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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Disturbance in Utterson's Mind

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Disturbance in Utterson's Mind
How does Stevenson convey a sense of the disturbance in Utterson’s mind during chapter two of the novel?
Stevenson begins by saying that Utterson’s ‘bachelor house in somber sprits… sat down to dinner without relish’. It clearly states that he was down, upset and disturbed about something. In addition he didn’t follow his normal Sunday routine and ‘went in to his business room’ instead. This obviously tells that something was wrong because he didn’t do what he would usually do on a Sunday. Therefore he didn’t read the bible which he had done every Sunday ‘a volume of some dry divinity because he didn’t think that even god could not help him as he was very troubled.
Then again the will of Henry Jekyll didn’t make it any better. The will meant everything of Henry Jekyll was to go to Edward Hyde. ‘All his possessions were to pass into hands of his friend … Edward Hyde.’ Mr Utterson didn’t like that at all. He ‘had refused to lend any assistance of making of it… long lawyers eyesore… detestable attributes’. This shows that Mr Utterson hated this will made him upset, worried and bothered him because he didn’t know who Hyde was or anything about him.
The talk with Lanyon didn’t help but made it worse ‘you must be the two oldest friends that Henry Jekyll has’ because it made him think more and wonder why wouldn’t he write the name of Lanyon or himself and that made him hate Hyde even more than he already did.
He was so disturbed that he couldn’t even sleep as ‘the small hours of the morning began to grow larger… besieged by question’ this means even when he wanted to sleep his head was filled up with questions. ’but now his imagination also was engaged, or rather enslaved’ this meant that until he didn’t have the answer to his question he wouldn’t stop.
The first nightmare he got was of a man walking really fast and then of a child coming out of a doctor’s clinic. The two figures meet each other and the man had ‘Trod the child down and passed on regardless of her screams’. I think he was so depressed, sad and upset which is why he was remembering what he did with the girl. The nightmares of the man and the child troubled him and the ‘Figure in these two phases haunted the lawyer all night’. ‘Still the figure had no face,’ he was disturbed and thought it was Hyde and wanted to know how he looked like ‘inordinate curiosity to behold the feathers of Mr. Hyde’ I think the lawyer was so depressed and he thought how to avoid his misery so it give him hope. Mr Utterson thought that Mr Hyde wasn’t merciful as describes him as someone ‘without bowels of mercy’. This means that in Mr Utterson mind Mr Hyde had a bad personality and was selfish and cruel. Mr Utterson had ‘enduring hatred’ for Mr Hyde, this clearly shows that Mr. Utterson’s hatred for Hyde would not end.
After the horrible, dreadful and frightening night for Mr Utterson, the night gives him hope and he started looking for Hyde. Utterson ‘began to haunt the door in by the streets of shops’. This tells us that he started looking for Hyde in the shops because he was still disturbed about the will and wanted to talk to Hyde. Mr Utterson didn’t care about anyone and wanted to find Hyde ‘solitude or concourse,’ this tells us that he started looking for Hyde in crowds and started isolating himself.
Just like Utterson saw Hyde opening the front door to Jekyll’s house in dream he saw him doing it in real life so he goes towards him and touches him at the back and asks, ’Mr Hyde?’ I think this shows he wasn’t quite sure but he went for it because he was fed up. Then Hyde said ‘this is my name what do you want’ this gave Utterson a relief. . Stevenson shows the pressure buildings up from the start to find Hyde ‘At last his patience was rewarded’ the writer is trying to give a hint that he might have found Hyde. Then he introduces himself and informs that Jekyll is their common friend. Then Hyde says ‘you will not find Dr. Jekyll; he is from home…blowing in the key ’. This shows a sense of disturbance in Utterson mind because he hasn’t even entered in the house and he is saying that which make Hyde suspicious. Then Utterson asks for a favor and tells him to show his face. At first Hyde hesitates but then he chooses to show his face and then Utterson says ‘it may be useful’ I think he says that because he can tell the police what he looks like if he did something to Jekyll. Then Utterson thinks ‘can he, too have been thinking about the will’ this makes Utterson more suspicious and disturbed about Hyde because he hasn’t entered the house and says he isn’t there and he might be think he has already done something to Jekyll
The lawyer still didn’t get the answer he was hoping to get from Hyde that’s why he chose to visit Jekyll and find some answer there. When he reached the Jekyll his servant Poole opened the door invited him inside and he went to see if Jekyll was there when Poole went to look for Jekyll the lawyer on that time he was definitely disturbed ‘there was a shudder in his blood ‘this tells that he was shaking or he was shaking because of fear what if Jekyll took Hyde’s side.
‘The face of Hyde sat heavy on his memory’ this tells that something was definitely with him because it was really rare for him to act this way. After that it says ‘nausea and distaste’ this tells us he was feeling sick and disliked which might be because if Jekyll takes Hyde side.
Poole came back and said Jekyll was gone out. The Poole said that ‘Mr Hyde has a key … we all have orders to obey Mr Hyde.’ By this he got troubled because he started think that Jekyll might be getting blackmailed and then when he says we all have orders to obey reinforces that he might get black mailed. Then Poole says that ‘he mostly comes and goes from the laboratory’. This makes Utterson think that maybe he has hidden some sort of weapon to kill Jekyll or maybe Jekyll is there.
Then he left Jekyll’s house and started walking back to his house and he thought ‘my mind misgives me he is in deep waters!’ this shows that the lawyer had his mind filled up with doubt about Jekyll. After this he started thinking that it must be something that Jekyll has done in past or tried hiding something he has done in past as well. It says ‘jack in the box’ which translates to hidden secrets that would come out in the future. Then Utterson started thinking that whenever Jekyll did something wrong he would be really sorry and embarrassed about it. Utterson mentions that Jekyll was ‘humble to the dust by many ill things’
Then Utterson starts thinking that Hyde must have his own secrets ‘black secrets… secrets compared to which poor Jekyll’s worst would be like sunshine ‘ and Hyde has much worse secrets than Jekyll. Then he started thinking that if Hyde got to know about the will he would try to kill or harm Jekyll and ‘he may grow impatient to inherit’. He then started thinking that he should help Jekyll and said that ‘I must put my shoulders to the wheel’. This means he will help Jekyll if he lets him. Stevenson shows that Utterson has a sense of disturbance in his mind because he keeps changing his mind and thinks about all the ways he could help Jekyll.

CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY
Two weeks later. Dr Jekyll gives a dinner party for five or six men.
Mr Utterson is the guest who deliberately stays later than everyone else.
He asks about Mr Hyde and the strange will.
Dr Jekyll begs Mr Utterson to let the issue drop saying that he’s taken an interest in Mr Hyde.

CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY
Almost a year later everyone is shocked in London by a terrible crime.
The maid was sitting in her window and saw a old gentle and kind gentlemen asking a young man for directions.
Later she recognizes the young man as Mr Hyde. Suddenly Mr Hyde beats the old man to death.
The maid faints.
Hours later she calls police.
The old man has a letter on addressed to Mr Utterson.
Mr Utterson accompanies a police officer to the crime scene. The body is recognizes as sir Danvers Carew.
The murder weapon is the walking stick which Utterson had given Jekyll some years ago.
Mr Utterson offers to take the police officers to Jekyll house, where the search through everything but are unable to find Mr Hyde.

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