Abstract
Statement of Problem
Charles Dickens died with his last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870), only half-completed, so the explanation for Drood's disappearance remains a mystery. The critical consensus is that Drood was murdered by his uncle, John Jasper, but I propose a different conclusion. Through close reading and textual analysis, I examine the existing chapters of Drood with a focus on Jasper 's character development and related themes.
Sources of Data
My chief source is The Mystery of Edwin Drood itself, while Dickens 's other works provide background on his techniques and themes. My main secondary sources are The Drood Case by Felix Aylmer (1964), The Decoding of Edwin Drood by Charles Forsyte (1980), and Edwin Drood: Antichrist in the Cathedral by John Thacker (1990).
Conclusions Reached
I believe that Jasper was tempted to murder Edwin but resisted, fitting Dickens 's lifelong themes of false accusations, family secrets, hidden identities, and self-realization leading to reformation and redemption. However, instead of just watching characters make, realize, and redeem their errors, it is the audience who experiences this epiphany because readers' biased assurance of Jasper's guilt reveals our actual real-life prejudice. Dickens designed The Mystery of Edwin Drood to show that the true mystery lies in humanity's potential for both good and evil, and in our struggle to choose between them.