Chapter 5 Incident of the Letter

LP. Stevenson uses the setting of Jekyll’s laboratory in a symbolic way, to comment on the confusion and corruption caused by having a split identity. Re-read the passage describing Utterson’s experience in Jekyll’s laboratory, where he awaits his friend. Highlight and analyse evidence for: The hellishness of Jekyll’s experimentations with Hyde Abandonment, symbolising Jekyll’s abandonment of morality Loneliness, emphasising how Jekyll’s transformations has robbed him of his life Confusion, stressing how uncertain Jekyll’s own future is The duality that is at the core of Jekyll’s secret, and how violent that duality is

“I have had a lesson – O God, Utterson, what a lesson I have had!” LP: While Jekyll seems to be clearing Hyde out of the picture, what he is really doing is getting rid of the blame he has for killing Danvers Carew, even though he is guilty. “I have had a lesson – O God, Utterson, what a lesson I have had!” How does Stevenson convey Jekyll’s despair here?

BUT On his way out, the lawyer stopped and had a word or two with Poole. "By the bye," said he, "there was a letter handed in to-day: what was the messenger like?" But Poole was positive nothing had come except by post; "and only circulars by that," he added. JEKYLL LIES.

GRAPHOLOGY WITH GUEST Re-read the section with Utterson and Guest, in which Guest, “a great student and critic of handwriting”, realises something odd about Hyde’s note. What does Guest conclude? How is this symbolic of the novel as a whole? Why does Utterson lock the note away in the safe? How does this develop your interpretation of the character of Utterson? How does this section develop the theme of CORRUPTION?