Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde Essay, Research Paper

Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Chapter 1

The story begins with a description of Mr. Utterson, a lawyer in

London. Mr. Utterson is a reserved, conservative man who does not

reveal his true, vibrant personality. He tolerates the strangeness

and faults of other. Early in his life, he watched as his brother

fell to ruin, and it is noted that he is often the last

respectable person that men who are turning to evil or ruin have

to talk to. This foreshadows Utterson’s involvement with upcoming

evil.

Mr. Utterson is friends with Richard Enfield, although the two are

totally different from one another. They always took walks with

each other on Sundays no matter what else they might have to do.

As they walk down a lane on Sunday that would usually be crowded

with merchants and children during the week, Enfield points out an

old building without many windows, and only a basement door.

Enfield tells a story of how, one night at about 3:00 am, he saw a

strange, deformed man round the corner and bump into a young girl.

The strange man did not stop but simply walked right over the

young girl, who cried out in terror. Enfield rushed over and

attended the girl along with her family. Still, the strange man

carried on, so Enfield chased him down and urged him back. A

doctor was called and Enfield and the doctor felt an odd hatred of

the man, warning the man that they would discredit him in every

way possible unless he compensated the girl. The strange man

agreed to offer 100 British pounds.

Enfield notes that the man is like Satan in the way he seems

emotionally cold to the situation. The strange man presented a

cheque signed by an important person, which they together cashed

the next morning. Enfield states that he refers to the building as

Black Mail House. Utterson asks Enfield if he ever asked who lived

in the building, but Enfield explains that he doesn’t ask

questions about strange things:

“the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask.”

The building appears lived in, and the two men carry on their

walk. Enfield continues that the strange man he saw that night

looked deformed, though he could explain how. Utterson assures

Enfield that his story has caught his interest. The two agree

never to talk about the story again.

Chapter 2

The same evening, Utterson came home. Instead of reading until

sleep at midnight, he poured over the will of his friend Henry

Jekyll, a doctor and very educated man. The will stated that

Jekyll’s possessions and position should be handed over to Mr.

Hyde, a friend that Utterson had never heard nor met. Utterson

went to the house of Dr. Lanyon, an old school and college friend

of Utterson’s and Jekyll’s, and asked him about Hyde, but Lanyon

had never heard of him. Lanyon uses several evil references when

talking about Jekyll, such as “devilish”, and “gone wrong”,

foreboding evil relations between Jekyll and Hyde. Utterson knows

something is wrong between the two. Utterson can’t sleep for the

rest of the night.

Utterson considers how the strange man Enfield spoke of could

trample a child and care nothing for it. Utterson staked out the

door of the strange building looking for the strange man, whom he

also believed was Mr. Hyde. One night, he found him. He confronts

him as he is about to go inside the strange door, and finds the

strange man is indeed Mr. Hyde. Hyde is unpleasant, cool, defiant,

and confident. Utterson convinces Hyde to show his face, and Hyde

suggests Utterson should know his address, implying that he knows

of Jekyll’s will. Utterson refers to Hyde to himself as

“troglodytic”, meaning a primitive human being, detestable and

unpleasant. Utterson decides to try and visit Jekyll at the late

hour.

At Jekyll’s home, he learns from the servants that Hyde never east

dinner at Jekyll’s house, but is always there in the laboratory,

with his own key. The servants rarely see him, but they have

orders to obey him. Utterson leaves, and reflects upon his own

life, what evil deeds he may be guilty of, and what bad things his

friend Jekyll may have done in his life. He decides that this Hyde

must be gravely evil, far worse than anything Jekyll may have ever

done. Utterson decides to try and discover what evil things Hyde

has done and may be doing, but fears that his friend Jekyll will

object. To finish, Utterson again considers the strange will of

Jekyll, specifically that it he disappears for longer than three

months, that his estate should be turned over to Hyde. Utterson

fears that Hyde might kill Jekyll for the will.

Chapter 3

Dr. Jekyll has a dinner party and Utterson attends. Utterson is a

well liked and respected man, by Jekyll as well as anyone.

Utterson stays behind after the party, and talks with Jekyll about

the will. Jekyll tries at first to politely and jovially avoid the

topic towards his scientific rivalry with Dr. Lanyon, but Utterson

insists. Utterson explains that he thinks the will is a bad idea,

and Jekyll wishes to stop talking about it. Jekyll states that he

is in a unique situation that can’t be fixed through talking, but

Utterson promises that he can be trusted to help in confidence.

Jekyll insists that he is in control, that he can be rid of Mr.

Hyde at his own discretion. He begs Utterson to leave the matter

alone. He explains that he has great interest in Hyde, and that

Utterson follow his will and secure Jekyll’s estate for Hyde if

Jekyll passes away. Utterson promises to fulfill this duty.

Chapter 4

One of Jekyll’s maid servants is watching out her window on a

foggy night and sees Hyde and Sir Danvers meet by chance, They

talk under her window, and without warning, Hyde explodes with

rage and strikes Danvers with his heavy cane. Hyde stomped upon

the man, crushing his bones, while the maid faints.

The maid wakes up, calls the police. They find a purse and gold

watch, and an envelope for Utterson on the victim, but no papers

or cards. They find part of Hyde’s splintered, broken cane.

Utterson goes to the police station to see the body. Utterson

identifies the victim as Danvers, and notices that the piece of

cane resembles one he gave to Jekyll a long time ago. Utterson

leads the police to Hyde’s house in Soho. As they arrive at Hyde’s

house, Utterson notices the darkness from the brown fog, and

considers the fear people must have of the law and the police. At

Hyde’s, an very white skinned woman with grey hair and an evil

face tells them she hadn’t seen Hyde for 2 months. At first the

woman protests, but she seems happy to learn that Hyde might be in

trouble.

In the house, Utterson and the police inspector find that only a

few rooms are being used. They find clues to show that Hyde was

responsible for the murder:

Hyde’s clothes had been ransacked, a burnt cheque book, the other

part of the cane, and at the bank, Hyde’s account had several

thousand pounds (British money) in it. The inspector believed that

they could simply catch him when he returned to the bank, but

found that without an accurate description of Hyde, they could not

prepare the bank to recognize Hyde when he came in again.

Chapter 5

Utterson goes to Jekyll’s house, and up to his cabinet (bedroom),

where he finds Jekyll sick, not even getting up to say hello.

Utterson tells Jekyll that Danvers was a client of his and asks if

Jekyll is hiding Hyde. Jekyll declares that Hyde is safe, and

Utterson finds it strange that Jekyll can be so sure. Jekyll gives

Utterson a letter written by Hyde where he apologizes to Jekyll

for causing so much trouble, although Jekyll is afraid that the

letter might harm his own reputation. Utterson finds this a

selfish consideration. Utterson believes that Hyde told Jekyll how

to make his will, and tells Jekyll that he is lucky because Hyde

was going to kill him. Jekyll is upset and says only, Oh what a

lesson I have learned!”. Jekyll tells Utterson that the letter

came to him by delivery, not through the mail, but as Utterson

leaves, he asks the servant, who tells him that no letters came by

delivery…

That night, Utterson has his assistant, Mr. Guest, over to look at

the letter, so that he might hear his thoughts on the matter.

Guest notices that Hyde’s handwriting is the same as Jekyll’s,

except slanted differently. Utterson cannot imaging why Jekyll

would forge Hyde’s letter for him.

Chapter 6

The police’s investigation into Hyde’s background showed that he

had a violent reputation. In the meantime, Jekyll seemed better

than ever in his life. On January 6th, Jekyll had a dinner party,

and Utterson and Lanyon went. However, after that date, Jekyll

refused to allow any visitors. Utterson decides to visit Lanyon,

but finds that Lanyon seems deathly sick, and won’t discuss why

except that he “has had a shock”. He seems that he has been

terrified, and begs not to be reminded of Jekyll.

Utterson goes home and writes a complaint to Jekyll about not

taking visitors, and about Lanyon. The next day, Jekyll replies

that he is sorry and doesn’t blame Lanyon for not wishing to ever

hear of Jekyll again, but doesn’t say why. Jekyll asks Utterson to

let me be alone to suffer for a great evil deed that he has

committed. Utterson feels that there must be some very serious

explanation for the strange behavior of both Lanyon and Jekyll.

A week later Utterson receives a letter from Lanyon. Inside is

another letter marked that it shouldn’t be opened until the time

that Jekyll disappears. Utterson is tempted to open it, but honors

the order on the envelope not to open it yet. Utterson checked in

with Poole, Jekyll’s servant, who said that Jekyll stayed in his

room, laid awake, did not read and was miserable. Utterson tried

to visit less and less.

Chapter 7

On a walk with Richard Enfield again, he and Utterson resolve

never to see Hyde again. Enfield tells that he now knows that the

building Hyde entered that night long ago was Jekyll’s house. As

they strolled by Jekyll’s house, they saw him in a window.

Utterson urges him to come for a walk, but Jekyll refuses. They

agree to talk while Jekyll sits at the window. Suddenly, a look of

terror comes over Jekyll’s face, and the window blind is shut in

front of him, hiding him from the sight of Utterson and Enfield.

Frightened, the two men look at each other. “God forgive us!”

cries out Utterson, and the two men walk on.

Chapter 8

Poole comes to Utterson’s house in a panic, saying that Jekyll is

locked up in his room again. Poole fears that Jekyll has been

murdered and that the killer is still in his room, pacing back and

forth and moaning and crying out. Utterson agrees to go to

Jekyll’s house with Poole. When they arrive, they find all the

house servants crowded around the fireplace in fear of what goes

up in Jekyll’s room. Poole tells Utterson that he wants him to

hear what is going on in Jekyll’s room. They proceed, and Poole

calls out to his master, saying that Utterson is there to visit. A

voice answers that is certainly Jekyll, pleading for Utterson to

leave him alone.

Poole reports that the person in the room tosses out papers with

orders for chemicals from every company in London, but with every

delivery, Jekyll/Hyde refuses them and sends them back claiming

they are not pure. They examine the notes, and find that the

writing is Jekyll’s, but with a strange slant like Hyde’s.

Poole mentions that he saw the person in the room at one point,

but it looked like

Hyde, not Jekyll

Poole and Utterson decide to break down the door and find out what

has happened in Jekyll’s room, using an axe. They post two other

servants near the door to prevent Jekyll/Hyde from escaping should

he get past Utterson and Poole. Utterson and Poole consider that

they face some danger in doing this. While they wait for the other

servants to get into position, they sit in the old surgery

theatre, where Poole describes how Jekyll/Hyde paces back and

forth across the floor and sometimes cries out. After the servants

are ready, Utterson warns Jekyll that he is coming in, and the

voice begs him not to.

They burst in and find Hyde twitching and dying on the floor. They

look around and find various articles, but no sign of Jekyll’s

body. They find chemicals, a book, a cheval-glass, and a strange

drug. They search the house, and still do not find the body.

Utterson finds Jekyll’s latest will and learns that it leaves his

estate to Utterson, not Hyde. Utterson finds this strange because

Hyde was in the room and cold have destroyed this will in favor of

the one that names him the recipient of the will. Utterson finds a

note written in Jekyll’s handwriting, and is afraid to read it.

In it Jekyll says that he has disappeared, that Utterson should

read the letter Lanyon sent, and also Jekyll’s own confession

which is included with this note. Utterson returns to his office

where he will read the two important documents.

Chapter 9 – Lanyon’s Narrative

On January 9th, Lanyon receives a letter from Jekyll. It tells

Lanyon that this is a matter of life and death. Lanyon is to go to

Jekyll’s house, and “The door of my cabinet is then to be forced;

and you are to go in alone; to open the glazed press (letter E) on

the left hand, breaking the lock if it be shut; and to draw out,

with all its contents as the stand, the fourth drawer from the top

or (which is the same thing) the third from the bottom”. This is

to get Jekyll’s drug. Then, Lanyon is to return to his own home’s

consulting room, and wait for a visitor at midnight from Jekyll.

Lanyon does this and finds the drug that Jekyll must have made

because it is not as neatly done as a chemist would do. He returns

to his home and waits for the visitor, keeping a gun with him

(revolver) should he need to defend himself.

At midnight, Hyde shows up, and is very excited to get the drug,

almost crazy, but he stays calm enough. Once Lanyon gives it to

him, a scary smile comes over Hyde’s face. He tells Lanyon that

Lanyon was a fool, and that he would now see proof of

“transcendental medicine”. He drinks the drug and changes into

Jekyll in a terrifying way that haunts Lanyon for the rest of his

few days until he dies. Lanyon ends his letter by saying that he

cannot tell what Jekyll told him because it is too terrible, other

than that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person.