The Avenging Angels explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Justice and Revenge

  Jefferson Hope's entire arc in this chapter is driven by a relentless quest for vengeance against Drebber and Stangerson for the deaths of John Ferrier and Lucy.

• Love and Sacrifice

  Hope's love for Lucy motivates his years-long pursuit and his reverent act of taking her wedding ring before burial.

Characters to notice

• Jefferson Hope

  Discovers Ferrier's grave, learns of Lucy's forced marriage and death, and dedicates his life to revenge, pursuing Drebber and Stangerson for years.

• John Ferrier

  Found dead with a grave marker; his death fuels Hope's vengeance.

• Lucy Ferrier

  Forced to marry Enoch Drebber, dies within a month; Hope takes her wedding ring from her corpse.

• Enoch J. Drebber

  Marries Lucy Ferrier, later flees Utah with Stangerson; pursued by Hope across continents.

• Joseph Stangerson

  Shoots John Ferrier, competes with Drebber for Lucy, later flees with Drebber; targeted by Hope.

Key passages

• “With indomitable patience and perseverance, Jefferson Hope possessed also a power of sustained vindictiveness, which he may have learned from the Indians amongst whom he had lived.”

  Jefferson Hope had an unyielding patience and a lasting desire for revenge, possibly influenced by his time with Native Americans.

  Describes Hope's character and motivation for his long pursuit.

• “She shall not be buried in that, he cried with a fierce snarl, and before an alarm could be raised sprang down the stairs and was gone.”

  He angrily removed the wedding ring from Lucy's finger, declaring she would not be buried with it, then fled before anyone could react.

  Shows Hope's defiance and symbolic rejection of Lucy's forced marriage.