Mary Morstan

English Lit: AQA GCSE The Sign of the Four, topic 3.1.4

Mary Morstan has two roles in the novella – she plays the part of the client to Sherlock Holmes, and the romantic interest to Dr Watson.

By introducing her to the story, Conan Doyle allows her to play the role of damsel in distress for both Holmes and Watson.
Holmes will solve the mysterious case of her missing father (Captain Morstan).
Watson will become romantically involved with her and will worry about her health and her emotions.
Together, they will go on a 'quest' (the title of Chapter 3) as if they are knights aiming to solve a key problem for her and she is the damsel, awaiting their return.

Mary works as a governess and has no close friends or family, highlighting her vulnerability: she has ‘no friends whom I could appeal to’.

Mary also plays the role of the stereotypically ideal upper-class Victorian woman, who remains calm under pressure and does not react harshly or loudly to any situation.
Although Mary gets a bit teary when telling Holmes about her missing father, she is not overly-emotional.
When Thaddeus says that her father is dead, she goes white but does not become very emotional.

There is a lot of repetition around the adjective ‘white’ – she becomes white in the face and she wears a white feather. This could represent her innocent, vulnerable nature.
When she learns that Holmes and Watson were almost shot with a poisoned dart, she becomes white in shock.
When Thaddeus says that her father is dead, she turns white: ‘Miss Morstan sat down, and her face grew white to the lips’.

There appears to be a hidden strength in Mary – she does not appear fazed when she realises that the Agra treasure (and her potential status as the wealthiest woman in England) is lost: ‘"The treasure is lost," said Miss Morstan, calmly’.
It is important to note that we see Mary only from Watson’s point of view. He views her as being very calm and collected at this point – is this showing her true feelings?

Key Quotations about Mary Morstan

Here are four key quotations about Mary Morstan:

‘No friends whom I could appeal to’ (Chapter 2).
This immediately presents Mary as a vulnerable character who has no one to turn to.
The verb ‘appeal’ suggests a sense of helplessness, which adds to the helplessness of her character. This causes the reader to feel a sense of joy when Watson becomes closer to Mary – we feel that, at last, she has someone who cares about her.

‘Miss Morstan sat down, and her face grew white to the lips’ (Chapter 4).
Despite finding that her father has died (and being told about it by Thaddeus in a very abrupt way), Mary does not make a scene or become overly emotional.
Instead, she is displayed as a delicate, composed woman, whose only visible reaction is that her skin becomes very pale.
This could link to the damsel in distress idea, as the paleness of her skin also represents her vulnerability.

The adjective ‘white’ is used seven times in the novella to describe Mary or the clothing she is wearing.
The adjective is used to highlight Mary’s innocence, vulnerability, and goodness, as well as her naivety and lack of understanding of the wider world.
She is presented as a woman who needs to be loved and protected – the perfect candidate for a romantic sub-plot.

‘"The treasure is lost," said Miss Morstan, calmly’ (Chapter 11).
Mary shows that she is unselfish and not materialistic here as she realises that all of her potential fortune has been lost.
She reacts ‘calmly’, suggesting that she either does not really want the wealth or feels that it is not rightly hers anyway because it was stolen.
This reaction could also be because Mary knows that the huge wealth would have made a relationship between her and Watson more difficult.

How does Conan Doyle present the character of Mary Morstan?
What colour does Mary often turn?
How does Mary respond to the news that all of her potential fortune has been lost?