British Empire & Imperialism

The British Empire and Imperialism

The story was set in Victorian England, at a time when the British Empire was at its height. A central aspect of the story is British rule over India.

Wealth of the Sholtos

The Sholtos are a very wealthy family, partly due to their possession of the stolen Agra treasure. They have residences filled with ‘Indian curiosities’.
- Victorian readers would likely have associated foreign, exotic items which could not be found in Britain as symbols of wealth and status.

Characters from other countries

Ironically, the people from countries under British rule were not viewed as highly – Thaddeus Sholto had an Indian man as his servant, and Tonga (from the Andaman Islands) is presented as inherently evil, ‘savage’ and vicious.

Tonga and Victorian views

The fact that Tonga is presented as uncivilised echoes Victorian beliefs that anyone from another culture, who had different life experiences, was inferior and dangerous.

Abuse of Tonga

Jonathan Small uses Tonga not only as an assassin but also as an exhibit that people could pay to see – he exhibited ‘Tonga at fairs… as the black cannibal’ to gain money.
- Conan Doyle’s selection of a character such as Tonga as one of the key villains in the story really highlights Imperialist Victorian attitudes.

Victorian readers' view of Tonga

Audiences may enjoy having Tonga as one of the main antagonists in this novella, as they would share the belief that people from other countries were horrible and dangerous.
Having him as the murderer would make sense to them, as well as adding to their fear of the unknown (i.e. by encouraging these stereotypes, it would have only made Victorian attitudes towards other cultures worse).

1Context

1.1Victorian England & British Empire

1.1.1Author Background

1.1.2Victorian Crime & Police

1.1.3Historical Context

1.1.4Victorian London

1.1.5Women

1.1.6The British Empire

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Author & Victorian Police

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Victorian London & Empire

2Plot Summary

2.1Chapter Summaries

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.1.2Chapter 2

2.1.3Chapter 3

2.1.4Chapter 4

2.1.5Chapter 5

2.1.6Chapter 6

2.1.7Chapter 7

2.1.8Chapter 8

2.1.9Chapter 9

2.1.10Chapter 10

2.1.11Chapter 11

2.1.12Chapter 12

2.1.13Chapter 12: Jonathan Small's Stories

2.1.14End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

2.1.15End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-12

3Characters

3.1Key Characters

3.1.1Sherlock Holmes

3.1.2Sherlock Holmes: Quotations

3.1.3Dr John Watson

3.1.4Mary Morstan

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Characters

3.1.6Exam-Style Questions - Mary & Dr Watson

3.2Other Characters

3.2.1Thaddeus Sholto

3.2.2Jonathan Small

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Thaddeus and Jonathan Small

3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.2Extract Analysis - Tonga

4Key Themes

4.1Key Themes

4.1.1Corruption

4.1.2Criminals & Victims

4.1.3Victorian Fear

4.1.4British Empire & Imperialism

4.1.5Duality

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes

5Writing Techniques

5.1Writing Techniques

5.1.1Narrative Voice

5.1.2Dialogue

5.1.3Structure

5.1.4Structure & Characters

5.1.5Pathetic Fallacy

5.1.6End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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