english

• Utterson


  Epitomises respectability and is a paragon of the Victorian gentleman
• Utterson tries to uphold the rigid Victorian ideals


  His indulgence in his curiosity around Jekyll and Hyde shows even the most respectable gentleman have subtle duality
• There is a morbid fascination and duality that lies beneath the facade of even the most refined Victorian gentleman
• Utterson may not exhibit the exaggerated dualism of Jekyll but he has his own suppressed desires and darker curiosity reinforcing this duality
• Repression is a universal aspect of human nature even in individuals who are actively conformed to society norms like being a Victorian gentleman
• The verb 'mortify' and 'Conquer' juxtapose each other which could illustrate the way Victorian gentlemen repress themselves, it could've been done to show that it is easier to push away evil than to face it
• Stevenson's hyperbolic transition of Jekyll and Hyde is to illustrate the harmful consequences of the upheld ideals of the Victorian gentleman
• Stevenson critiques and illustrates that the repression of true desires only contributes to the creation of evil and barbaric individuals
• The inner struggle between good and evil challenges the simplistic portrayal of Victorian gentleman suggesting that beneath their polished exterior they may harbour dark desires and impulses
• Jekyll's manufactured facade is unorthodox for a man of his age illustrating the sterilising effects of the expectations of oppressing true desires
• Stevenson mocks the Victorian obsession with the repression illustrating that it has an inverse effect
• The more society encourages and enforces repression, the more individuals regress back into their primitive and barbaric form