Chapter 4 - Quotations
English Lit: AQA GCSE The Sign of the Four, topic 6.2.4
Key Quotations from Chapter 4
Here are three key quotations from Chapter 4:
Thaddeus Sholto
- ‘Writhed his hands together… his features were in a perpetual jerk’ (Thaddeus Sholto).
- Thaddeus Sholto is presented as a very nervous-looking man. This creates tension for readers as we wonder why he seems so anxious.
- His anxiety is ‘perpetual’ – it never ends. As readers, we realise that there must be a reason for his nervousness but this reason remains hidden for now.
Thaddeus' wealth
- Thaddeus’ apartment has the ‘richest’, ‘glossiest’ items of ‘Eastern luxury’.
- Conan Doyle uses the superlatives ‘richest’ and ‘glossiest’ to highlight how ornately Thaddeus’ home is decorated.
- All of the other characters appear to be surprised by the level of wealth and decoration he has in his home – it makes the reader question how Thaddeus obtained this wealth and why he seems to hide it away in this unusual home.
Sherlock's people skills
- ‘Whatever you may choose to say will go no further’ (Sherlock Holmes).
- Despite his apparent lack of good social skills, Holmes does know how to work well with those he is questioning – he does this later with Jonathan Small.
- He is able to make people feel comfortable around him, have faith in him, and trust in his judgement. He understands how to talk to people in order to achieve the results he desires.
Test yourself on Chapter 4 - Quotations
What are 'richest' and 'glossiest' examples of?
Thaddeus’ apartment has the ‘richest’, ‘glossiest’ items of ‘Eastern luxury’.Who says the following quotation from Chapter 4?
‘Whatever you may choose to say will go no further’