two corrupt prison guards. It also introduces Dr. Watson's future wife, Mary Morstan.

 

Theme of the extract:

           The theme of the novel revolves around the Agra treasure. Throughout the story, the appearance of the treasure leads to a direct and often tragic change in the lives of the characters. Because of this, it is important that the removal of the treasure would cause the characters to return to their previous position. The shallowness of wealth and the destruction that can come through it is also seen prevailing throughout the novel. As the Agra treasure directly and adversely affects almost everyone. In the course of the story, the Sheik’s emissary and Bartholomew are both murdered for the treasure, Tonga is killed while fleeing with it, and Small is sentenced to life imprisonment. Additionally, both Thaddeus and his father spent their lives constantly in fear about wooden legged men, and about strangers in general.