Discuss the idea of duality in "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

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Discuss the idea of duality in "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"

In "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," it is not only Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde who share this form of human duality. It is mirrored from the start of the book with the introduction of the central character of the book, Mr. Utterson, the lawyer. The key character which the narration follows seems to be rather a dull character, "never lighted by a smile", "cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse." Yet one of the key motifs of the story, is the duality of human nature and from the first page, Stevenson employs it by also describing Utterson as "lovable." "When the wine was to his taste, something eminently beaconed from his eye, something indeed which never found his way into his talk, but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner face... He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify his taste of vintages." Utterson also drinks gin, which at the time was a cheap-working class drink. This also is accentuated by "drinking it alone" as if he has his own secrets,