CHAPTER 8 - LAST NIGHT

Poole’s Breaking Point

"his face was white and his voice, when he spoke, harsh and broken." The butler arrives at Utterson’s because he is "afraid" and can "bear it no more," signifying the "calamity" has reached its peak.

The "Wild" March Night

"It was a wild, cold, seasonable night of March, with a pale moon, lying on her back." The weather reflects the "crushing anticipation of calamity" and the "unseemly" chaos about to unfold.

The Huddled Servants

"about the hearth the whole of the servants... stood huddled together like a flock of sheep." The total breakdown of the "regular" Victorian household order in the face of "foul play."

Poole’s "Jangled Nerves"

"Hold your tongue! Poole said... with a ferocity of accent that testified to his own jangled nerves." The butler’s uncharacteristic anger toward the housemaid reveals the extreme "suspense" in the house.

The Voice of the "Thing"

"Tell him I cannot see anyone. ...Was that my master's voice?" Poole and Utterson realize the "changed" voice from the cabinet is an imposter, leading to the belief Jekyll is "murdered."

The Desperate Cry for the Drug

"crying night and day for some sort of medicine and cannot get it to his mind." Poole describes the creature’s "sedulous" and "bitter bad" search for a "pure" sample of the chemical.

The "Old" Salt Request

"For God's sake, find me some of the old." A note from Jekyll that shows his "emotion had broken loose" as he realizes the current drugs are "impure" and "useless."

The Masked Creature at the Crates

"digging among the crates... if that was my master, why had he a mask upon his face? If it was my master, why did he cry out like a rat?" Poole’s description of seeing Hyde in the laboratory, emphasizing his "animalistic" and secretive nature.

The Dwarf in Jekyll’s Clothes

"My master... is a tall, fine build of a man, and this was more of a dwarf." Poole notices the "alteration in stature," which Jekyll later explains as the "evil side" being "less developed."

The "Monkey" Image

"that masked thing like a monkey jumped from among the chemicals." Poole uses "monkey" to describe Hyde’s "extraordinary quickness," a direct nod to Darwinian "degeneration."

The Resolution for "Brute Force"

"if not by fair means, then by foul—if not of your consent, then by brute force!" Utterson’s final demand before breaking the door, representing the "rational self" (law) finally confronting the "horror."

The "Animal Terror" Screech

"A dismal screech, as of mere animal terror, rang from the cabinet." Hyde’s final sound is not human speech but a "screech," signifying his total "regression" to a primal state.

The Discovery of the Body

"body of a man sorely contorted and still twitching... the face of Edward Hyde." Utterson finds the "self-destroyer" in Jekyll’s clothes, realizing they are "too late" to save their friend.

The Blasphemous Annotations

"a copy of a pious work... annotated, in his own hand with startling blasphemies." Utterson is "amazed" to find Hyde has desecrated Jekyll’s own religious books, showing his hatred for "goodness."

The Chevalier-glass Horror

"into whose depths they looked with an involuntary horror... surely none stranger than itself." The mirror that allowed Jekyll to witness his "duality" now reflects the "pale and fearful countenances" of the searchers.

The Changed Will Discovery

"in place of the name of Edward Hyde, the lawyer... read the name of Gabriel John Utterson." Utterson finds Jekyll has made him heir with "indescribable amazement," suggesting a final act of "remorse."