Chapter 12 - Quotations

English Lit: AQA GCSE The Sign of the Four, topic 6.2.12

Key Quotations for Chapter 12

Here are three key quotations for Chapter 12:

__ ‘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.

__ ‘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.

‘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.

Who is Jonathan Small describing in this quotation?

__ ‘I found that he was devoted to me and would do anything to serve me’__
What word or phrase is missing from this quotation?

‘We have not heard your story, and we cannot tell how far ____ may originally have been on your side’ (Sherlock Holmes)
What does Sherlock Holmes' life revolve between in a cyclical structure?