Upper class Victorian society is full of secrets

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Utterson’s repression

forced to repress

utterson’s self control page

Jekyll repressing his evil

person who writes Hyde’s cheque is “the very pink of the proprieties” = epitome of respectability

Jekyll refuses to say why he is so complacent with Hyde’s ways calling it a “private matter”

chooses secrecy because he believes he has everything under control

The repression of speaking about distasteful affairs in the Victorian era is why Jekyll was “concealing my pleasures”. The struggle of keeping this “profound duplicity” is what led to Jekyll taking the potion that transforms him into Hyde and ultimately leads to his death. (wished for secrecy)

Demonstrates through Jekyll how the repression of speaking about distasteful matters in Victorian society will lead to more harm than good, illustrated by Jekyll’s downfall

“this Master Hyde, if he were studied must have secrets of his own; black secrets , by the look of him; secrets to which poor Jekyll’s worst would be like sunshine”
Utterson believes Hyde is the physical manifestation of “the cancer of some concealed disgrace”

Upper class repression

Sir Danvers Carew was out in the streets at “about midnight” suggesting that he was indulging in nefarious acts

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CONTEXT - During the Victorian era, most gentlemen were reserved and didn’t speak of any illegal or immoral acts which cause them to commit those acts in secret = Cycle of duplicity and hypocrisy

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Secrets are presented through pathetic fallacy

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Light vs dark

“the lamp…drawing a regular pattern of light and shadow” - duality between light and dark foreshadowing duality of Jekyll’s personality

Fog

Jekyll’s laboratory - Where Jekyll experiments, “the light was falling dimly through the foggy cupola”. The adjective “foggy” implies that the laboratory and the experiments inside, are obscured and being purposefully hidden by Jekyll. “Light falling dimly” also implies that Utterson can’t clearly see inside of Jekyll’s laboratory, building tension and causing the reader to fear for Utt.
“even in the house, the fog began to lie thickly”
“Chocolate-coloured pall lowered over the heaven” metaphor depicts the fog as a barrier separating Soho from heaven, and therefore God. Since even God, who the deeply religious Victorians would consider as the highest being, cannot see what is occurring in London, it suggests that the secrets are too immoral and hidden for even God to know. </aside>

Upper class Victorian society is full of secrets

Utterson’s repression

Jekyll repressing his evil

Upper class repression

Secrets are presented through pathetic fallacy

Light vs dark

Fog

Withholding of details

Unopened letters

Physically kept secrets

Locked doors

Safes

Blackmail house