Victorian fear in The Sign of the Four

In this novel, a number of Victorian fears are presented. We see the fear of 'the other' or 'foreignness' presented through the character of Tonga, who is depicted as savage and inherently evil. Conan Doyle also shows fear of darkness - much of the novel is set at night-time when murder, theft and betrayal occur. The Victorian preoccupation with social class and the fear of overstepping social boundaries is also evident and is represented by Watson's concerns about Miss Morstan's potential inheritance.

	How does Conan Doyle show this?	Evidence	Analysis
Fear of otherness	The character of Tonga represents a Victorian fear of otherness.	This savage, distorted creature.	Tonga is presented as less than human. He is 'savage', 'distorted' and murderous, supporting the Victorian belief that other races were somehow inferior and dangerous.
Fear of the underclass	Thaddeus Sholto keeps himself separate from other social classes and surrounds himself with elegance.	"I have a natural shrinking from all forms of rough materialism. I seldom come in contact with the rough crowd."	Thaddeus embodies the fear of mixing with uncivilised people and surrounds himself with art.
Major John Sholto lives in fear of discovery	Conan Doyle shows how greed leaves Sholto in a permanent state of fear.	He was very fearful of going out along, and he always employed two prize-fighters to act as porters at Pondicherry Lodge.	Sholto lives under a self-imposed house arrest as a result of his greed and fear of being discovered.
Fear of social inequality	When he discovers that there will be no suspicion of an ulterior motive, Watson admits his love for Miss Morstan.	"Thank God!" I ejaculated from my very heart.	Watson shouts out in joy and relief when he discovers that there is no inheritance and therefore no 'golden barrier' between him and Miss Morstan.

Fear of otherness
How does Conan Doyle show this?	The character of Tonga represents a Victorian fear of otherness.
Evidence	This savage, distorted creature.
Analysis	Tonga is presented as less than human. He is 'savage', 'distorted' and murderous, supporting the Victorian belief that other races were somehow inferior and dangerous.

Fear of the underclass
How does Conan Doyle show this?	Thaddeus Sholto keeps himself separate from other social classes and surrounds himself with elegance.
Evidence	"I have a natural shrinking from all forms of rough materialism. I seldom come in contact with the rough crowd."
Analysis	Thaddeus embodies the fear of mixing with uncivilised people and surrounds himself with art.

Major John Sholto lives in fear of discovery
How does Conan Doyle show this?	Conan Doyle shows how greed leaves Sholto in a permanent state of fear.
Evidence	He was very fearful of going out along, and he always employed two prize-fighters to act as porters at Pondicherry Lodge.
Analysis	Sholto lives under a self-imposed house arrest as a result of his greed and fear of being discovered.

Fear of social inequality
How does Conan Doyle show this?	When he discovers that there will be no suspicion of an ulterior motive, Watson admits his love for Miss Morstan.
Evidence	"Thank God!" I ejaculated from my very heart.
Analysis	Watson shouts out in joy and relief when he discovers that there is no inheritance and therefore no 'golden barrier' between him and Miss Morstan.

Analysing the evidence

Question

How important is fear to this novel?

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Themes - AQAVictorian fear in The Sign of the Four