Jekyll and Hyde Chapter 8

Poole is clearly concerned about Jekyll
1. Utterson gets a surprise visit from Poole, who's worried about Jekyll's irrational behaviour
  1. Poole avoids Utterson's questions
    1. Utterson tells him to "be explicit" but Poole won't say what's happened
      1. Lack of information increases suspense
  2. Poole openly admits he's afraid
    1. By admitting his emotions (rather than hiding them), he makes Utterson realise how serious the situation is
  3. Poole's fear makes Utterson "frightened"
    1. Which then "irritated" him
      1. He's a rational person who's more comfortable dealing with facts than emotions
Terrified servants increase the suspense
1. When Utterson and Poole arrive at Jekyll's house, one of the maids is "hysterical" with fear
  1. Utterson thinks this behaviour is "Very irregular, very unseemly"
    1. Concerned with appearance of order
2. Utterson finds what has been making Poole so anxious
  1. Poole has heard crying from inside the cabinet. He was given a desperate note for the chemist saying "For God's sake...find me some of the old"
    1. Jekyll's desperation is clear from the anxious tone of his letter. There's mystery about why he needs the medicine so badly
  2. Door to the cabinet remains locked - meals are left outside and taken when "nobody was looking"
    1. Locked door is another barrier to revealing Jekyll's secret. There's a sense that something disturbing and dangerous is hidden behind it
  3. Poole saw someone outside the cabinet - if it was Jekyll, it looked like he was wearing a mask
    1. Mask is an important image. It explores the idea of dual personality - Hyde is a disguise which allows Jekyll to commit immoral acts without ruining his respectable reputation
Utterson struggles to find a rational explanation
1. Poole and Utterson have different explanations for what's been going on
  1. Poole's convinced that Jekyll has been murdered by Hyde
    1. He's sure it's Hyde because of the man's appearance and the sense of unease he felt around him
  2. Utterson thinks Poole's explanation is a "wild" tale that doesn't hold up to reason
    1. Believes that Jekyll has an illness which has changed his appearance and caused him to withdraw from society
      1. Shows that Utterson is still looking for a rational explanation
Utterson decides to break the door down
1. Poole convinces Utterson that Hyde murdered Jekyll and that he's still in the cabinet with his victim
  1. Poole says that his explanation is based on "feelings" not "evidence" but feels convinced by it
  2. Highlights the lack of reliable evidence available to Utterson
2. Despite his anxiety, Utterson approaches breaking down the door in a typically logical way - delivers orders and tries to calm the servant's nerves
3. Locked door symbolises barriers to finding and accepting the truth of man's dual nature
  1. Utterson and Poole are "appalled" that they've broken into Jekyll's cabinet - act goes against their usual restraint
  2. Reluctant to disrupt the order of their civilised world
4. ...and finds Hyde dead on the floor inside
  1. Utterson and Poole find Hyde's "sorely contorted" body - but Jekyll is nowhere to be found
    1. "crushed phial" in Hyde's hand shows that he's committed suicide
  2. Glowing fire and cosy room contrast with the horrible discovery of Hyde's body
    1. Highlights the horror of what's happened to Jekyll's ordered existence
  3. "commonplace" room shows that Jekyll was just an ordinary person - emphasises his concerns about the good and bad within him are relevant to everyone
  4. Utterson finds a letter from Jekyll which he goes home to read with Lanyon's account
    1. We're told "this mystery was now to be explained"
Hyde
1. Utterson sees "blasphemies" written on one of Jekyll's favourite religious texts
  1. Shows how Hyde takes pleasure in undermining the good side of Jekyll's personality

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Jekyll and Hyde Chapter 8

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	Created by Niamh Webster about 6 years ago