Structure & Characters
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Sign of the Four, topic 5.1.4
Significance of Structure for Characters
Structurally, it is important to note that all of the other characters seem to either benefit or lose something from the investigation – except for Sherlock Holmes.
Quotation
- ‘You have done all the work in this business. I get a wife out of it, Jones gets the credit, pray what remains for you?’ (Dr John Watson).
How characters benefit or lose out
- Watson gets engaged to Mary.
- Thaddeus loses his brother but gains his family’s wealth.
- Tonga loses his life.
- Jonathan Small loses the treasure and his freedom.
- Sherlock Holmes simply returns to the same thing he was doing before the case began: taking cocaine.
Cyclical structure
- Holmes’ character follows a cyclical structure, whereby he takes drugs for mental stimulation, then he is given a case to investigate and he solves it, and then he returns to taking drugs.
- His whole life revolves around attempts to stimulate his brain.
- In fact, Holmes seems to feel that any other pursuit in life is worthless – he criticises Watson for becoming romantically involved, as he argues that it is a distraction from logical thought and reasoning.
Test yourself on Structure & Characters
How do characters benefit from the investigation in The Sign of the Four?
Watson's Ultimate Question to Holmes
How do characters lose out from the investigation in The Sign of the Four?
What does Sherlock Holmes return to doing at the end of the case (Chapter 12)?