Comparing ‘The Sign Of Four’ and ‘East And West’ on their depiction of India(East) and the West

‘The sign of four’ is a detective novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with the famous character of

Sherlock Holmes set in the year of 1888 and written almost at the same time. Its companion in

comparison, ‘East and West’ is a chapter out of Creative Unity, written by Rabindranath Tagore, an

eminent Indian writer; and translated to English in 1922.

The comparison is based on the indignation of India and the East by Arthur Conan Doyle, calling it

barbaric and uncivilized owing to incomplete knowledge; with a deeper understanding of the

relationship of the East and West evident in the words of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

‘The sign of four’ shows the Occident as the patron of the Orient trying to show the East as incapable

of governing itself and thus asserting the need to assist it. “Holmes, a child has done this horrid

thing”. Tonga is very efficiently used to portray that child (comparing with East) who ends up doing

wrong as he falls into wrong hands. Very evident in these words of Dr Watson, Conan Doyle casts the

White man as the adult of the world.

‘East and West’ too celebrates the achievements of the West with Rabindranath Tagore agreeing to

this role asserted by the west but condemns the spirit with which they undertake it. As he says, “In

the present age, Western humanity has received its mission to be the teacher of the world; that her

science, through the mastery of laws of nature, is to liberate human souls from the dark dungeon of

matter”. But then, correctly comprehended for the age of the 1920’s, “The west comes to us, not

with the imagination and sympathy that create and unite, but with a shock of passion – passion for

power and wealth”.

‘The sign of four’ describes Agra during the revolt of 1857 as “swarming with fanatics and fierce

devil-worshippers of all sorts”, and calls the country “a perfect hell” with “two hundred thousand

black devils let loose” giving an example of History told as one pleases for purpose as it totally

ignores the British brutality which created the scene.

A better comprehension for the insular descriptions of the Orient can be seen in the lines from ‘East

and West’, “When we fall into the habit of neglecting to use the understanding that comes of

sympathy in our travels, our knowledge of foreign people grows insensitive, and therefore easily

becomes both unjust and cruel in its character, and also selfish and contemptuous in its application.

Such has, too often been the case with regard to the meeting of Western people in our days with

others for whom they do not recognize any obligation of kinship”. It very correctly explains the

course of action followed by the West and the cause of their shallow understanding and obscure

remarks.