Chapter 7 - Quotations

English Lit: AQA GCSE The Sign of the Four, topic 6.2.7

Key Quotations from Chapter 7

Here are three key quotations from Chapter 7:

‘Do not imagine that I depend for my success in this case upon the mere chance of one of these fellows having put his foot in the chemical’ (Sherlock Holmes).
Holmes wants to make it clear that he has built up a strong case with solid evidence. He does and will not base his deductions on ‘chance’.
He uses the adjective ‘mere’ to show that he knows the limitations to this kind of evidence and will not base his whole case upon it.

‘I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results in this case’ (Dr Watson).
Despite Holmes admitting to limitations within his methods of investigation, Watson still admires his intelligence and skill.
He never questions that Holmes’ methods are correct – he seems interested in watching Holmes use different, sometimes unconventional methods to reach his conclusions.
Watson cannot understand the way in which Holmes’ brain works, but he appreciates it.

‘Savage instincts’ (Sherlock Holmes).
We later learn that Holmes knows that Jonathan Small’s accomplice was a pygmy from the Andaman Islands in India. Although we cannot argue that Sherlock Holmes himself was racist, it is important to note the racial attitudes of the time – the unknown man is assumed to be a ‘savage’ who wanted to murder someone.
Victorians often assumed that people from other cultures were dangerous and immoral. Victorian readers might approve of this character as the villain in the story.