Mature Content

Sherlock Holmes:  “My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.”

Much like the Agra treasure eluded Jonathan Small, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s second Holmes novel “The Sign of the Four” has eluded me, but no longer.  As a devout Holmesian I have heard talk of this story for ages since the fandom took its bite into me, and I have finally found the time and concentration in equal measures to give this story a proper reading and review.  
First, some background on this landmark story:  At this point in the game Doyle had already penned the first Holmes novel “A Study in Scarlet” three years previously, a story that was by no means a hit on the market and for which he received a rather pitiful payment.  The person who most immensely aided Doyle in his literary ambitions this time around was an American man by the name of John Marshall Stoddart, who took notice of the growing popularity in detective mystery stories and sought to feature such material in his magazine Lippincott’s, which he was the managing editor of.  The magazine was already selling in his native America, so when Stoddart embarked on efforts to make an English edition of it a luncheon was held across the pond at the Langham Hotel, which writing talents like Doyle and even Oscar Wilde were invited to attend.  Over the course of the dinner both Wilde and Doyle proved to be successful in their endeavors to gain literary merits through being featured in the magazine, as the former would go on to pen The Picture of Dorian Gray and the latter a story that would go on to become entitled “The Sign of the Four.”  Doyle began in earnest on this mystery tale soon after the dinner with Stoddart, and through his communications afterwards with the man he noted that the story would either be called “The Sign of the Six” or “The Problem of the Sholtos,” adding that the detective at the center of the tangled web would be none other than Sherlock Holmes from his last novel.  Doyle finished the story in six weeks, obviously going through some changes in his outlines as “The Sign of the Six” became changed to “The Sign of the Four,” and he chose to add further embellishments to his detective and doctor characters who appeared jointly in “A Study in Scarlet.”  While Doyle still struggled thereafter to gain the literary notice he yearned for in his heart, he was destined for eternal glory years later when he again took up his pen to write Sherlock Holmes mysteries for The Strand.
With that history in mind, “The Sign of the Four” is rightfully famous in the canon of stories Doyle brought to our eyes for many reasons, some of which will be readily apparent as the review commences.  It was an immeasurable pleasure to dive back in again with the detective and good doctor after such a long respite from the written works that spawned all that we know of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.  It is with that same enthusiastic excitement beating in my breast that I begin this review in earnest.

The categories for this Baker St. Bibliophiles Review of The Sign of the Four:

Holmes- It is apparent literally from the opening paragraph of the novel that this is a much deeper and darker characterization of the detective we met in “A Study in Scarlet.”  Doyle treats us to our first glimpse of the man in a rather shocking position, injecting himself with a stimulant to aid his mind during what appears to be a dry season for cases.  This image of Holmes as a man fed-up with the regular existence of life he is forced to endure between his adventures is a compelling one, and Doyle treats him almost like a bipolar man who finds himself swinging inevitably and uncontrollably into severe bouts of both depression and mania.  It is a powerful visual, and one that has become a staple of the Sherlock Holmes figure we know over a century on: his hawk-like silhouette gazing out over London from his watchtower in Baker Street, filled with both bitterness at the sight of a calm and restful London and dormant excitement for the cases yet to come that shall give him his figurative rebirth.  
It is in both “A Study and Scarlet” and “The Sign of the Four” that Doyle really establishes the Sherlock Holmes we know and love, especially this latter tale.  While “Scarlet “features an instantly recognizable consulting detective, here is where Holmes really shines and makes his presence known.  Doyle uses the framework of the revenge driven story featuring the Agra treasure as a basis for uncovering more of Sherlock Holmes’s inner life and outer being, including more of his awe-inspiring methods and talents.  For instance, we hear tell that he is a skilled fighter, having faced a rough looking brute by the name of McMurdo once before and come out the victor:

"Not Mr. Sherlock Holmes!" roared the prize-fighter. "God's truth! how could I have mistook you? If instead o' standin' there so quiet you had just stepped up and given me that cross-hit of yours under the jaw, I'd ha' known you without a question. Ah, you're one that has wasted your gifts, you have! You might have aimed high, if you had joined the fancy."

Doyle once again employs the trick he used so often in A Study in Scarlet, where he recounts events we can’t see unfold for ourselves, which allows our own minds to go crazy at the thought of how Holmes’s fight with McMurdo went.  An image of the lean yet tactical and formidable detective fills your mind as he squares off with his rival, using his deductive methods to plan for every avenue of attack while still keeping step.  It must come as quite the shock to Watson once he discovers this revelation about his friend, not only because he had met the man not too long back, but also because Holmes deceitfully looks incapable of such feats of pugilism.
We are also introduced for the first time to Holmes’s talents for disguise, a facet of his character that is completely inseparable now from any adaption, when he plays quite the trick on an unknowing Watson and Athelney Jones while dressed as an old mariner.  To visualize the shock on both of the men’s faces as Holmes has his fun is quite humorous, especially when he reveals himself so quickly that Watson wonders how he got into Baker Street and where the mariner went, completely unaware of the ruse.  Oh, Holmes…
We also get some first great insights into a few of the monographs Holmes has written on subjects ranging from distinguishing various tobaccos to judging what trade a man has by observing his hands, all of which highlight his attention and dedication to studying the details that would be important while out on his many cases. Finally, we get a further idea of Holmes’s scientific nature straight at the end of the story when he reacts to the news of Watson’s engagement:  

"But love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment."

This aspect of him features prominently in the future stories, most namely in regards to a certain woman whose name rhymes with Pirine Snadler, and its inclusion here allows us to clearly spot its monumental origins.
Overall, Holmes is just as fascinating and brilliant in this tale as he is in his first adventure and all the subsequent tales he marks with his presence.  His mind works ahead of all others once again, deducing facts ahead of the best the Scotland Yard can supply, and once again catches their man before they can escape. However, “The Sign of the Four” does stand out from amongst the dozens of stories for several reasons, namely in its introductions to so many elements of the character that have now become essentials in any Holmes adaption, like his aforementioned knack for disguise and the flirting he does with artificial stimulants.  In addition, Doyle’s dark embellishments to his character and overall personality serve to heighten the fascination we have for him already as he begins to take the form of the now archetypal flawed hero.  
The story also features a myriad of classic Holmes dialogues that would surely make the “Best Quotes” lists of any Sherlockians worth their salt.  Those at the head of the pack are “My mind rebels at stagnation” and “Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth,” statements that have been used outside the canon more times than one could count ever since adaptions for the stage and screen were developed.   Whether he is making claim to be “the last and highest court of appeal in detection” or loathing “the dull routine of existence,” Doyle always made Holmes effortlessly quotable, enabling him to command every page his character graced with ease.  
And it is Holmes’s flights between the high exaltations of cases and low doldrums of routine life that have always been most fascinating, and none more so than here.  In one moment Holmes is somber and blackened like the hearts of London’s most fearsome criminals, and the next he is charmingly playing his violin to help aid Watson in getting some much-needed sleep.  He connects so monumentally to every human’s inherent propensity for random changes in mood and character that he is easy to relate to one moment, while his own unique faculties carry him so far above us the next.  Such is the magic of Sherlock Holmes.  

Now, let us next examine how our dear Dr. Watson has both faired and evolved in this tale….


Watson- In “The Sign of the Four,” Watson gets a very recognizable “upgrade,” and becomes a more valuable companion to Holmes in the novel.  In “A Study in Scarlet” he plays a part much more accustomed to a man watching the action from the sidelines, but here he is integral to the plot and its movement, getting involved in heated rows with Holmes, exchanges of bullets with the “villains” of the tale and falling hopelessly in love like a sick dog.  His increased presence in the story both in the context of the mystery itself and the improved strength of his narration are more than welcomed, as I have always been a proponent of the argument that he is just as fascinating and worthy of applause as his companion.  
The start of this story introduces us to a Watson we haven’t seen in such a capacity before, as he becomes enraged at Holmes’s continued use of cocaine to aid in his cravings for “mental exhaltation.”  I love seeing Watson like this, as he is often portrayed as far too passive towards Holmes in some popular adaptions than I’d like him to be.  Doyle seemed to have much more confidence in his everyman this time around because he gave Watson such a prominence in the story and added some real color to him, shifting his character from more of an observer to a full-fledged man of action.  He is more outward about everything, from Holmes’s aforementioned vices, the horrors of the case at hand and most importantly, about his feelings for Miss Morstan, who has taken his heart and run off with it.
I can’t find another adjective that better describes Watson and his feelings towards Mary in this tale other than “adorable.”  He describes her as if she is an angelic figure of grace and elegance who has left the purest whites of heaven’s clouds just to be his.  The development his feelings endure from a simple crush to complete infatuation is absolutely delicious to read, and there is no better way to describe Watson in these moments than sweet.  Much like Doyle was himself he is a crusader and protector of women, a true man of chivalry to the very core.  The state of ennui he undergoes once he learns of the riches Mary will garner via the Agra treasure that will carry her away from his arms is touching, as is his happiness when he finds the chest to be empty, but his heart full.  This warm and open side of Watson is one we usually see when he is on another adrenaline fueled adventure with Holmes or when the two are sharing an intimate talk at their rooms at Baker Street, so to see him so taken aback with love at the sight of this woman is a fresh pleasure, as are the sweet moments where he drifts into long, loving descriptions of Mary or holds her hand in a time of comfort.  In what is one of the sweetest moments of the entire canon, Watson remarks near the tail end of the story that “Whoever had lost a treasure, I knew that night that I had gained one.”
  After reading that it is hard not to be happy at the news of Watson and Mary’s engagement at the end of the story, regardless of what Holmes thinks.  As we don’t see the details of the nuptials recounted or described by Watson in the later stories, I’d like to think that Holmes went to the wedding anyway, despite his feelings.
Beyond his romance, Watson takes a deeper presence in the action that is unfolding as well, hitting the streets at ungodly hours to track their men via the always entertaining dog Toby, or risking life and limb in a gunfight while racing fast down the Thames in deep pursuit of both justice and treasure.  You can feel his own exhaustion coming right off the pages in these sequences, as well as the deep sense of satisfaction he rejoices in at his moments of victory.  It is also clear that he is gradually growing more comfortable in his role as Holmes’s loyal yet outspoken friend and partner in the consultation of crime, a dynamic that was destined from the start for literary glory.  


Villain- Having read and studied both novels so deeply now, it is interesting to compare “A Study in Scarlet” and “The Sign of the Four,” chiefly because of just how many elements carry from one into the other in some way or form.  Such is the case with Jonathan Small, who could be identified as the main antagonist of this tale.  As with Jefferson Hope of “Scarlet,” Small is a man driven by a thirst for revenge after he was personally wronged by another who always seemed to be out of his clutches at every turn.  See the connection yet?  Beyond their similar quests, Hope and Small are also alike within the contexts of their respective stories, where they are far less villainous than other characters at work in the narrative.  While Small does do some rather unsavory things during the story, not limited to beating a guard’s head in with his wooden stump or killing the raja’s trusted servant, he also shows a softer side, like when he nurses Tonga back to health and shows a visible repulsion and deep sense of remorse at the death of Bartholomew Sholto.  One could argue that the much less featured Major Sholto is the chief villain here, just as the powerful Mormon sect and Avenging Angels were in “Scarlet.”  After all, it was Sholto who betrayed not only Small and his three accomplices, but also Captain Morstan out of sheer avarice.  It can be said that Small did what he had to do to survive, especially in such dangerous country as India, and after his run in with a crocodile that left his leg torn clean off it isn’t hard to imagine that he felt cursed with bad luck and dealt a bad hand in life.  While Small doesn’t become as sympathetic a character by the story’s end as much as Hope does in “Scarlet,” he is not an entirely villainous man either.
A more supportive villainous role is held in this story by the strange Tonga, a diminutive aborigine of the Andaman islands who aids in Small’s quest after the man saves his life.  Because we don’t get to see or hear much of anything at all from the man beyond the random shooting of a blow dart, it is quite fascinating to see how other characters react to him and his crimes.  His murder of Bartholomew Sholto shakes Watson to the core, his skill and size as a trained predator no doubt fascinate Holmes and he likely appalls Athelney Jones and the rest of the Victorian public in London who are likely to be unfamiliar with such a strange sight as he.  The wide range of opinions he can muster up is fascinating, if nothing else, and Doyle’s inclusion of the pint-size islander is just the kind of bizarre element that would make Holmes take notice in the case.


Supporting characters- Doyle dots this tale with a wide variety of supporting characters much like he did in Scarlet, and many truly are limited to only their ancillary roles that serve to support the greater parts of the narrative whole.
The minor character of greatest importance is likely that of Miss Mary Morstan.  She is the one that offers our duo the mystery to unravel in the first place, though even she is not fully aware of the depths that it reaches at the start.  While she is only in the story for small spurts when needed, you do find something quite endearing and lovely about her when she graces the page, just as Watson does.  She comes off as a very warm figure who is as captivating as she is graceful, and she truly cares and worries for the safety of our heroes.  
Her life story that is relayed back to us at the start of the novel also causes some deep sympathies to arise.  Much like Watson she has neither kith nor kin in London, and likely feels very melancholic because of that fact.  The warm companionship Watson so often offers to her in moments where she is desirous of reassurance and a hand to hold is sweet, and it is easy to see why they are both quite taken with each other.  I especially find Mary’s lack of avarice to be one of her greatest and most unique features.  So many of the men in the story are afflicted with a feverish greed that clouds their judgments, yet she isn’t the slightest bit affected by the promise of riches from the Agra treasure and isn’t shaken when the iron chest is empty.  And while Watson found that the chest’s riches seemed to act as a “golden barrier” running between them over the course of the story, I am sure Mary would have accepted his hand in marriage riches or no riches.  
While Mary’s decreased role in the stories following this one is markedly apparent, we still get the odd reference to her and their happy union afterwards.  In what is one of the most subtle and tragic moments of the canon, we find out sparingly that poor Mary had somehow met her end around the time that Holmes was on hiatus following his battle with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.  After growing such an attachment and care for her in this story, it truly does make a lump form in your throat, especially when you realize that Watson had lost the two most important people in his life so close together.  Ah Mary, how we shall mourn you when that time comes!
Another minor character that serves a larger purpose in the narrative is Athelney Jones of Scotland Yard.  While he is still of the same substandard investigative quality as the rest of the Yard (in comparison to Holmes, of course), Jones offers a nice foil to the irksome and bumbling Lestrade and Gregson from the last novel who are much more concerned with their promotions and the attention their cases can get them.  While Jones is guilty of the same errors while on this case that Lestrade and Gregson were in Scarlet, he is the first to admit that Holmes is infinitely superior to him in the criminal field, and is more than willing to offer his hand where it can be lent, like in the final face-off on the Thames.  It is a shame then, that we see neither head nor tail of him in later Holmes adventures after being treated to the great potential he showcases here for but a flicker of a second.
A number of other minor characters dot the story, including Thaddeus Sholto, who gives off the air of a stuttering, shut-in man, Toby, the adorable hound that aids in both entertaining me and helping Holmes and Watson track the creosote scent, and the other three accomplices of Small, who don’t get much of a feature in this story beyond casual mentions via flashback.  Lastly, we get some glimpses once again of the Baker Street Irregulars, Holmes’s unit of street kids that attempt to aid him in finding out the location of the Aurora in the labyrinth of London’s shipping docks.  It is joyous to see them all return once again, and it is amusing to envision them lining up like cadets to give their learned intelligences to Holmes the drill sergeant or rushing down the steps of Baker Street like a stampede, much to the aggravation of Mrs. Hudson.


Atmosphere- This novel, like “Scarlet” before it, is simply steeped in atmosphere.  Doyle brings London alive once again, making it just as much a character in this story as any other.  We follow Holmes and Watson out onto the gas-lit streets while the fog is still set across the skyline, down cobbled streets and alleys to rather unsavory locations like the ship docks and the depths of the dark and filthy Thames, all of which add color and a strong smell to the surrounds that rise off the pages.  This dreary and stark picture of London is contrasted nicely with that of India and the Andaman islands which we get a picture of later on, the former being a land that had erupted into a series of bloody massacres while Small was still on site.  Doyle transports us to each of these places with effortless craft as the story plays out like a vivid film in our minds.  


Suspense- The story is heavy on the suspense, most namely while Holmes and Watson are on the trail of Small and his crew near the tail end of the book.  There are moments when Doyle makes you believe that our heroes may not win the day, raising the tension that has already been building for pages.  Things really reach a peak during the Thames boat chase as the police boat tries against all odds to catch up to Small and company, with varying amounts of success.  The sequence leaves you on the edge of your seat, especially when Tonga pulls out his blowpipe and almost kills one of our heroes.  The image of the antagonist’s body falling into the dark depths of the Thames is chilling, especially when you realize that he will likely lay with the treasure he sought to help recapture for all of time.


Violence- Being one of the darker Holmes stories, this adventure is not without its fair share of violence.  Much like in “Scarlet,” Holmes and Watson arrive at a home to find a horrific sight, a man poisoned with a blow dart that has manifested a frightening expression on his face.  This image shakes Watson to the core, and it is not unlike the body he sees in the Lauriston Gardens during the previous adventure.  Other moments of violence include Small’s murders of the raja’s servant and later on the guard who had wronged him in the past.  Finally, we get one last shot of violence as Tonga is murdered in a hail of gunfire, sinking to the depths of the Thames forevermore.
I have never been the kind to get prudish towards violence, but for those that are concerned, Doyle handles this dark element of the story expertly here.  He doesn’t showcase blood and gore like a cheap slasher flick, nor does he provide it for only shocks and no other effects.   Each murder he presents or describes sets the tone and provides us with crucial details of the character who committed that murder.  The stark look of horror on Bartholomew Sholto’s face relays just how dangerous and vile the methods of Tonga are.  Small’s murder of the raja’s servant showcase his growing greed and desire for the treasure’s riches, just as his killing of the guard displays the growing sense of vengeance he possesses that will both drive and suffocate him for the next twenty years onwards as he dreams of ending Major Sholto’s life and gaining back what was rightfully his.  


Humor- While the story is prominently a dark one, the banter between Holmes and the characters around him always makes me chuckle, no matter the story.  His condemnation of the Scotland Yard police force never gets old, especially when he does it so casually, and the ruse that he pulls on Watson and Jones while in disguise was more than entertaining.  The way Watson describes Toby the lurcher and spaniel mix is also very laugh-inducing, as I imagine this awkward dog pulling the duo through the London streaks at peak hours of the morning.  In addition, Watson’s own love-addled wanderings about Mary, while undoubtedly sweet, can also be quite funny at times; she made that man a puddle, for sure.  To top it all off, once one reads about Watson’s comment on his “ experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents” at the start of chapter 2,  it becomes impossible not to crack up.  Look out ladies, John “Three Continents” Watson is on the prowl.
These kinds of humorous dialogues and narrations (some no doubt unintentional) serve to add a nice contrast to the darker parts of the story, and it is partly in Doyle’s mastery of balancing these aspects that says the most about his growing talent for storytelling here.  I could read about these characters’ interactions all day.  Oh wait, I already do.


Cleverness- The story is very complex, well thought out and expertly presented by Doyle.  All the pieces fit, so to speak, by the story’s end, and all the events are explained in great detail to a satisfying degree.  The mystery of the wooden leg and the origin of the small footprints in Sholto’s home serve as big question marks for both the reader and Holmes and Watson to unravel, and the story’s ability to act as both a crime drama and romance in equal measures is quite a feat indeed.


Case- As mentioned previously, the case is quite interesting and very similar in style to the one featured in “Scarlet.”  With these first two Holmes novels Doyle definitely seemed to be working from a playbook of sorts to set up the plots for each adventure judging by how uncanny their similarities can at times appear to be.  In both “The Sign of the Four” and “A Study in Scarlet” we can draw a myriad of connections that serve to make this argument more concrete.  Both stories feature men (the main antagonists) driven by revenge after they have been wronged, and these same men can be seen as lesser villains in comparison to others working in the narrative.  Both of the stories present to us a body in a horrific position in a home out in London, and both victims are killed with a dangerous substance (one killer employs the pills in the bottle, the other a blow dart).  In each story Doyle gives us the case, presents us with some clues and has Holmes and company gradually unravel the threads until a suspect is captured, at which point we are taken to a flashback to explain the events that led up to the action we have just seen.  Doyle’s use of the flashback via Small’s account is much more expertly used here, as the retelling of the events doesn’t take up an entire second half of the novel as it does in “Scarlet,” and because of this factor Holmes and Watson never truly leave the page.  In many ways, Doyle has kept the elements that proved successful once before and molded those that needed work to better fit in line with the story he wished to craft.  While I love both stories and find their similarities fun to ponder, I am happy that Doyle largely dispensed with such a growing formulaic outline for his mysteries.


Doyle- It is easy to see at a glance just how much Doyle had grown as a writer in just three short years after wrapping up “A Study in Scarlet.”  While his talents were visible in the previous novel it is in “The Sign of the Four” that he continues to shine and develop as a storyteller.  He showcases a more pronounced confidence in his characters, giving both Holmes and Watson embellishments that he hadn’t previously featured which add to their characters in a deep and satisfying fashion.  The growing understanding he has for these characters is evidenced by how much he plays with them, giving Holmes some of his best quotes of the canon and introducing Watson to his future bride, amongst other things.  Each of these additions serve to broaden who the characters are and make them more dimensional, interesting and enjoyable to continue reading about as the mystery progresses.  
Although Doyle does make some errors in his writing as he did in “A Study in Scarlet” (Watson’s non-existent bullpup, anybody?), most notably when he switches Watson’s Jezail bullet wound from his shoulder to his leg, the mistakes do not lessen the impact of his writing in the slightest, and at least in this case he could argue that it is Watson who is mixing up the details, and not he.  While many elements Doyle incorporates into his writing feel the same between his first two novels it is here that he continues to improve his craft of storytelling.  As previously mentioned, he again uses flashbacks, but in a more masterful way, letting just a chapter’s worth of writing recount events that he took an entire second half of a novel to do previously.  The cherry on top of this proverbial cake is the chest at the center of the action, which ends up being emptied into the Thames after all that fuss.  It seems to act as one final symbolic reminder to the characters surrounding the action (namely the always unlucky Small) of just how hollow greed can be, much like the iron chest itself.  In conclusion, for all his pains Doyle’s stories and his characters are no less interesting than before and his proven strengths at the craft of character building, description, suspense and mystery are all still very prevalent and blossoming in this adventure.  


Paget- Oh, what a dream it would be to have Paget illustrating this story.  As I stated in my review for “A Study in Scarlet,” the great artist wouldn’t begin his career in the Holmes canon until the stories hit The Strand with the debut of “A Scandal in Bohemia” in 1891, so we are once again robbed of his immense talents.  It would be most interesting to see how he’d have envisioned Tonga looking, as well as how he’d draw Small and his peg leg, Toby, Mary Morstan and of course the thrilling chase along the Thames.


Final Verdict:  I am very happy to have this Holmes story under my belt, not only for its popularity amongst the fandom at large but also because of how important it is to so much of the canon in its establishment of Holmes and more of his methods, and well as its presentation of Watson’s soon-to-be bride.  Doyle’s first two stories truly showcased how talented he was from the very start, and it’s now easy to see after looking through this futuristic prism why he grew to be a writer of such acclaim.  With just two stories he managed to introduce to us Holmes and Watson and develop them into the famous characters they are today while keeping to a similar playbook for both plots.  It is because of these elements that “A Study in Scarlet” and “The Sign of the Four” truly feel like companion pieces attached at the hip, both for their showcase of Doyle’s burgeoning literary might and the monumental origins of the adventures of a Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson that would go on to captivate readers and wannabe sleuths alike for generations afterwards.