\u201cMr Utterson the lawyer was a man of rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow loveable.\u201d
\n1. Utterson\u2019s physical appearance is described as being of \u2018rugged countenance\u2019. This means he seems abrasive and rough and tough. We are also told that he never smiles. This would lead us to believe he is unemotional. All of this suggests he is a man who keeps himself to himself.
\n2. This idea of him as unemotional is reinforced by the description of his character when he is described as \u201ccold\u201d \u201cdusty\u201d and \u201cdreary\u201d. These are all words which have connotations of something that is old, hermitic, abandoned, worn and bored or boring. However there is one word that changes this opinion and depiction of him \u2013 the word \u2018lovable\u2019. This is in opposition to everything we\u2019ve just been told and it reveals that many people actually like Mr Utterson. We find out this is because he is an intensely loyal friend and was often \u2018the last good influence in the lives of down-going men\u2019. He will stand by his friends to the very end, no matter what crimes or acts they have committed and he will continue to be a positive anchor in their lives.
\n3. Mr Enfield and Mr Utterson are described as two very different men. Mr Enfield is a man about town and we are told many saw it as \u201ca nut to crack for many, what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common.\u201d Their friendship may be based on these differences, they complement each other. Where Mr Enfield is gregarious and boisterous; Mr Utterson is resigned and listening.
\n4. The reader\u2019s impression of the street and the shops on it is that they are inviting. The shop fronts are pleasant and appealing. There is colour everywhere and the by-way is clear and clean.
\n5. Stevenson creates an eerie atmosphere at the door and its section in the street. The door is set in the gable end of a building which butts out into the street. This makes it obvious to everyone as it literally sticks out. However everything else about the building suggests that the owner would like to be unobtrusive. The windows are clean but the shutters are usually closed. This suggests that the owner would like to see out but doesn\u2019t want others to see in. The gable leads into a court yard which adds a further element of trying to stay hidden. We are told there is \u2018no bell or knocker\u2019 which suggests the owner either expects no visitors or doesn\u2019t want any. We are told that \u2018bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence\u2019. This suggests that it had undergone a long period of neglect. The place is so disused that tramps and children use the space.
\n6. By the time we get to Mr Enfield\u2019s story the mood has been set. This mood is an unsettled one, we are expecting something strange or sinister to happen.
\n7. By the time we meet Mr Hyde, the reader, Mr Enfield and the doctor all have the same reaction towards him. Everyone encountering Mr Hyde experiences disgust and rage. We are told that Mr Enfield had taken \u2018a loathing to my gentleman at first sight\u2019. The word choice here evokes emotions of pure hatred and repugnance.
\n8. Hyde, we are told, is standing \u2018with a kind of black sneering coolness \u2013 frightened too\u2026 but carrying it off really like Satan\u2019 in reaction to the crowd. His \u2018sneer\u2019 shows us that he thinks he is above these people and this situation and that he doesn\u2019t care for the little girl. He is also a little worried about what will happen but that is probably to do with the size of the crowd. The comparison with Satan shows us that the character Hyde is truly evil.
\n9. Mr Enfield\u2019s attempts to get compensation for the girl do not clarify the situation, they instead deepen the mystery. This is because it is very strange that Mr Hyde could walk into a cellar door and come out with a cheque that will give him \u00a3100 when presented to the bank and in the name of Dr Jekyll. We wonder what the connection is between the two men. <\/p>\n
1. Stevenson shows that Utterson is very disturbed by his new knowledge of Hyde as we witness him going home and worrying about it. We are told he sits down to his dinner \u2018without relish\u2019 \u2013 strange for a wealthy man who hasn\u2019t eaten all day. After dinner he goes to his study and consults Jekyll\u2019s will when usually he would read by the fire. He then dwelled on Mr Hyde all night causing nightmares in his sleep.
\n2. Utterson visits Lanyon to see if he knows who Hyde is.
\n3. Lanyon and Jekyll have not spoken in some time, it turns out as Lanyon feels Jekyll has become too fanciful for science. They have fallen out because of this disagreement of moral scientific judgement.
\n4. Setting and sound are used to illustrate Utterson\u2019s obsession with Hyde. We are told he paces the streets of London in search of the man. The streets at night are \u2018as clean as a ballroom floor\u2019 \u2013 clean and deserted and pristine, the city \u2018growls\u2019 suggesting a warning of imminent danger and \u2018sounds carried far\u2019 highlighting how empty of life the London streets are and giving a sense of danger as Utterson is unwatched and therefore unprotected.
\n5. Utterson\u2019s first meeting with Hyde shows them as both being stand-offish and wary. Hyde is incredibly taken aback by Utterson and Utterson is already predisposed to dislike Hyde as he thinks he is blackmailing Jekyll.
\n6. On cross-examining Poole, Jekyll\u2019s butler, Utterson discovers that Hyde has full access to Jekyll\u2019s house via the back door and visits regularly. This only confirms in Utterson\u2019s mind that Jekyll is being blackmailed. <\/p>\n
1. Hosts like to keep Utterson back at the end of an evening because he is a good advisor. He is also an excellent listener and people like to use him as a sounding board for their ideas.
\n2. Jekyll seems to be a warm and genial man. He is welcoming and seems quite upbeat.
\n3. However, when Utterson raises the topic of Hyde, Jekyll gets annoyed and tries to change the topic. This is one of the few times we see him snap.
\n4. Jekyll\u2019s reaction to Lanyon is one of distrust and dismissal. He calls the man an \u2018ignorant pedant\u2019 because they have disagreed on points of science.
\n5. Utterson wants Jekyll to confide in him. Jekyll won\u2019t but tells Utterson what he wants him to do \u2013 stick to the instructions in the will, especially the instruction that should Jekyll disappear then Hyde gets everything. Jekyll wants this to happen so badly he is pleading with Utterson. This increases the sense of mystery and secrecy because we now believe Jekyll is hiding something bad.
\n6. The title of the chapter is \u2018Dr Jekyll was quite at ease\u2019. There is some irony here as he begins the chapter relaxed but then by the end is distraught with thoughts of Mr Hyde. The chapter is an opportunity for the reader to meet Dr Jekyll, it allows Mr Utterson to interview Jekyll and it is so short to emphasise the change in Jekyll\u2019s character. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cMr Utterson the lawyer was a man of rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow loveable.\u201d 1. Utterson\u2019s physical appearance is described as being of \u2018rugged countenance\u2019. This means he seems abrasive and rough and tough. We … Continue reading Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde chapter 1-3 notes<\/span>