Hope
"I feel sick inside my bones. My whole life I've fought anybody who said Jeremy was crazy, or treated him like there was something wrong with him. And now I've done that and worse, here in front of everybody and after swearing about it with my hand on the Bible." (Pg. 14)
"My heart thumps, and my head feels dizzy. This is my chance, and I know it. "Jeremy didn't murder Coach Johnson. He liked Coach. I think he may have loved him. And anyway, Jeremy couldn't kill anybody, even if he hated them. And he's never hated a living soul. You don't know Jer like I do." (Pg.37)
Based on the first quote above, it is easy to infer that, at first, Hope was okay with testifying that Jeremy was innocent by the reason of insanity; however, now, she regrets what she said to the judge and everyone in the court. With this change in her, she impels the book forward. Since Hope knows or at least thinks that her brother is innocent, with the evidence in the second quote, she late develops the idea to unravel the case and prove that Jeremy is guiltless. This is the basic plot of the book. Hope is a very important character in the book, because, without her, there would be no one who attempts to solve the case.
Hope interacts pretty well with the other characters in the book. However, she only talks to the people she knows very well or the people that she adores. For example, she only talks to Rita when she needs something or when they are arguing, but she doesn't like her. An example of someone she admires would be T.J. She talks with him in the book only if they aren't fighting. Basically, she talks or collaborates depending on her mood. At the beginning of the book, Hope dislikes Chase, because he is the sheriff's son. The sheriff, Sheriff Wells, was testifying against Jeremy and did a lot of damage to the defendant's side. However, after Chase gave her a ride, she began to cherish him for helping him out.
Overall, Hope is an extremely sophisticated character in the book. She is the main character in the book, who impels the whole story. Without her, there is no story and without her characteristics, the story wouldn't be marvelous. Although Hope is no the only complex character in the story, it is quite noticeable that the characters undergo many changes which make the story exceedingly interesting. The changes also are some reasons why the book propels forward. The complexity of the characters is crucial to making this story a success.