Analysis of The Moonstone

The Moonstone was authored by Wilkie Collins in 1868. The book is an epistolary that is considered as the initial detective novel. The summary of the novel illustrates that a young woman received a big diamond during her eighteenth birthday as an inheritance. The woman is called Rachel Verinder. The inheritance is from Colonel Herncastle. The British soldier worked in India and showed high levels of corruption (Karl 9).
The big diamond has a lot of religious importance, and it also has high financial value. Three Hindu priests took the initiative to recover the stolen diamond. The novel shows illustrations of the historical origin of religious diamond that is known as Hope Diamond (Karl 38). The birthday party is celebrated with a big party. The key guest in the party includes the cousin of Rachel called Franklin Blake.
After receiving the gift, she proudly displays it to the guests. The Indian jugglers also saw the diamond. During the night, the diamond is mysteriously stolen. The events that follow illustrate misunderstandings, turmoil and unhappiness. The story is communicated through the narrative of some key characters. The characters aim at knowing the thief and also recovering the big diamond.
The novel attracted several critic reviews. The novel shows the moral superiority as depicted through the Indian culture and religious practices. Three Indian priests work towards retrieving the stolen diamond, and return it to its proper storage place in the temple. The Indians strive to retrieve the temple, by freely volunteering their time and efforts.

Some critics explain that the novel shows several instances of opium and addiction. Many people are not comfortable with stories of drug addicts. The novel clearly illustrates the concept of British imperialism. England used its soldiers to occupy foreign nations like India.
Work Cited
Karl, Frederick. (2012). “Introduction”. The Moonstone. New York: Wiley.