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British Imperialism in the Eyes of a Reader of “The sign of Four”
“The Sign of Four” is an excellent work written by Arthur Conan Doyle 's and published in 1890. The book is based on the Indian Mutiny of 1857, where Doyle uses his characters, places and events to convey his story. The book starts with Miss Morstan visiting the office of detective Sherlock Holmes, and his friend Dr. Watson.Miss Morstan wants the detective to solve the case of his missing dad, Mr. Morstan. The search first leads them to Mr. Thaddeus Sholto, the son of Colonel Sholto who worked with Colonel Morstan in India. Mr. Thaddeus together with the trio head to the apartment of his brother Bartholomew and here they realize that Colonel Morstan died at their apartment and his father
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However, before Colonel Sholto died, he instructed the brothers to give Miss Morstan her father’s share of the treasure they obtained from India. However, before she gets her share the treasure is stolen and Bartholomew killed by Tonga (Andaman Islander), a killer who has been hired by Mr. Small. Detective Holmes starts a hunt for the killers, and after a long chase the criminals are rounded in a river, and Tonga is killed, and Mr. Small arrested, but the treasure is not recovered. While interrogating Mr. Small, he tells of his experience in India during the Mutiny and his acquired treasure that both Colonels stole from him He is arrested and the case solved. This essay intends to examine how Doyle in his book, “The Sign of Four” enhances or re-states the colonialist tradition of the British