Jefferson Hope Charater Anaylsis

Jefferson Hope is truly an intriguing character in the book "A Study in Scarlet." Hope represents a wide variety of human emotions but primary ones are the opposite emotions of love and hate. The reader is drawn by the power of love that is expressed in the book. However the power of hate captivates the reader in both the events that take place as well as the motives behind them.

When you look at the emotion of love, the reader is presented with the depth of love which Jefferson Hope has for Lucy Ferrier. It begins as a true love story with Hope and Lucy falling in love with each other. However, Lucy lived with her father in a Mormon community and the superiors of the community disapproved of the relationships since Hope was not a Mormon. It is apparent that Lucy's father had great respect for the love shared by Lucy and Hope and summoned for Hope to assist with getting Lucy away. Mr. Ferrier was killed by in an attempt to preserve this love by Joseph Stangerson. Lucy died within a month of being forced to marry Drebber from heartbreak. Hope's love of Lucy is key in this story because it is the foundation of motive for his eventual acts.

In contrast, the emotion of hate is also addressed and presented with equal vigor. Love of Lucy becomes hate for Joseph Stangerson and Mr. Drebber. Had Hope not had such depths of feeling, the love he shared with Lucy would not have existed in the first place. The power of Jefferson Hope's love is obscured by the hate that replaces it. He carried that hatred for years as he plotted his revenge. That hate compelled him to plan carefully to murder Stangerson and Drebber following them from Utah to England. The hate had to be powerful for Hope to travel across the world in pursuit of his revenge, another strong emotion.

During the course of the story, Hope assumed many roles. He assumed the role of a romantic initially due his love story with Lucy. They assumed the