The Jewel in the Crown: Unearthing Doyle’s Critique of British Imperialism in The Sign of the Four Kristen Barrett College

In The Sign of the Four, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s diction demands thorough scrutiny of his characterization techniques. Through the novel’s host of diverse characters, this Sherlock Holmes adventure manages to escape the confines of mystery tropes to deftly address British imperialism. In particular, a critical analysis of Doyle’s characterization of Jonathan Small and his crony, Tonga, reveals the novel’s critique of imperialism as a practice which corrupts the conquerors and the conquered into rapacious enemies of Britain.

In keeping with the nature of detective plots, Doyle withholds a descriptive illustration of his villain, Jonathan Small, until the last two chapters of The Sign of the Four, “The Great Agra Treasure” and “The Strange Story of Jonathan Small”; however, prior to these chapters, a few details arise periodically to pique the reader’s interest. For instance, when Thaddeus Sholto describes Small spying on his dying father, he depicts Small as a man “with a bearded, hairy face, with wild cruel eyes and an expression of concentrated malevolence” (Doyle 29). This provoking description coupled with the fact that Small was peering through a window at a man on his deathbed undoubtedly garners a sense of profound...