Poole

• "O, sir... do you think I do not know my master after twenty years?... that thing in the mask was never Dr Jekyll." - 8

  • Evidently Poole is loyal and concerned for the safety of Jekyll
  • The use of the possessive "my" contrasts with the connotation of ownership from "master" which may imply that whilst Poole works for Jekyll, they maintain a two-way working relationship
  • The certainty of "that thing in the mask was never Dr Jekyll" implies that Poole is very aware of his master's idiosyncrasies (mode of behaviour or way of thought peculiar to an individual)
• "Well, he's shut up again in the cabinet; and I don't like it, sir... Mr. Utterson, sir, I'm afraid."


  • Poole shows enough concern about his master to involve himself for the first time in the novella
  • Poole is progressing the narrative by seeking Mr Utterson's help and hischaracter is showing the great deal of care and respect that he has for Dr Jekyll.
  • Additionally, this demonstrates his very respectful nature; he is concerned about his appearance in society shown through the repetition of "sir".
• "doggedly disregarding the question" - loyalty


  • He is hesitant to inform Utterson about his worries about Jekyll for fear that it will hurt him and has worked for the same man for twenty years
  • This demonstrates that he always has his master's best interests at heart when making decisions which concern him, which also may suggest that Dr Jekyll treats him well as an employee.