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How far would you go for a friend? Would you go completely against your character to learn if they were in trouble and would you do everything you could to protect them? In the story 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' a lawyer by the name of Mr. Utterson did exactly this for one of his friends. Dr. Jekyll was a lifelong friend and over the course of this story, strange things begin to happen which pushes Mr.
Utterson to involve himself in a series of events which would leave him with more questions than answers.
When Jekyll mysteriously disappears a strange man named Mr. Hyde takes his place and causes many problems. For the sake of his relationship and the well being of his friend, Mr. Utterson went completely against his character, torn between good and evil.
Mr. Utterson was a lawyer who was a modest man in his town who was loved by all his friends.
'Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable.' This shows that he had many friends despite not having the warmest embrace. He is very respected in his town and is surrounded by many other respectable people. 'His friends were those of his own blood or those whom he had known the longest; his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object.
Hence, no doubt the bond that united him to Mr.
Richard Enfield, his distant kinsman, the well-known man about town.'
Most of the people he accompanies are family or people he has known for such a long time that he considers them family. This will lead him to make decisions he otherwise wouldn't make for the safety of his friend. Mr. Utterson threw himself into unlikely situations despite claiming to mind his own business because of an unknown man that was seen around town. 'I incline to Cain's heresy,' he used to say quaintly: 'I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.' In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of down-going men. And to such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour.”
This explains that, normally, Mr. Utterson wouldn’t even bat an eye to someone’s troubles because it would only be an inconvenience. However, once Utterson was informed of the disfigured man named Mr. Hyde, he made it his obligation to meet him. 'If he be Mr. Hyde,' he had thought, 'I shall be Mr. Seek.' And at last his patience was rewarded.” This shows how determined Mr. Utterson is at finding Mr. Hyde not only due to Dr. Jekyll’s will but also to the outrageous stories that are tied to his name. Once the pair met Mr. Utterson’s obsession with the mysterious Hyde began. Mr. Utterson couldn’t get Mr. Hyde out of his mind and began to worry about what he has over his friend Dr. Jeykll. He met with Jekyll and explained, “Jekyll,' said Utterson, 'you know me: I am a man to be trusted. Make a clean breast of this in confidence, and I make no doubt I can get you out of it.'
This shows that his concern for his friend's safety trumped his idea of staying out of ones’ business after hearing of the horrible things Mr. Hyde has done. Utterson was so intrigued by Hyde that when the murder of Danvers occurred he immediately offered his help. 'Is this Mr. Hyde a person of small stature?' he inquired. 'Particularly small and particularly wicked-looking, is what the maid calls him,' said the officer. Mr. Utterson reflected; and then, raising his head, 'If you will come with me in my cab,' he said, 'I think I can take you to his house.' This shows that Mr. Utterson is too invested in teh life of Edward Hyde that he will involve himself in anything that includes him just so he can gain an understanding of this character. Mr. Utterson was so worried for his friend Dr. Jekyll that he went to great lenghts to try and protect him. “Poole,' replied the lawyer, 'if you say that, it will become my duty to make certain. Much as I desire to spare your master's feelings, much as I am puzzled by this note which seems to prove him to be still alive, I shall consider it my duty to break in that door.'
This shows that despite trying to respect Henry Jekyll’s feelings he was concerned enough about his well being he decided to break down the door. Once the door was down all of Utterson’s questions were answered by the note that was left to him by Dr. Jekyll himself. “I crossed the yard, wherein the constellations looked down upon me, I could have thought, with wonder, the first creature of that sort that their unsleeping vigilance had yet disclosed to them; I stole through the corridors, a stranger in my own house; and coming to my room, I saw for the first time the appearance of Edward Hyde.” This explained Jekyll’s ability to separate his inner good and evil is what led to the creation of Mr. Hyde and Mr. Utterson’s interest in him. People are willing to do crazy things for the people they care about and Mr. Utterson was no exception. He felt the need to go outside his comfort zone to protect a friend in trouble regardless of all the trouble it caused. Mr. Hyde caused trouble everywhere he went, he hurt many people and even resorted to murder, yet somehow, Dr. Jekyll was still associated with him. Out of pure concern, Mr. Utterson tried his best to help only to find out Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde was one in the same. When contemplating about involving yourself in other people’s business think about what you will find, are you willing to seek the truth, and is it worth it?
The Creepy Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (2021, Dec 15). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-creepy-story-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-essay
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