Utterson

• "he had an approved tolerance for others" - Chapter 1

  • Utterson is accepting of people's mistakes and does not judge them
  • He values friendship over reputation, makes him well-liked
  • The novel is told in his POV because he has 'access' to all main characters and is respected
• "the last good influence in the lives of down-going men"- Chapter 1

  • Foreshadowing - Utterson will end up as one of Jekyll's last friends --> shows that he's loyal, reliable and trustworthy which makes the reader be able to trust him
• "though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years" - Chapter 1

  • self-restraint & strictly abides the rules --> ideal Victorian gentleman
• "reclined to help rather than to reprove" - Chapter 1

  • rare for Victorians who were extremely concerned with reputation as not many would support you through scandals or hard times --> he's loyal, reliable and morally grounded
• "You have not been mad enough to hide this fellow?" - Chapter 5

  • Utterson isn't afraid to speak his mind
  • He uses logic & reasoning like a detective to uncover the mystery, he's also reliable and straightforward --> makes him perfect character to follow the story through with as he provides a moral lens through which we can see the flaws of other characters
• "Hosts loved to detain the dry lawyer [...] sobering their minds in the man's rich silence"

  • Utterson isn't the life of the party but someone that everyone is comfortable with in silence
  • He's a central figure in Jekyll's friendship circle (theme of friendships) --> gives the readers the perfect perspective to look at the story
  • Utterson has social advantages e.g. able to understand the conflict between Dr Lanyon and Jekyll
• "professional honour and faith to his dead friend" - Chapter 6

  • Victorian restraint stops him from finding out the truth about Jekyll and Hyde
  • Keeps Lanyon's promise of not opening the letter even though he's dead (“not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr Henry Jekyll.”) -->morally grounded and trustworthy
• "If he be Mr Hyde [...] I shall be Mr Seek" - Chapter 2

  • Devices- pun, juxtaposition, Imperative: language to show motivation
  • 'Hyde' and 'Seek' portrays a childish game but has a sinister meaning behind it
• "plainly seized with one of those maladies that torture and deform the sufferer [...] it's plain and natural" - Chapter 8

  • Utterson looks for a rational explanation for Jekyll's situation
  • He tries to keep Jekyll's reputation intact
  • 'malady' = an illness or disease --> would explain Jekyll's change in voice and face, and it would also make sense Jekyll would be anxious to get medicine to heal.
• "I incline to Cain's heresy [...] I let my brother go to the devil in his own way"

  • Context: Cain & Abel were the sons of Adam, Cain murdered Abel. Utterson indulges misbehaviour without judgment and doesn't feel compelled to impose his values on others. --> foreshadows what he does with Jekyll's situation, he turns a blind eye until he has to get involved