# Jonathan Small — The Sign of the Four character guide

> Jonathan Small in The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Small, this Jonathan Small

**First appearance:** 0011-xii-the-strange-story-of-jonathan-small

## Snapshot

A one-legged man carrying an old grudge and a darker claim to the Agra treasure than anyone in London suspects.

## Who they are

Small haunts the edges of the Agra mystery as a shadowy figure whose history with the treasure predates everyone now chasing it. His physical loss and long-nursed grievance give him a motive that the drawing-room heirs of London cannot fathom. As Holmes closes in on the river, Small becomes the case's most dangerous and most human antagonist.

## Relationships

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_rivalry_

Jonathan Small is the primary antagonist whom Holmes pursues and ultimately captures for the murder of Bartholomew Sholto.

### [Athelney Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/athelney_jones)

_rivalry_

Inspector Jones arrests Jonathan Small and takes official credit for the capture at the end of the story.

### [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/sherlock_holmes)

_rivalry_

Jonathan Small is the primary antagonist whom Holmes pursues and ultimately captures for the murder of Bartholomew Sholto.

### [Athelney Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/athelney_jones)

_rivalry_

Inspector Jones arrests Jonathan Small and takes official credit for the capture at the end of the story.

## In the story

### [X: The End of the Islander](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/chapters/x-the-end-of-the-islander)

Small is the target of the chase, described as having low cunning and having arranged the launch's concealment.

### [XI: The Great Agra Treasure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/chapters/xi-the-great-agra-treasure)

Captured and handcuffed, he sits opposite the iron box, expressing sorrow and recounting his story, blaming Tonga for Sholto's death.

### [The Strange Story of Jonathan Small](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/chapters/xii-the-strange-story-of-jonathan-small)

The main narrator of the chapter, recounts his past and explains why he disposed of the treasure.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters/jonathan_small
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sign_of_the_four_se/characters