Mr. Richard Enfield was Mr. Utterson’s distant relative. Although they spent time with each other one could suggest they had not that much in common. “It was reported by those who encountered them in their Sunday walks, they said nothing, looked singularly dull, and would hail with obvious relief the appearance of a friend.” As described as a “well- known” person in town he was quite the opposite of Utterson. He was free of speech and it looked as though he rarely kept things to himself. It is debatable whether he interoperates things correctly as pointed out by Mr. Utterson “…Richard, your tale has gone home. If you have been inexact at any point, you had better correct it.” He seemed like an opportunist and took advantage of a situation e.g. the black- mailing incident with Mr. Hyde and the child. Although one has to be suspicious as to why Mr. Enfield was out so late at night.
Mr. Jekyll is a doctor from the middle- class who respected science. He was a very curious man and believed with the help of scientific experiments he could split his own personality into two units, one good and one evil. He is well known for his charity and goodness, a man of conscience who was also attractive.
Mr. Hyde is the primitive side of Mr. Jekyll, his appearance displeased people i.e. they cringed at his looks. He resolved his issues with physical and mental violence e.g. after clash with the girl on the street corner, he pays no attention to her cry and began to trample over her. This shows a lack of compassion and conscience.
Utterson has a high regard for privacy as shown in the extract when talking to Enfield who reveals the address of where Mr. Hyde had put the key in the lock. Mr. Utterson knew of the person living there but did not let on how well. His honesty is high- lighted here as he asks Enfield if there is something to amend in his statements about the incident between Hyde and the child. Another example is where Mr. Utterson keeps quiet when the police inquired about the death of Sir Danvers Carew. Mr. Utterson is a man who protects his private affairs along with those of others and their reputation.
Mr. Enfield shows however that he is less private than Mr. Utterson e.g. by telling him about the incident between the girl and the evil- looking man even to the point where black- mailing Mr. Hyde along with the girl’s family and the doctor. Surely a better solution would have been to call the police to resolve the problem. This suggests that Enfield is not as honourable as Utterson. Although he has some regard for honour and privacy e.g. his conversation with Mr. Utterson about the drawer of the cheque and where he lived.
Mr. Jekyll, having a split personality as Mr. Hyde is kept secret from everyone else especially the experimentation into creating his dark side. This shows that privacy and reputation is vital here for him because of the jeopardy he would put himself in if being found out. What he was doing was monstrous and he feared the disrespect he would get if his secret were to be broadcasted. After Jekyll accepted Hyde had become overly violent it was necessary to keep anyone from knowing they were one of the same.
Mr. Hyde, being the dark side of Mr. Jekyll also had to watch his back. He had no conscience and therefore never looked back on his actions. However his encounter with Enfield, the doctor and the child’s family over the incident of the injured girl indicated that he needed his identity to remain hidden and therefore agreed to pay the money he was black- mailed for.
One could suggest the meeting between Sir Danvers Carew and Mr. Hyde which led to his murder, was not planned because Carew was expecting Jekyll and not Hyde. The letter found in Carew’s pocket addressed to Utterson could suggest that maybe Utterson was his lawyer or perhaps there was something more suspicious e.g. he may have been hiding something about Jekyll. It could be Carew had an important message for him.
The description of the weather and the city of London adds to the setting of the story giving it atmosphere and adds suspense to the story i.e. that the tale is moody. Fog resembles the secrets of people wishing to hide something e.g. Hyde’s criminal activities. Soho, an area in London is described as a dirty place “like a district of some city in a nightmare”.
In conclusion the characters in Stevenson’s novel high- light opposites; Utterson a righteous, honest man. One could argue he is diplomatic because of his profession but this also indicates that he is not at all like his relative Mr. Enfield as he seemed to react in the exact opposite way. With Jekyll and Hyde it’s a similar more extreme situation. Mr. Jekyll is described as man who is a well- respected figure amongst society whereas Mr. Hyde is a violent man who has no sense of morality. What Stevenson is trying to high- light is that between Utterson and Enfield there are differences to be made as also between Jekyll and Hyde. In this case it is one person sharing a dual personality.
The language the author uses is very much formal and depicts sense of horror and conveys darkness upon the reader e.g. the fog and the setting of the story. The tale remains mysterious and is left for people to interpret in their own way. Secrets are everywhere. It is part of human nature and completely natural. This is further helped by the closed society of the Victorians.