Secrecy and reputation

• Jekyll and Hyde relationship

  The deepest secret in the novella, used by Stevenson to create tension and suspense
• Jekyll


  • Respectable, model gentleman: courteous, wide circle of acquaintances, charitable, supports the Church
  • Retains his dark secret, which if exposed would result in his utter ruination
• Stevenson presents other characters who appear to retain secrets or fail to disclose information about their behaviour
• Characters withholding information


  • Lanyon refuses to tell Utterson why he had a disagreement with Jekyll
  • Enfield and Carew do not disclose why they are out walking the London streets late at night
• Purpose of characters withholding information

  To protect their reputation or the reputation of others
• Utterson


  • Attempts to only do good though he desperately tries to avert any form of scandal which could impair Jekyll's reputation
  • Does not share his suspicions about Jekyll in order to shield him from any public disgrace
  • Motivated to maintain the appearance of respectability and propriety even though he is aware of the depravity of Hyde's actions
  • Remains steadfast in his belief that Jekyll's reputation must be upheld
• Stevenson continually references locked doors and windows, and letters with information that must not be read, which all heighten the sense of mystery of what is not being revealed to the reader
• Stevenson uses the door and lock in "The Story of the Door" to suggest how they can prevent the true nature of a person from being revealed
• Pathetic fallacy and the descriptions of the fog are used to create an atmosphere of concealment
• Stevenson's intention


  • To convey how reputation is based merely on one's appearance to society, rather than one's actual conduct, leading to ideas about hypocrisy
  • To demonstrate the extent to which the characters place reputation and respectability above responsibility