The Sign of Four

Jonathan Small Quotes5 key quotes with full analysis.

The wooden-legged convict at the heart of the mystery, whose long confession reveals the bloody history of the Agra treasure.

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

About Jonathan Small

Small is both villain and victim: betrayed and imprisoned for twenty years, he voices the novel's anxieties about justice, betrayal and the corrupting greed unleashed by imperial plunder. Doyle gives him a surprisingly sympathetic, self-justifying voice.

All Jonathan Small Quotes

“It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet and had to do with the Agra treasure”
Chapter 12
GreedJustice

Context: Small opens his long confession, looking back on how the treasure ruined his life.

Analysis

The ominous phrase "an evil day" frames the treasure as a curse from the outset, suggesting greed inevitably brings destruction. By beginning with regret, Small presents himself as a victim of fate rather than a mere criminal, partly winning the reader's sympathy. Doyle uses the treasure as a symbol of how imperial wealth corrupts everyone it touches.

Language Techniques:

ForeshadowingMotif of the curseConfessional tone

Exam Tip

A strong opening quote for the greed theme. The treasure as a "curse" links Small, Sholto and Achmet — all destroyed by it.

“a curse yet upon the man who owned it”
Chapter 12
GreedEmpire and Colonialism

Context: Small reflects on how the Agra treasure brought ruin to every person who possessed it.

Analysis

The noun "curse" gives the treasure an almost supernatural, moral power to punish greed, tying material wealth to spiritual ruin. The universalising "the man who owned it" makes the warning apply to all, not just Small. Doyle critiques the lust for riches plundered from colonial India, implying such ill-gotten gains can never bring happiness.

Language Techniques:

SymbolismUniversalisingGothic motif

Exam Tip

Use to argue the treasure symbolises the corrupting effects of greed and empire. Note how every owner meets fear, guilt, slavery or death.

“Where is the justice that I should give it up to those who have never earned it?”
Chapter 12
JusticeGreed

Context: Small protests that he has more right to the treasure than anyone, having suffered twenty years for it.

Analysis

The rhetorical question forcefully voices Small's sense of injustice, demanding the reader weigh his claim against the law. The verb "earned" pits his years of suffering against the unearned privilege of the Sholtos, blurring the line between villain and wronged man. Doyle complicates simple morality, suggesting justice and legality are not always the same thing.

Language Techniques:

Rhetorical questionEmotive verbMoral ambiguity

Exam Tip

Central to the justice theme. A sophisticated answer will argue Small is both criminal and victim, challenging the reader's sympathies.

“Twenty long years in that fever-ridden swamp”
Chapter 12
JusticeEmpire and Colonialism

Context: Small describes his brutal imprisonment as a convict in the Andaman Islands.

Analysis

The emphatic "Twenty long years" stretches time to convey the punishing length of his suffering, building sympathy for him. The grim imagery of the "fever-ridden swamp" exposes the squalid reality of penal colonies at the edges of the British Empire. Doyle uses Small's ordeal to question whether the law's punishments are themselves just.

Language Techniques:

Hyperbolic time referenceImageryPathos

Exam Tip

Use for justice and the dark side of empire. Small's suffering partly explains, though does not excuse, his obsession with the treasure.

“that little hell-hound”
Chapter 11
Empire and ColonialismDuality

Context: Small refers to his companion Tonga after the islander has killed Bartholomew Sholto with a poisoned dart.

Analysis

The demonic metaphor "hell-hound" dehumanises Tonga as a savage beast, even though Small depends on and exploits him. It reveals the hypocrisy and casual racism with which the colonised Tonga is treated as both weapon and monster. Doyle reflects imperial attitudes that denied colonised peoples full humanity.

Language Techniques:

MetaphorDehumanisationIrony

Exam Tip

Use for the empire theme and Doyle's troubling presentation of Tonga. Note Small uses Tonga yet blames him entirely for the murder.

Explore Other Characters

These characters share key themes with Jonathan Small:

Sherlock HolmesThe brilliant but troubled consulting detective whose cold logic and need for mental stimulation drive the entire investigation.Dr WatsonThe loyal narrator and Holmes's companion, a former army doctor whose warmth and romance with Mary provide the novel's emotional heart.Mary MorstanThe composed young governess whose mysterious case begins the story and who becomes the object of Watson's affection.Thaddeus SholtoThe nervous, hypochondriac collector who summons Mary and explains the Sholto family's connection to the treasure.

Explore More The Sign of Four Quotes

View key quotes and analysis for every main character in the novel.

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