Utterson

Question 1

“he was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone to mortify the taste of vintages”
repression and reputation
chapter 1

‘A man of a rugged countenance… scanty and embarrassed in discourse’
apperance vs relaity

Answer 1

• adjective “austere” connotates to self imposed strictness
• drinking gin was often associated with the lower class and as his “the lawyer” he only drinks it alone to avoid tarnishing his reputation
• it is interesting that he drinks “gin when he was alone” as it has a higher level of alcohol content than wine - drunkenness is associated with withdrawing your inhabitations, it suggests he needs this despite from this austerity on the public sphere. Perhaps he is compensating for this breach in his own austerity by refusing to drink the alcohol he truly desires to cling on to some semblance of austerity

-shows the theme of appearance vs reality.
-‘rugged countenance’ shows that he has a harsh exterior and that he conforms to the rules of a Victorian gentleman, showing no emotions. This gives his voice authority as it is unlikely to be biased by emotionality

Question 2

“wider labyrinths of the city”
duality
chapter 2

Answer 2

• Utterson’s mind is plagued by the thoughts of the “human juggernaut” so much that he becomes fanciful. This serves to introduce the mystery into the novella
• “labyrinths” could be an allusion to the Greek legend of the minitour which could suggest the beast living in the city - could be ambiguous as it could be referring to Hyde or more broadly of the darkness of man
• “labyrinths” could also connotate the state of being lost - foreshadowing how Hyde will be lost to Jekyll

Question 3

“God forgive us, God forgive us”
science vs religon
chapter 7

Answer 3

• Utterson pleading to God reminds us that his morality are stringently laid out by religion - he struggles to navigate the world outside his
• Stevenson may be hinting the trecherous state arising as science promotes a deparutre from religion, it may be a state of uncertanity where solace cannot be found through conventional means, but it could also be a state of oppotrunity.

Question 4

“it is one thing to mortify curiosity, another to conquer it”
chapter 6

Answer 4

• There is a retoric of utterson being at battle with his own human nature
  -The verb “conquer” implies he views it as an accomplishment to overcome his innate traits of “curiosity”
  -He contemplates where to appease his curiosity or not as it could potentially break his trust with Lanyon but could ultimately help Jekyll.