Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Strange Story of Jonathan Small

Watson returns to the cab with the empty treasure chest. Holmes reveals that Inspector Jones has taken Jonathan Small back to Baker Street. They return to Baker Street.

Small admits to scattering

They present the empty chest to Small, who laughs loudly.
Small argues that the treasure belonged to him and if he can’t have it, no one else will either: ‘It is my treasure; and if I can't have the loot I'll take darned good care that no one else does’.
He admits to throwing the treasure into the River Thames as they sailed – he also states that he deliberately took the treasure out and scattered it into the water so that it would be incredibly difficult to recover.

Small's stories

Small explains how he lost his leg, how he ended up stealing the treasure and how he met his accomplice, Tonga.
- We will look at his accounts in more detail later on.

Small is taken into custody

After hearing Small’s version of events, Holmes states that he had figured most of the details out himself.
Inspector Jones takes Jonathan Small into custody and escorts him to the police station.

Watson reveals his engagement

After Jones and Small leave, Watson reveals to Holmes that he and Mary Morstan are engaged to be married.
Holmes responds that he ‘really cannot congratulate you’ on the engagement – Holmes feels that emotional connections are dangerous, as they can cause people to become biased and to not be able to focus on cold facts and reasoning.

Holmes' lack of reward

Watson notes that everyone has received a reward except Holmes – Jones will get the credit for the investigation and the arrest, Watson gets Mary, Thaddeus gets his family’s fortune.
But when Watson asks Holmes what he gets out of the whole thing, Holmes replies: ‘there still remains the cocaine-bottle’.
Holmes ends the novella as he began it; by taking cocaine.

Key Quotations for Chapter 12

Here are three key quotations for Chapter 12:

Justice for Small

‘We have not heard your story, and we cannot tell how far justice may originally have been on your side’ (Sherlock Holmes).
- Holmes suggests that Small will receive better justice if he tells them the whole story – Holmes actually has every intention of sending Small to prison but knows that he can get him to talk by suggesting that Small needs fair treatment.
- Holmes deliberately does not say what ‘justice’ would be for Small; Small may still believe that he has some chance of receiving some of the treasure.

Small's treatment of Tonga

‘I found that he was devoted to me and would do anything to serve me’ (Jonathan Small).
- Adding to his character being a madman, Small shows that he is very calculating and manipulative.
- He deliberately used Tonga for his own, selfish needs – he even used Tonga as an attraction he could gain money for.
- He shows that he does not care about other people, but will use them to get what he wants.

Sherlock's cyclical life

‘There still remains the cocaine-bottle’ (Sherlock Holmes).
- Dr Watson’s narration shows that Sherlock Holmes is stuck in a seemingly never-ending cyclical structure: he uses the drugs to stimulate his brain until he has a case to solve; then he investigates and solves a case; then he returns to taking drugs until he is presented with another case; and so the cycle continues.
- He does not seem to gain anything from the investigations except for short bursts of mental stimulation.

1Context

1.1Victorian England & British Empire

1.1.1Author Background

1.1.2Victorian Crime & Police

1.1.3Historical Context

1.1.4Victorian London

1.1.5Women

1.1.6The British Empire

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Author & Victorian Police

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Victorian London & Empire

2Plot Summary

2.1Chapter Summaries

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.1.2Chapter 2

2.1.3Chapter 3

2.1.4Chapter 4

2.1.5Chapter 5

2.1.6Chapter 6

2.1.7Chapter 7

2.1.8Chapter 8

2.1.9Chapter 9

2.1.10Chapter 10

2.1.11Chapter 11

2.1.12Chapter 12

2.1.13Chapter 12: Jonathan Small's Stories

2.1.14End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

2.1.15End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-12

3Characters

3.1Key Characters

3.1.1Sherlock Holmes

3.1.2Sherlock Holmes: Quotations

3.1.3Dr John Watson

3.1.4Mary Morstan

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Characters

3.1.6Exam-Style Questions - Mary & Dr Watson

3.2Other Characters

3.2.1Thaddeus Sholto

3.2.2Jonathan Small

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Thaddeus and Jonathan Small

3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.2Extract Analysis - Tonga

4Key Themes

4.1Key Themes

4.1.1Corruption

4.1.2Criminals & Victims

4.1.3Victorian Fear

4.1.4British Empire & Imperialism

4.1.5Duality

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes

5Writing Techniques

5.1Writing Techniques

5.1.1Narrative Voice

5.1.2Dialogue

5.1.3Structure

5.1.4Structure & Characters

5.1.5Pathetic Fallacy

5.1.6End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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