Thaddeus Sholto

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Thaddeus Sholto

Thaddeus Sholto is an integral character as he acts almost as a narrator for the central part of the story.

Thaddeus' role

Thaddeus provides Holmes and Watson with the information they need to make sense of Captain Morstan’s death and the mysterious pearls sent to Mary Morstan.
He confirms that Captain Morstan has died and reveals the existence of the Agra treasure.
Thaddeus also reveals the fact that his father (Major Sholto) had a deep fear of a wooden-legged man – he introduces the antagonist (villain) to the readers.

Consequences of good and greed

Thaddeus’ story, and family, help to reveal an interesting moral of the story itself – the consequences of helpful actions vs the consequences of greed.
- Major Sholto stole the treasure and escaped to England, where he started living a luxurious life – but he spent the rest of his life living in utter fear of Jonathan Small.

Consequences of good and greed (cont.)

Bartholomew Sholto was reluctant to tell Mary Morstan about her father or the treasure because he wanted to keep the Agra treasure for himself – he was then murdered by Tonga.
Thaddeus Sholto arranged to send pearls to Mary so she received some of her fair share – then he told her about the treasure as soon as they found it, and even took her to it. He ends the story with all of his family’s wealth, and with his life in tact.

Incompetence of police force

Thaddeus is also used to highlight the incompetence of the Victorian police force – Inspector Jones decides that Thaddeus has killed his brother and tries to fit all evidence to suit his theory (instead of examining the evidence in an unbiased way).
Inspector Jones arrests Thaddeus, leaving Holmes to be the one to rescue him by solving the case.

Key Quotations for Thaddeus Sholto

Here are three key quotations for Thaddeus Sholto:

Unattractive and bizarre

‘Yellow and irregular teeth’ (Chapter 4).
- Thaddeus is immediately presented as an unattractive and bizarre character. His appearance indicates that he is not one of the main protagonists, as he is deliberately described as having a strange appearance.

Unattractive appearance (cont.)

His appearance could also suggest that it is unclear as to whether or not he is a villain or a hero in the story – his identical twin brother acts almost as a villain, so this could be why the two are described in such an odd way, as the two Sholto brothers portray good and evil characters.

Subservient

‘Your servant’ (Chapter 4).
- Despite his wealth and elevated social status, Thaddeus Sholto introduces himself to Holmes and Watson as their ‘servant’.
- This noun suggests that he is subservient and could suggest that he is intimidated by them – he appears nervous and worried anyway.
- By calling himself their ‘servant’, he could be attempting to deliberately present himself as unthreatening to avoid any potential conflict.

Desire for justice

‘I can do you justice; and I will, too, whatever Brother Bartholomew may say’ (Chapter 4).
- Despite initially appearing to be a bit spineless, Thaddeus shows that he will stand up for justice, for what he believes is right. He would rather have justice for Mary than take all of the treasure for himself – Mary would likely not have found out about the treasure without Thaddeus, but he wants moral justice for everyone.

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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