The Mystery of Edwin Drood

John Jasper is a primary character in the novel. Due to the unfinished plot, his full role in the novel cannot completely be understood, but he appears as the villain and antagonist. Jasper is a handsome and articulate man in his mid-twenties; he is only five years older than his nephew. He works as a choirmaster at the Cloisterham Cathedral, which implies that he is creative, artistic, and potentially quite spiritual; however, Jasper confides to Edwin early in the novel that he actually despises his job: “no wretched monk who droned his life away in that gloomy place, before me, can have been more tired of it than I am” (15). Jasper is a very secretive and deceptive character whose external persona often does not align with his inner reality; notably, in addition to concealing his distaste for his job, Jasper attempts to conceal his obsessive desire for Rosa (his nephew’s fiancée). Jasper isn’t very good at this concealment, since many characters, including Neville, Helena, and Rosa herself, are able to detect his prurient interest in the young woman.

Jasper is a sinister character who seems to be plotting something; many readers and critics conjecture that Dickens spends the first part of the novel setting the stage for Jasper to eventually be revealed as Edwin’s murderer. Jasper engages in strange behavior such as watching his nephew sleep, and creeping around the cathedral at night with Durdles. He also seems very invested in fanning the animosity between Neville and Edwin, and carefully documenting Neville’s tendency towards violence. Jasper is presented as a suspicious character in order to create suspense; he clearly has a motive for killing Edwin, since he is deeply jealous of Edwin and secretly wants Rosa for himself.

While Jasper often seems cold, calculating, and conniving, he also displays a lack of self-control. Jasper regularly consumes opium, and when he is in a drug-induced reverie, he talks about some sort of action he plans; because of Jasper’s drug consumption, he does not fully conceal his intentions, and Princess Puffer seems to know something about Jasper’s intentions. Jasper also refers to his desire for Rosa as something utterly beyond his control, telling her, “I have made my confession that my love is mad” (208). While Jasper is clearly capable of planning and plotting, his motivations for wanting to be rid of Edwin seem to be rooted in a desire that he cannot eradicate or control. 

Reverend Crisparkle is an Anglican clergyman who works at the Cloisterham Cathedral. He lives with his mother and is an active member of the Cloisterham community. Crisparkle is fair, generous, and compassionate. He becomes a surrogate father figure for Neville and Helena Landless, especially for the latter. Crisparkle quickly wins the trust and affection of the siblings, which is notable, since Neville confides, “we came here (my sister and I) to quarrel with you” (60). Crisparkle shows care and protectiveness towards Neville, pointing out that Neville is getting a bad reputation in the town, and helping Neville to establish a new life in London after he is driven out of Cloisterham.

Crisparkle is likewise protective and caring towards Rosa; when he learns that she has gone to London alone, he immediately follows to check on her. He also participates in the plan to ensure that Rosa can safely visit Helena. While Crisparkle is generally a compassionate and caring man, he lacks shrewdness, never becoming truly suspicious of Jasper: “the dreadful suspicion of Jasper which Rosa was so shocked to have received into her imagination, appeared to have no harbour in Mr. Crisparkle’s” (247). Crisparkle has the ability to see the good in everyone, which is why he stands up for Neville when no one else will; however, this tendency also makes him unable to see potential threats and dangers around him.

Neville Landless is a young man who moves to Cloisterham early in the novel with his twin sister Helena. Neville has grown up in the British colony of Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka); it is not clear what his ethnic or racial background is, although multiple characters comment on his dark skin. Neville is intelligent, hard-working, and very loyal to his sister; he is also impulsive and hot-tempered. Neville is self-aware about his character failings and connects them to his upbringing and lack of role models. He explains to Crisparkle, “I have had, sir, from my earliest remembrance, to suppress a deadly and bitter hatred. This has made me secret and revengeful” (60). While Neville is self-aware about his faults and wants to be better, he also has a difficult time controlling his temper, especially when provoked. Neville is jealous of Edwin because he (Neville) desires Rosa for himself, and he repeatedly loses his temper when Edwin mocks him.

While Neville is hot-tempered and impulsive, he is also sensitive, and longs for a sense of community and belonging. Neville reacts strongly to the suspicion that arises in Cloisterham after Edwin’s disappearance and moves to London; even there, he is haunted by shame and the fear that people will judge him, so he only leaves his home after dark. Much earlier, when he first came to Cloisterham, Neville bonded quickly with Crisparkle even though he was initially suspicious. While Neville finds it hard to control his impulses, he is also capable of being caring and kind. Because the novel is unfinished, it is unknown what kind of character development Dickens might have intended for Neville, but it’s plausible that the young man would have continued to mature and grow.

Rosa Bud is a young woman (likely in her late teens or early twenties) who is beautiful and charming, while also being somewhat sheltered and innocent; she is described as “wonderfully pretty, wonderfully childish, wonderfully whimsical” (20). Rosa is an orphan who has grown up in a boarding school in Cloisterham; her father intended for her to marry Edwin, but Rosa has gradually grown more and more uncomfortable with this plan. Rosa is considered very desirable, and both Neville and Jasper fall in love with her. While Rosa is often presented as sweet, docile, and pretty, she is also quite brave and intelligent. Rosa takes the initiative to confirm that she can legally break off the engagement, and then she suggests to Edwin that they end the betrothal since it is making them both unhappy. Rosa is suspicious of Jasper all along, and she is the first person to consider that he might be responsible for the disappearance of his nephew. After Jasper openly declares his love for Rosa, she flees to London alone to get away from him. In many ways, Rosa is more intelligent, resourceful, and courageous than her seemingly demure and childlike appearance implies.