Jekyll and
Hyde;
Chapter
notes
Themes Key:
● Duality, Appearance vs Reality
● Desire and Repression, Secrecy and Hypocrisy
● Good vs evil, Natural vs Supernatural
● Curiosity, Religion, Science and evolution
● The Urban landscape
● Friendship, Lies and Deceit
,1) Story of the Door
● Mr Utterson is introduced as “rugged” and “cold...yet somehow lovable”. This
introduces the theme of duality in the novel.
● Utterson also appears to exercise restraint most of the time, being “austere” with
himself and not having gone to the theatre in “twenty years”.
● Ironically, here Mr Utterson says that he prefers to keep out of other’s business, as he
says “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.” This however is contradicted
throughout the entire novel as Utterson delves deeper into the business of his friend,
Henry Jekyll, in order to find out what is wrong.
● Utterson is described with something “eminently human beaconed from his eye”, the
imagery of this very humanness beaconing from his eye giving an almost blinding image
of the humanity of Utterson and how he is. This highlights his contrast in personality to
Hyde, who is also described in this chapter.
● Mr Utterson is also described as the “last good influence in the lives of downgoing
men” which foreshadows the fate of Jekyll, and also links to his humanity being the last
good influence in the evil life of Jekyll too.
● The walks between Enfield and Utterson confuse many, as a “nut to crack”, because
they appear to be such contrasting characters. Enfield is described as the “well-known
man about town” and this is confusing as they put so much store in their walks
together- perhaps this is Utterson’s way of becoming open to the gossip without
deliberately delving by himself.
● They come across a beautiful street that stands out from the rest of its “dingy”
neighbourhood like a “fire in a forest” but a house along this street is shown to stand
out also because “the line was broken” and once again the theme of duality is
presented as the run-down house is shown in contrast to the pleasantness of the rest of
the street.
● The way the street is presented is almost like it is trying to hard to attract attention, being
“veiled in more florid charm” and this duality in the street can be reflected in the
character of Henry Jekyll, who hasn’t been met or mentioned yet. The “sordid
negligence” in the house of Hyde parallels the negligence of Jekyll to those desires and
demonstrates the emergence of the evil within Jekyll as it takes over the house in the
already forcefully-pleasant street. The presence of the house that “thrust forward” itself
forward is similar to the forceful emergence of Hyde to demonstrate not the true nature
of Jekyll or the street, but the hidden and repressed one in this metaphor.
● The house of Hyde is used to reflect a similar nature of the man who owns it; it’s “sordid
negligence” and “neither bell nor knocker” parallel the unwelcoming, rejected and
sinister personality of Edward Hyde and the way his way of life is closed of and separate
from the general public.
, ● Enfield begins to describe his first encounter with the owner of the house as he was
walking home one night at “three o’clock”, implying a suspicious hidden side of Enfield
also and playing into the theme of duality, when he sees two figures in the streets that
are described as “empty as a church” This eerie description of the streets reflects a
lack of moral faith and good people at that time of night and sets the scene for the
presence of Hyde to be introduced.
● Hyde is first seen to “trampled calmly” over a girl like some “damned Juggernaut”
while the girl is left “screaming”. This calm countenance of Hyde reflects his evil nature
as it contrasts the painful screaming of the girl he has injured and this calmness
continues even when Enfield seizes him, describing Hyde as “perfectly cool”. The
horrifying image of a guiltless trampling emphasises the horror of Hyde.
● The first unnatural presence in Hyde is presented in the look he gives Enfield, which the
man describes to “brought out the sweat on me like running.” This reaction can only
be attributed to something evil and unpleasant within Hyde.
● Enfield describes the event as “hellish to see” and when among the other characters
who are attending to the girl, a similarly volatile reaction is brought out in the doctor, who
turned “white with the desire to kill him.” This contrast of the natural instinct in a
doctor to heal vs the instinct to kill Hyde reflect the unnatural presence of evil within
Hyde that contrasts the good of the other characters and brings out unnatural responses
in them, such as the confident Enfield sweating under a look and making the usually
gentle women as “wild as harpies.”
● Hyde is described to respond with a “black, sneering coolness” but is clearly
“frightened” by the threats of the other men. Then there it the key religious quote as
Enfield says that he is really “like Satan.”
● Enfield says that killing Hyde for his actions was the best thing but was not possible, so
instead they go for the “next best thing”. The characters threaten to use their influence
among others against Hyde and to make his name “stink” in London and to ruin his
reputation. This reflects the importance of reputation to gentlemen in the victorian era.
● Enfield and the others fined Hyde with a large sum of money and then when Hyde
entered the very house that triggered the telling of the story and came out with “another
man’s cheque” Enfield says that he was convinced that it was a “forgery” but was
shocked to find that it was “genuine”.
● Enfield clearly states that he believes that Hyde had managed to blackmail some
gentleman into paying for it for some “capers of his youth”, again highlighting the
importance of reputation, and as a result calls the house “Blackmail House” for that
very reason.
● A contrast between Utterson and Enfield is seen in a way, but also a very strong
similarity. Enfield expresses that he does not like to ask questions because it seems to
similar to the “day of judgement” whereas Utterson has subtly been asking questions
to get information about the mysterious Hyde whose name he has seen on Jekyll’s will.
Enfield ironically says “the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask”, however
he seems to be inescapably drawn to gossip, as he just spilled the whole story to
Utterson without much prompting. Utterson also seems to have an innate curiosity as he
