A Study in Scarlet Revealed: Jefferson Hope Confesses

I, Jefferson Hope, confess that I have killed Enoch Drebber of Salt Lake City, Utah.

It all happened about twenty-one years ago. I was driving some cattle from the Nevada mountains to Salt Lake City. I noticed that in the middle of the herd, a commotion abruptly started and saw a beautiful woman on a horse. Bringing her to safety, I was awestruck by her beauty and purity. She thanked me and mentioned that her father was John Ferrier, a man greatly respected where I come from. She offered to introduce myself to John Ferrier. Soon after, I realized I was in love with Lucy and she with me. I asked her father for his blessing, whom I have grown very close with through my short visits. He knew that I would do anything for the happiness of his daughter, and he would as well; even if the sacrifice was his life. Asking her to marry me was the easiest decision I have ever made and I do not regret ever meeting her. She is the love of my life. She brings me joy that I cannot explain in words. I knew with all my heart that nothing will ever keep us apart. 

Sadly, I had to leave for a month on important business. By the time I could return, there were men stationed loosely around Ferrier's house. During my absence, John sent me a letter warning me of the horrors happening in Salt Lake City. Brigham Young threatened Lucy's father to choose between Enoch Drebber and Joseph Stangerson for Lucy's hand in marriage. Ferrier absolutely refused to allow his only daughter to be forced into a marrying a man whom she does not love. Arriving inside the house, Lucy and I had a quick but loving reunion. Soon we were on our way to freedom and I with the love of my life.

We were soon running out of food so I went out hunting. I didn't realize how late it had gotten and only then did I notice I had no idea where I was. Night came quickly and my worries heightened for the fear of not getting back in time. By the time I got back, everything was gone except for a poorly made grave entitled:

JOHN FERRIER

FORMERLY OF SALT LAKE CITY

Died August 4th, 1860

From this I knew that the Mormons had tracked us all the way here, only to kill Ferrier and abduct Lucy to be married to one of the Elders's sons. A few days later, I arrived back in Salt Lake only to be told that Lucy was married to Drebber. After a month, she died with a broken heart and Drebber had absolutely no remorse to be felt. It was at that moment that I promised to myself to get justice on the damned. From that moment on I made many attempts on both their lives. They soon left Utah, and I too. However, the fact that they were rich and I poor, I had much trouble following them. I was always one step behind and the stress of this aided to my worsening health and I found that I had an aortic aneurysm. When I heard that Drebber and Stangerson had fled to England, I had no doubt in my mind that I too had to go to England. That trip had cost me most of what was left of my money and I decided to get a job. And what better job to follow them around without arousing suspicion than a cab driver!

I soon found out where they were staying and after a heated argument at their lodge, Drebber made his way into my cab. I knew at that moment that my time had come. I had thought long and hard as to how I should enact my plan. From the beginning, I had no intention of killing them in cold blood and sought a way for them to suffer limited physical pain. Thus, the two pills. One was poison, one was not. I decided to let fate decide who deserved to live. Driving up to the empty house, Drebber had no idea what he was getting into. Forcing him to remember who I was and what he had done all those years ago, I revealed the two pills and told him my plan. I would take whichever pill he did not. The look on his face, knowing that he would die, is one that I will never forget. I didn't even notice that my nose had started bleeding out of excitement and adrenaline. I remembered a case in New York where a German man was found dead and RACHE was written on the wall. I decided to do this as well as a rouse to set the police on a different path. Only later did I notice that Lucy's wedding ring was missing. I quickly made my way back to the house only to see a constable scouring the place. Deciding to act intoxicated beyond belief I fooled the constable and wandered back to my cab.

With Drebber gone, all that was left was Stangerson. Knowing him, he would not risk his life by travelling and I found the place where he was staying. I was not surprised that he was expecting me, however I was shocked when instead of peacefully taking the pills as Drebber had, he retaliated and attacked. It was only as a last resort that I stabbed him in self-defence. Finally, my mission was complete and I knew I could die peacefully and without any remorse for the two monsters I killed.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow developed his Hierarchy of Needs in order to explain the well-being of humans. It states that we must satisfy each need, starting with the first, in order to be able to concerned with the next highest level. However, if our satisfaction in the lower needs have failed, we are no longer concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development.

In the most basic sense, and at the bottom of his pyramid, is the biological and physiological needs. This sections includes all of life's primitive abilities to stay alive; air, water, food, shelter, warmth, sleep, etc. Watson fulfills this need by finding Sherlock, his new roommate to help pay for shelter.

With Watson's most basic need sustained, he is now able to move onto the next level of the hierarchy, the safety needs where protection, security, order, law etc. are prominent. Through Sherlock, Watson was introduced to Gregson and Lestrade and also to the law enforcement. Watson now has a personal connected to the police and therefore to protection and security.

Next is the need for belongingness and love. Since coming back from the war, Watson has had no connection to nay past relationships and had no intention of reconnecting as well. Only on accidentally finding an old friend that he starts to feel included. Both Watson and Sherlock are now in a deep relationship through their adventures together.

On the second highest level is the need for self-esteem: confidence, reputation, status and responsibility. Watson achieves his new reputation with the help of Sherlock and gains a responsibility to himself and others to uncover the truth of a mystery.

Finally, on the highest spectrum of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is self-actualization in which personal growth and fulfillment are achieved. Once Watson has successfully fulfilled all other levels of his needs, he is able to find himself through personal growth. He is self-assured in his work as a doctor and is able to actively apply that knowledge to his new found job and through that finds joy in unraveling the mysteries presented in life.

Mormonism and Brigham Young

Mormons are members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. They are taught a type of Christianity in which God cares for each individual and that everyone has the capacity for improvement through correct choices. Mormons find refuge from the uncertainties of the world in the gospel message of hope and happiness.

Founded by Joseph Smith, he claims to have received a personal visit from God who told him that all churches and their creeds were an abomination. He then set out to "restore true Christianity" and claimed his church to be the "only true church on earth". Smith translated the Book of Mormon and claimed that it is the "most correct book" on earth and that a person can get closer to God by following its precepts "than by any other book". Joseph Smith is essentially the person who started the Mormon religion. After Joseph Smith died, Brigham Young was chosen as the next leader of the Mormons. He lead a great group to salvation in Utah.

Mormon men are required to attend a two year mission spreading the word of Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Polygamy was an essential aspect to Mormons in the past but is no longer practiced today. Prayer is an important part in Mormons lives and so pray frequently throughout the day. Sunday is to be a day of rest and not a day for normal activities meaning that Mormons don’t work, shop, go out to eat, go to the movies, etc. on Sundays.  Instead, Mormon families attend church meetings, rest, read, and generally spend this time doing family activities. 

Joseph Smith

(left)

Brigham Young

(right)

In the chapter "John Ferrier talks with the Prophet", it is revealed that he has made a promise to himself when they were found that he would not let Lucy marry a Mormon. In this sense, he has not made a reversal. However, by refusing to acknowledge this rule, he has broken the pact that he made when he was rescued. Through this, he did not make a sacred promise but instead deceived everyone else into thinking he did. Based on this, he is justified to make this judgement as he has fully lived the life of a Mormon and learned the rules which he does not agree too. He is fully capable of making his own choices.

A plural marriage is marriage between multiple husbands and multiple wives and is illegal in Canada. Polygamy was not explicitly banned in the Bible. First, while there are slightly more male babies than female babies, due to women having longer lifespans, there have always been more women in the world than men. Current statistics show that approximately 50.5 percent of the world population are women. Second, warfare in ancient times was especially brutal, with an incredibly high rate of fatality. This would have resulted in an even greater percentage of women to men. Third, due to patriarchal societies, it was nearly impossible for an unmarried woman to provide for herself. Women were often uneducated and untrained. Women relied on their fathers, brothers, and husbands for provision and protection. Unmarried women were often subjected to prostitution and slavery. Polygamy is currently banned in Canada due to the mistreatment and abuse that comes from plural marriages.

Cultural norms are present in every aspect of our lives. Such "norms" include offering an abundance of food to guests whenever they enter our house. Many women in my family are also expected to go into the respected profession of medicine, usually as a nurse.

Lucy's nickname, the "Flower of Utah" has causes her many inconveniences. Her beauty attracts the attention of many young men, Stangerson, Drebber, and Hope included. She is torn between doing what she thinks is right and choosing to save her father from death. However, because her father would much rather lose his life then let his only daughter marry a Mormon, he urged her to escape with Hope. I believe that she should have the right to leave and marry a gentile as it is her own choice and not the council's decision.

Lucy's abduction from her father to be brought back to the Mormon community to serve as a wife shows that women are seen as children bearers and are easily expendable. The way that Drebber acts towards Lucy's death a month after her marriage shows little sympathy towards Mormon wives. 
              "Her Scottish husband, who had married her principally for the sake of John Ferrier's property, did not affect any great grief at his bereavement; but his other wives mourned over her, and sat up with her the night before the burial, as is the Mormon custom."
Doyle's portrayal of the Mormon community indicates hostility to the people and the underlying notion that Mormons are an evil and corrupt society that poison the minds of their young ones.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Mormons.html
http://www.mormonnewsroom.ca/article/who-are-the-mormons-
http://www.history.com/topics/brigham-young
http://mormonrules.com/mormon-rules-spirituality/sabbath-day-holy
http://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html

Masonry

Masonry, also known as freemasonry, is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. It requires a belief in God, but advocates no specific faith or practice. Masonic ceremonies include prayers, both traditional and spontaneous, to reaffirm each individual's dependence on God and to seek divine guidance. Freemasonry is open to men of any faith, but religion may not be discussed at Masonic meetings. Masons believe that there is one God and that people employ many different ways to seek, and to express what they know of God. Masonry believes in religious freedom and that the relationship between the individual and God is personal, private, and sacred.

The practice of freemasonry includes temples, altars, a moral code, worship services, vestments, feast days, a hierarchy of leadership, initiation and burial rites, and promises of eternal reward and punishment. The cross is merely a symbol of nature and eternal life, free of Christ's sacrifice for sin. During the initiation rite, the candidate expresses a desire to seek "light", and he is assured that he will receive the light of spiritual instruction that he could not receive in another Church. Moreover, he will gain eternal rest in the "celestial lodge" if he lives and dies according to Masonic principles. A candidate makes an oath to freemasonry and its secrets, under pain of death or self-mutiliation, by kneeling blindfolded in front of the altar, placing both hands on the book of sacred law, the square, and compass, and repeating after the "worshipful master." Throughout this ritual, the candidate is blind to all the "secrets" to which he is taking an oath.

The origins of the Masons are hard to pinpoint. With the decline of cathedral building in the aftermath of the Protestant movement, mason guilds began accepting non-masons as members to reinforce their dwindling membership. Eventually, the non-masons outnumbered the masons, and the guilds became places for the discussion of ethics and morality while retaining the secret signs, symbols and gestures of the original guild. Masons hold that God, "the Great Architect," founded freemasonry, and that it had as patrons, Adam and the Patriarchs. Even Jesus is listed as "the Grand Master" of the Christian Church. They credit themselves with the building of Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, the Pyramids and Solomon's Temple.

Brigham Young, the leader of the Mormons at that time, was a ruthless but respected leader who no one dared cross. Under his rule was Enoch Drebber, the man who married Lucy Ferrier. They both followed the rules of freemasonry and as leader, Young has control over his people, as his word is law. Both men have strong faith in God and believe that everything they do is in the name of God; even if what they do is morally wrong as humans. The rules of masonry are strict and non-negotiable as seen when Young threatens Ferrier if he does not follow up on the terms he agreed when they accepted him into their group. A short while after, Drebber as well as Stangerson, arrive at Ferrier's house to negotiate the terms of Lucy's marriage. After Ferrier refused to allow his daughter to marry any of them, Drebber and Stangerson show their ruthlessness in the killing of John Ferrier and abduction of Lucy Ferrier. All this is happening under the guidance of Brigham Young.

Whenever masonry was brought up around Sherlock Holmes, he shows great knowledge of the subject as seen when he is able to easily recognize Lucy's wedding ring as Masonic. This is mostly due to the fact that the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was a mason. Doyle, born into a Catholic family, rejected his religion at age seventeen and accepted spiritualism instead. Later, he became more invested in spiritualism and was initiated into freemasonry.

http://www.msana.com/religion.asp
http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/what-are-the-masons.html
http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/beresiner10.html