The Mystery of Edwin Drood · Chapter
A Night with Durdles explained
Jasper and Durdles embark on a moonlight expedition through the crypt and up the great tower of Cloisterham Cathedral.
What happens
Jasper and Durdles embark on a moonlight expedition through the crypt and up the great tower of Cloisterham Cathedral. Durdles, loosened by Jasper's wicker bottle, shares a ghostly tale of a shriek and a dog's howl he heard the previous Christmas Eve. Jasper reacts with fierce intensity. Earlier, the Dean and Mr. Sapsea discuss the expedition, with Sapsea claiming influence over Durdles. After a tense exchange, Durdles leaves to 'clean himself.' Jasper then spends hours chanting at his piano before meeting Durdles for their night exploration. In the tower, Durdles falls asleep, and upon waking, finds the crypt key near him, having dreamed of Jasper taking it. They descend, and outside, the boy Deputy taunts Jasper, who violently attacks him but is thwarted by Deputy's cunning and Durdles's intervention.
Themes in this chapter
Mystery and the Unknown
The chapter is steeped in mystery, from Durdles's ghostly tale of a shriek and howl to the dark, moonlit exploration of the crypt and tower. Jasper's intense reaction and the strange dream of the key add to the sense of the unknown.
Duality and Deception
Jasper presents a calm, cultured exterior while hiding a violent temper, as seen in his attack on Deputy. He also deceives Durdles by plying him with drink, and his actions during the night suggest a hidden agenda.
Addiction and Escapism
Jasper uses the wicker bottle to loosen Durdles's tongue, while Durdles's drinking leads to a state of unconsciousness and dream. Jasper's own 'rinsing' and spitting out the drink suggests a different relationship with the substance, perhaps using it as a tool for control.
Characters to notice
- John Jasper
Orchestrates the night expedition with Durdles, plying him with drink. His reaction to Durdles's ghost story is fierce and abrupt. He later attacks Deputy with a violent fury, suggesting a hidden, volatile nature.
- Durdles
The taciturn stonemason becomes talkative under the influence of Jasper's bottle. He shares a personal ghost story and later falls asleep in the tower, waking to find his key misplaced. He defends Deputy from Jasper's wrath.
- Thomas Sapsea
The pompous auctioneer takes credit for introducing Durdles and Jasper. He attempts to exert authority over Durdles, who rebuffs him, and he boasts of his influence, which is clearly exaggerated.
- Deputy
The 'hideous small boy' appears at the end, taunting Jasper with his chant and stones. He provokes Jasper's violent rage but escapes through cunning, hiding behind Durdles.
- The Dean
Present during the conversation with Sapsea and Jasper, he expresses concern for Jasper's safety on the expedition with Durdles and jokingly warns against Durdles breaking the Choirmaster's neck.
- Mr. Tope
The verger is present and highly entertained by the Dean's comments, laughing in a deferential manner at the exchange.
Key passages
“The taciturnity of Durdles is for the time overcome by Mr. Jasper’s wicker bottle, which circulates freely;—in the sense, that is to say, that its contents enter freely into Mr. Durdles’s circulation, while Mr. Jasper only rinses his mouth once, and casts forth the rinsing.”
Durdles's usual silence is loosened by the wine Jasper brought, which he drinks freely, while Jasper only pretends to drink, spitting it out.
This highlights Jasper's manipulative nature and his use of alcohol to control Durdles.
““I mean that I made inquiries everywhere about, and, that no living ears but mine heard either that cry or that howl. So I say they was both ghosts; though why they came to me, I’ve never made out.””
Durdles explains that he asked around and no one else heard the shriek or the howl, so he believes they were ghosts, though he doesn't know why they appeared to him.
This introduces a supernatural element and deepens the mystery surrounding the night.
““I shall shed the blood of that impish wretch! I know I shall do it!””
Jasper, in a fury, declares he will kill the boy Deputy.
This outburst reveals a violent and uncontrolled side to Jasper's character, contrasting with his usual composed demeanor.
