CHAPTER 5 - LETTERS

The "Gaunt and Silent" Laboratory

"theatre, once crowded with eager students and now lying gaunt and silent, the floor strewn with crates." The setting for Utterson's meeting with Jekyll, reflecting the "decay" and "strangeness" of the doctor’s current life.

Jekyll’s "Deathly Sick" Appearance

"sat Dr. Jekyll, looking deathly sick. He did not rise to meet his visitor, but held out a cold hand." Jekyll’s state after the murder shows that he is "shaken" and physically ravaged by the "horror" Hyde committed.

The "Honour" Vow

"I bind my honour to you that I am done with him in this world." Jekyll attempts to use Victorian "honour" as a barrier to reassure Utterson that Hyde is "safe" and will "never more be heard of."

The "Lesson" from God

"I have had a lesson—O God, Utterson, what a lesson I have had!" Jekyll’s exclamation to Utterson, suggesting his "remorse" is a genuine "chastisement" for his "double existence."

Poole’s News on the Letter

"Poole was positive nothing had come except by post." This contradiction causes Utterson’s "fears to be renewed," as he realizes the letter from Hyde must have been "written in the cabinet."

The "Ticklish" Decision

"It was, at least, a ticklish decision that he had to make." Utterson’s struggle over whether to report the letter, fearing he might "involve the good name" of his friend in a "scandal."

The "Drowned City" Atmosphere

"The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city, where the lamps glimmered like carbuncles." A poetic "Urban Gothic" description of London that mirrors Utterson’s "smothered" and "muffled" state of mind.

Mr. Guest’s Analytical Eyes

"Guest's eyes brightened, and he sat down at once and studied it with passion." The head clerk is presented as a "man of counsel" and a "critic of handwriting" whose "views" Utterson trusts.

The Handwriting Resemblance

"the two hands are in many points identical: only differently sloped." Guest discovers that Jekyll and Hyde’s writing share a "singular resemblance," which is the first physical proof of their link.

The Forgery Suspicion

"Henry Jekyll forge for a murderer! And his blood ran cold in his veins." Utterson’s internal reaction to Guest’s discovery, believing Jekyll is protecting a killer to save his own "character."