Mr Utterson Flashcards
Chapter 2 Quotes/Analysis
“Mr. Utterson came home to his bachelor house in
sombre spirits and sat down to dinner without relish.”
Sombre spirits suggests Utterson is contemplating the recent knowledge he has obtained, most likely stressed and saddened by it all, thinking about it seriously and deeply. Without relish links back to the quote in chapter 1 ‘He was austere with himself’ despite his hard day he doesn’t allow himself any enjoyment in his dinner, he’s stern and serious as per usual. Bachelor house shows he’s a single man without a partner, a bachelor is a man who is single, these houses can be quite impressive though which shows his wealth and prestige.
” hour of twelve, when
he would go soberly and gratefully to bed. On this night however,
as soon as the cloth was taken away, he took up a candle and went
into his business room. “
The fact Utterson chooses not to read until 12 and go to bed shows he’s denying himself of what would normally be a small luxury on a Sunday, yet he breaks this routine to go to his business room. The phrase ‘as soon as’ shows a sense of urgency to get to his business room and signals an important key event is going to take place to the reader.
“all his possessions were to pass into the hands of his
“friend and benefactor Edward Hyde,” but that in case of Dr.
Jekyll’s “disappearance or unexplained absence for any period
exceeding three calendar months,” the said Edward Hyde should step
into the said Henry Jekyll’s shoes without further delay and free
from any burthen or obligation beyond the payment of a few small
sums to the members of the doctor’s household.”
This is an extremely unusual will and suspicious as we know from this Hyde is a despicable man and for a man of high class blessed with the title of Dr, to be friends with a person like Hyde would be scandalous. The fact Hyde lives in a ‘Blackmail house’ suggests shady business surrounding the will, perhaps Henry Jekyll has a secret that Hyde threatens to expose (e.g. Their duality) that earned him a place in the will. To disappear for 3 months, an exact date suggests there is a danger to Jekyll’s life and foreshadows his death.
” “I thought it was madness,” he said, as he replaced the
obnoxious paper in the safe, “and now I begin to fear it is
disgrace.””
Utterson as a close friend of Jekyll appears to be offended and confused greatly by the will, it spurs an anger in him that his friend from his current knowledge would do something so disgraceful. If we link this back to chapter 1 his behaviour displayed here shows a lack of composure which should he be walked in on would likely put him under close attention and observation, his anger shows this is important to the reader.
