The Four Signs of an Antihero

Casanova 1 Fanny Casanova Professor Margarita Maira Linguistics and Literary Research Methods LET-135 27 June 2013 The Four Signs of an Antihero: An Analysis on Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of the Four Nowadays the forces fighting against crime are specialised on every sort of crime such as in kidnapping, pick pocketing on streets, burglaries, etc. But in Victorian times, crime was seized by just two Special Forces who were in charge mostly of murders and thieves; these were called police detectives and private detectives. What both forces had in common was to fight against crime and to solve the mystery. Hence, the detective was a figure in which citizens could rely on and then it could also be established as a hero for communities. This is where Sherlock Holmes’ figure emerges, being considered as one of the most recognized private detectives in fiction. Given of his standing on the labour is that he was considered as the hero of Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories. Considering Holmes’ good intentions as private detective in collaborating with public service against crime is not proof enough to state him as a person with good values. Then, his standing as a hero can be put in question when his anti-values are revealed. Such anti-values as Holmes’ consume of cocaine, his arrogance, and his tendency to be over the law and besides the sudden death with which Doyle ends this fictional character of crime; is what makes believe of Sherlock Holmes as well representative of the anti-hero archetype. Understanding this concept as

Casanova 2 the one who has anti-values and who even having a quest to accomplish he have the option to do it using any source at his hand, thus he is under no rules. During Victorian times English literature was into this sort of fiction, about crimes and murders and the stealing of an important treasure. Then, to investigate these cases, existed the police detective who was an authority for the community, but when he was called to solve a case;...