Mr. Utterson- Character Analysis - created from Mind Map

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much action seen through Utterson's eyes

"when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye"

All of this makes Utterson quite a unique character. He represents much of the ideals of the Victorian gentleman; he's serious yet human; tolerant of others but strict with himself.

because the subject matter is quite unbelievable, it's really important that Stevenson makes Utterson's character as believable as possible.

To do this, he presents him first and foremost as a "lawyer", a man who is professional and used to strange and particular cases.

He also makes him a very serious character.

"was never lighted by a smile; cold scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow loveable"

Stevenson sets up Utterson's character as someone very serious, dry and not prone to smiling.

However, at the end, he turns to use the adjective "loveable" This encourages a positive response to Utterson from the reader.

Having established that he's serious and not prone to any extremes of personality i.e complete opposite to Jekyll, he then goes on to embellish or decorate his character with some positive traits.

But before we think that he drinks too much we're reminded that he's "austere with himself" and although he likes the theatre he hasn't " crossed the doors of one for twenty years"

So despite the fact that he's quite strict with himself and doesn't go in for sort of frivolities like the theater.

Also learn something very important; he's tolerant of other people. He goes along with a saying of his own, "I let my brother go the-the devil in his own way."

He's always been "inclined to help" rather than "to reprove".

He goes along with a saying of his own, "I let my brother go the-the devil in his own way."

He's a contrast to a character such as Henry Jekyll as he's not thought to have the dual nature within him

Also his tolerance is quite interesting.

As a Victorian there were lots of things that were considered to be wrong or outside of the rules of the society; sex and sexuality was repressed and not spoken of; homosexuality was illegal and despised.

Man and women filled very clear and defined roles and children too were expected to behave according to their class.

It's important, however, that Utterson is all of these things because he needs to be a serious man so that we believe his version of the events, regardless of how shocking or strange they are and similarly he needs to be tolerant because he needs to be the one that Jekyll would open up to about his strange experiences. There is really no one else who can fulfill this role in this story

To be tolerant with something that would not have been shared universally across Victorian society.

needs to be trustworthy but not interesting in himself so that he doesn't distract too much from the other characters of the story

He fills these roles really well; he is, in fact, the perfect character for which the reader can see the world of the novel through.

not judgemental which allows the reader to do the judging of certain things for themselves

trusting of what others tell him which allows the reader to take these reports on their own merit

he's tolerant of others which allows Jekyll to tell him and the reader the events of the story.