6.1.3
Mary Morstan - Quotations
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Key Quotations about Mary Morstan
Here are four key quotations about Mary Morstan:
Vulnerable
- ‘No friends whom I could appeal to’ (Chapter 2).
- This immediately presents Mary as a vulnerable character who has no one to turn to.
- The verb ‘appeal’ suggests a sense of helplessness, which adds to the helplessness of her character. This causes the reader to feel a sense of joy when Watson becomes closer to Mary – we feel that, at last, she has someone who cares about her.
Delicate woman
- ‘Miss Morstan sat down, and her face grew white to the lips’ (Chapter 4).
- Despite finding that her father has died (and being told about it by Thaddeus in a very abrupt way), Mary does not make a scene or become overly emotional.
- Instead, she is displayed as a delicate, composed woman, whose only visible reaction is that her skin becomes very pale.
- This could link to the damsel in distress idea, as the paleness of her skin also represents her vulnerability.
Repetition of 'white'
- The adjective ‘white’ is used seven times in the novella to describe Mary or the clothing she is wearing.
- The adjective is used to highlight Mary’s innocence, vulnerability, and goodness, as well as her naivety and lack of understanding of the wider world.
- She is presented as a woman who needs to be loved and protected – the perfect candidate for a romantic sub-plot.
Not materialistic
- ‘"The treasure is lost," said Miss Morstan, calmly’ (Chapter 11).
- Mary shows that she is unselfish and not materialistic here as she realises that all of her potential fortune has been lost.
- She reacts ‘calmly’, suggesting that she either does not really want the wealth or feels that it is not rightly hers anyway because it was stolen.
- This reaction could also be because Mary knows that the huge wealth would have made a relationship between her and Watson more difficult.
1Context
2Plot Summary
2.1Chapter Summaries
3Characters
3.1Key Characters
3.2Other Characters
3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Key Themes
5Writing Techniques
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Characters Quotes
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
6.2.1Chapter 1 - Quotations6.2.2Chapter 2 - Quotations6.2.3Chapter 3 - Quotations6.2.4Chapter 4 - Quotations6.2.5Chapter 5 - Quotations6.2.6Chapter 6 - Quotations6.2.7Chapter 7 - Quotations6.2.8Chapter 8 - Quotations6.2.9Chapter 9 - Quotations6.2.10Chapter 10 - Quotations6.2.11Chapter 11 - Quotations6.2.12Chapter 12 - Quotations
Jump to other topics
1Context
2Plot Summary
2.1Chapter Summaries
3Characters
3.1Key Characters
3.2Other Characters
3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Key Themes
5Writing Techniques
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Characters Quotes
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
6.2.1Chapter 1 - Quotations6.2.2Chapter 2 - Quotations6.2.3Chapter 3 - Quotations6.2.4Chapter 4 - Quotations6.2.5Chapter 5 - Quotations6.2.6Chapter 6 - Quotations6.2.7Chapter 7 - Quotations6.2.8Chapter 8 - Quotations6.2.9Chapter 9 - Quotations6.2.10Chapter 10 - Quotations6.2.11Chapter 11 - Quotations6.2.12Chapter 12 - Quotations
Practice questions on Mary Morstan - Quotations
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