Corruption
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Sign of the Four, topic 4.1.1
Corruption from Wealth
The crime in The Sign of the Four is based around the greed of the four who stole the Agra treasure. The treasure negatively impacts everyone in the story:
Bartholomew Sholto
- Bartholomew Sholto is murdered for the treasure.
Thaddeus
- Thaddeus Sholto is constantly nervous – he is described as ‘jerking’ and ‘nervous’.
Major Sholto
- Major Sholto spent the rest of his life worried about a ‘one-legged man’.
Tonga
- Tonga is killed whilst trying to escape Sherlock and the police.
Jonathan Small
- Jonathan Small is imprisoned because of his desire for the treasure.
Mary and Watson
- The romance between Watson and Mary is also negatively impacted, as Watson fears that Mary will become ‘the richest heiress in England’ because of her share of the treasure.
- He convinces himself that he is not good enough for her.
Test yourself on Corruption
Which characters are murdered because of the Agra treasure?
Who is imprisoned because of their desire for the Agra treasure?