Fate in The Sign of the Four and She

Fate in The Sign of the Four and She

In life, it doesn't matter where you start, nor necessarily how you live, because in the end, fate will triumph over all obstacles and place you where you were destined to be. Every individual has had some type of experience with an unexplainable force; on a larger scale, for instance, living through a physical disability or coping with the death of a loved one, but many times, on a smaller scale, fate mysteriously operates in everyday activities and situations. The way in which fate functions in both extremes is undoubtedly unexplainable; however, the path in which fate designs for every person is predetermined and unavoidable. It matters not if you are an all-time champion marathon runner or a poor, homeless vagabond, because fate has a charted course that is set in stone and impossible to alter. For instance, the champion runner suddenly has a massive heart attack while on the homestretch of an important race and dies right on the spot, on the other hand, the homeless person haphazardly finds a winning lottery ticket on the ground and ultimately transforms his life. These hypothetical instances are not chance, nor are they good or bad luck, they happen for a reason, a reason which cannot be understood, and one in which cannot be escaped.

The idea of fate was covertly woven within the fabric of The Sign of the Four and She. From Jonathan Small's wooden leg, the "solid iron chest of Indian workmanship" (221) containing the Agra treasure, to Ayesha's undying love (literally) for Kallikrates. Each situation vividly represents how the foundation of fate can inevitably shake up and change existence of being.

The character, Jonathan Small, in The Sign of t...

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...cept what is handed to us on fates plate and learn to cope with it instead of avoiding the inevitable like the people in England when Queen Victoria ruled.

Throughout the ages, we have come a long way in understanding the dynamics of life: the progression of health and sciences, technology, and the uniting of diverse cultures and classes. Time has revealed the hidden doubts of our predecessors, and with that, we have concluded that the future is wide open and bound to change at any given moment in time. Nothing in life is fixed, but it is ever-changing, both on mental and physical levels. We can attempt to improve the conditions in which we live, but when all is said and done, the final outcome is always what it is intended to be. Our destiny is always intact and one, whether real or fictional characters, cannot escape the divine map of life.