The Sign of the Four

Content Warning: This section contains outdated and offensive language and racist stereotypes.

One of the major themes of the novel is the examination of British imperialism. Though British imperialism affected many countries throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas, The Sign of Four focuses specifically on India, where the British Empire had been in power since the mid-1700s, primarily through the East India Company. The East India Company, often referred to simply as The Company, was a private enterprise and the merchant arm of the British Empire. It was also the controlling organization throughout much of India. Though it was not itself a part of the British government, it was paramount to the British economy and was therefore protected by the British Army.

The narrative does not portray the imperialist/colonialist actions of the British Empire firsthand, but imperialism nonetheless permeates the plot and setting. Small, Morstan, and Sholto, as British soldiers in India, are de facto agents of British imperialism tasked with subjugating the Indian population. Furthermore, Small’s story of murder and theft of a Rajah’s treasure takes place against the backdrop of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58, which was fueled by Indian resentment of British colonialism, and was a violent though ultimately unsuccessful attempt to kick the British out of India (Klinger, Leslie S.