Thaddeus Sholto - Quotations
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Sign of the Four, topic 6.1.4
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.
Test yourself on Thaddeus Sholto - Quotations
How does Thaddeus Sholto introduce himself to Watson and Holmes?