In what way is

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Asha Pathak – English Coursework- Prose Study Jekyll & Hyde

In what way  “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a novel of secrets where the truth is hard to see?

The aim and purpose of this assignment is to show the way in which “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a novel of secrets and where the truth is hidden and difficult to see. One can see by the title that the it has been described as a Case, and therefore isn’t the same as a story. I will firstly talk about the Victorian society, i.e. particularly privacy and reputation and then the characters Utterson and Enfield will be discussed followed by Jekyll and Hyde. Then their views on privacy and reputation will be closer looked at.

The Victorian era was the time of an industrial revolution, which gave way to a rich country where the class differences were noticeable, especially, within the social classes. The society then was very strict, closed and reserved. This led to people being discreet about their affairs because they wanted to uphold their reputation and privacy.

The character of Mr. Utterson is a lawyer by profession; therefore he should be bound to discretion, tact and diplomacy. Not only because he has a profession that demanded all these characteristics but they are innate in him . The novel reveals that Mr. Utterson despite being a dreary and quiet man (e.g. conversation did not come easily to him) he was self- disciplined and one could also say he was shy and to some extent also unsociable (he liked theatres but did not go to visit one for twenty years). Mr Utterson was forgiving to those who did not have this self- control. He seems a compassionate man especially towards people who were down on their luck. He was seen as a likeable person. This could be because he saw his brother go on a downward spiral and was not able to help him. “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.” He was an extremely private man and almost all of his acquaintances were through blood e.g. his distant kinsman Mr. Enfield or people he had known for many years. He was a very loyal friend/ relative. He was also very observant when he taking in information and spent much time musing over his thoughts.  

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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. ...

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