The Mad Hatter/Jefferson Character Analysis (2024)

March 26, 2012 at 1:49 am#134028

midnight dreary

Participant

For general discussion on the character of Mad Hatter/Jefferson.

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March 27, 2012 at 10:17 am#139934

mickey

Participant

What I’m wondering about Jefferson is how did he know that Emma is special and has magic. Who told him about it? How did he know so much about what was going on in SB? What do you guys think?

March 27, 2012 at 11:28 am#139939

hjbau

Participant

I think he decided that because when Emma came into town and the clocked ticked and things started changing that she has magic. That she can change things.

March 29, 2012 at 2:10 am#140254

enchantedone

Participant

There is so much I want to know about Jefferson. But I think if a guy is stuck in a house with nothing but telescopes to watch the comings and goings then he is pretty familiar wh=ith everyone and there routines. He had to notice when the very first stranger entered the town, and when the clock started ticking. He had plenty of time to watch and see that things started changing when Emma showed up. Clearly he has knowledge of magic and knows when it is changed it is because of some other type of power or magic. Questions I would like answered are:

What is his relationship to the queen?
How did he get that hat and all that knowledge about it…maybe him and the Queen went to hogwarts together… 😛
Also why did he make a map of the area in and around Storeybrooke? Was he looking for a way out maybe? He said all of the worlds pressed up against eachother, maybe he was looking for another way to get home other than the hat.

March 29, 2012 at 9:13 pm#140296

cruel_fortuna

Participant

I’m most curious about the line of work he was in that caused him to lose his wife.
Part of me thinks that before he came to Wonderland & became the Mad Hatter, he fist procured the hat (which someone, I believe not Jefferson imbued with magic ) & met Grace’s mother.
I’d be really interested in knowing his back-story in regards to his wife & I’d like to know if Regina ever met her.

March 30, 2012 at 10:01 am#140341

Snickerdoodle

Participant

So I’m thinking last night after listening to the podcast about the summary given for this episode:

“Hat Trick” – While searching for a missing Mary Margaret, Emma is kidnapped by a man whose affinity for hats has him teetering on the edge of madness. Meanwhile, viewers will be transported outside of the fairytale land that was for the first time when the Evil Queen persuades a skillful man of magic to come work for her one last time and travel to Wonderland in order to help steal something from the Queen of Hearts,

Two things stand out in this episode summary — Jefferson is called a skillful man of magic and the Queen persuades him to work for her one last time.

The working for her one last time lends credence to her having know him previously, and him having worked for her other times. I think she says to him when confronting him at his home “this one last thing” when she hands him the paper to read.

She also comments on his position in life now, asking how he can live there, making me think he once had a lot more and had been used to a much richer kind of life, if you will.

The summary also states he is a skillful man of magic, not that he is a man with a magic hat.So I am wondering if there is more to Jefferson than we know?

What I thought of last night was who would have magic and be in a position of wealth? Perhaps a court magician. Which then made me think of Merlin, which then made me think of Wart, who was the magicians apprentice in Sword in the Stone, which then made me think of Mickey Mouse as the magician’s apprentice in Fantasia. So then I thought, what if Jefferson was a magician’s apprentice with great promise, who worked for Regina at one time, but who had something go terribly wrong and “lost” his wife, and so he gave up magic?

That’s where my train of thought took me, so wanted to get it down before I forget. Choo! Choo!

March 30, 2012 at 11:36 am#140368

Slurpeez

Participant

Jefferson is a powerful man of magic, and Regina said she was impressed when he transported them via the magic hat. I’m wondering if Jefferson was the wizard who enchanted Red’s cloak to prevent her from shifting into her wolf form.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

April 14, 2012 at 2:04 am#142103

sam993

Participant

Sebastian Stan did an amazing job embodying the Mad Hatter. Jennifer Morrison did a great job too. They both have amazing chemistry.

You kinda can see with Jefferson’s body language, touch, and movement towards Emma, how insane he really is. In his eyes, Emma is his new hope. His new little hat that fits him perfectly. I love how close they get when it’s obvious that he just loves her for her magic. Maybe he also thinks she’s quite pretty and everything, but that I’m not sure. Emma is perhaps the only one that can actually understand him and he likes and relies on it.

Won’t lie. thought the Mad Hatter will be a redundant character because I thought Rumpelstilskin is quite mad himself and shows it too with his body language and crazy movement, and voice, but Sebastian Stan actually shows what being Mad really is. It’s not just the obviously characteristics (crazy mumbling, crazy voice, and crazy looks ), but it’s about devoting yourself to one idea, to one way, ignoring the rules that the world sets upon us, rejecting the feeling of isolation, and not being able to control your own self (case in point, the tempting movements towards Emma, the abundance of useless hats).

Oh, gosh, I hope he’s gonna be a regular.

April 14, 2012 at 2:29 am#142110

hjbau

Participant

I think Jefferson can come back from the madness. If he is able to work with Emma to try and end the curse. Though Emma would have to get past the fact that he was waving a gun in Mary and her’s faces and the whole kidnapping thing. Though if she believes they may be able to become more normal allies in the future. If he survives the end of the season. A lot is dependent on who survives the end of the season.

April 14, 2012 at 2:30 am#142113

dorothy

Participant

@Sam993 wrote:

I love how close they get when it’s obvious that he just loves her for her magic.

I love how when Emma called Jefferson crazy for talking about his belief in magic, and he just stared at her for awhile just blinking in shock. You can see in face that his brain is just setting off sparks, “Y U NO BELIEVE IN MAGIC EMMA?!”

As unstable as that poor guy is, I hope he’ll become one of Emma’s allies. We all know she could use some right now.

The Mad Hatter/Jefferson Character Analysis (2024)

FAQs

What are the characteristics of the Mad Hatter? ›

Personality. While the Hatter is loud, eccentric, and insane like the rest of Wonderland's residents, he is also rather charming and can be mild-mannered from time to time, particularly when dealing with visitors such as Alice.

What personality type is the Mad Hatter? ›

MBTI Type: ENFP

Hatter often speaks in abstractions, but also catches on to things quickly – he saves Alice from being captured by leading the Knight in a mental game of wit. He often banters with and insults people without them realizing it, then cackles at his own cleverness.

What are the character traits of Jefferson in a lesson before dying? ›

Jefferson is an innocent man whose only crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is not educated and, at first, he is easily manipulated by other folks. He also has a stubborn streak. But as the story progresses, Jefferson begins to develop his own thoughts and beliefs.

Is Jefferson the Mad Hatter? ›

Jefferson, also known as the Mad Hatter, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the seventeenth episode of the first season. He is portrayed by guest star Sebastian Stan, and is the Enchanted Forest counterpart of Jefferson. Jefferson is based on the Mad Hatter from the novel, Alice in Wonderland.

What disorder does the Mad Hatter represent? ›

The diagnosis the Mad Hatter seems to fit best is Borderline Personality Disorder (301.83). He displays this among Mally and the Hare. He is constantly changing his mood and one minute is harsh to them, and the next minute he thinks they have the greatest idea ever.

Why does the Mad Hatter change personalities? ›

Hatter decides to leave from home after a misunderstanding fight with his father. Mad Hatter experiences a traumatic childhood event that affects his life and it may lead him to the life sense of fear and regret. After experiencing a traumatic childhood, Mad Hatter starts to have change in his personality.

What makes a Mad Hatter mad? ›

In medieval Europe , mercury was used in medicine and manufacturing. Later, hatmakers commonly cured felt using a form of mercury called mercurous nitrate. As the hatmakers inhaled mercury vapors over time, many experienced neurological symptoms of mercury poisoning. By 1837, “mad as a hatter” was a common saying.

Why is Mad Hatter obsessed with Alice? ›

Instead, he's embraced his persona as the Mad Hatter and may see Alice as both a source of affection and the chance to escape his reality by creating a Wonderland of his own. With Alice at his side, it would confirm the life he made was nothing like the reality he nurtured.

What are some characteristics of Jefferson? ›

Thomas Jefferson was a man of relentless curiosity—fascinated by the world around him, always learning from what he encountered, and never saying no to the call for public service.

What makes Jefferson a hero in A Lesson Before Dying? ›

Indeed, Jefferson attains heroism by putting Miss Emma's interests before his own and walking bravely to his death, making Emma happy and proud. It may be that all people are capable of such displays of heroism, even if only a few of them ever prove it.

Does Jefferson get killed in A Lesson Before Dying? ›

As he watches the butterfly, he realizes that the execution is finally over. Consequently, when Paul arrives to deliver the news of Jefferson's death, he accepts it calmly. He also accepts Jefferson's diary and Paul's offer of friendship.

What kind of person is the Mad Hatter? ›

The “Mad Hatter” … we've all heard of this eccentric character from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland from 1865. He was a character classified as “mad” or also referred to as crazy or prone to erratic behavior.

Is the Mad Hatter a good guy? ›

Answer and Explanation: No, the Mad Hatter is not a villain in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He is an ultimately benign individual, despite his odd behavior. Like Wonderland's other inhabitants, he wishes to go about his day without incurring the wrath of the Queen of Hearts, the temperamental ruler of Wonderland.

Why is he called the Mad Hatter? ›

While Carroll only ever referred to this character as 'The Hatter', he became widely known as 'the Mad Hatter' for his colorful and eccentric behavior, and the illustrations by so many artists that accompanied the numerous versions of the publication over the decades.

Is the Mad Hatter good or bad? ›

No, the Mad Hatter is not a villain in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He is an ultimately benign individual, despite his odd behavior. Like Wonderland's other inhabitants, he wishes to go about his day without incurring the wrath of the Queen of Hearts, the temperamental ruler of Wonderland.

What is Mad Hatter obsessed with? ›

Tetch often quotes and makes reference to Carroll's Wonderland novels, and sometimes even fails to discern between these stories and reality. In addition to his obsession with Lewis Carroll, Tetch has also shown an additional obsession with hats.

What kind of a person do you think Hatter is? ›

The Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Alice in the Looking Glass. He is considered “mad” because he is a bit crazy.

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