Utterson–Hyde relationship

The Utterson–Hyde relationship is a central axis of suspicion and investigation in Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, defined by Utterson's growing horror at the man his friend Henry Jekyll has taken under his protection. From their first encounter outside the by-street door to the final discovery of Hyde's corpse, Utterson's interactions with Hyde are marked by an instinctive, almost supernatural revulsion that deepens his conviction that Hyde is a fiendish figure, and this relationship drives the lawyer's relentless pursuit of the truth behind Jekyll's strange connection.

First Encounter and Instinctive Revulsion

Mr. Utterson first meets Edward Hyde after weeks of patient surveillance outside the by-street door. When Hyde approaches, Utterson steps out and touches him on the shoulder, asking, "Mr. Hyde, I think?" Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of the breath, but his fear was only momentary; though he did not look the lawyer in the face, he answered coolly enough. Utterson introduces himself as an old friend of Dr. Jekyll's and asks to be admitted, but Hyde replies that Jekyll is from home. When Utterson asks to see his face, Hyde hesitates, then fronts about with an air of defiance, and the pair stare at each other fixedly for a few seconds. Utterson declares, "Now I shall know you again. It may be useful." Hyde gives his address in Soho and, after a tense exchange in which he accuses Utterson of lying about how he knew him, snarls into a savage laugh and disappears into the house. The lawyer stands "the picture of disquietude," and as he walks away, he reflects that Hyde is pale and dwarfish, with a displeasing smile and a husky, whispering voice, yet none of these points alone explains the "hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear" with which he regards him. Utterson concludes, "There is something more, if I could find a name for it. God bless me, the man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say?" and he reads "Satan's signature" upon Hyde's face.

Investigation and Deepening Suspicion

Utterson's relationship with Hyde is primarily one of investigation. After learning of Hyde's trampling of a child, Utterson begins to haunt the by-street door, thinking, "If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek." His curiosity is driven by a desire to understand Jekyll's strange preference or bondage to Hyde, and the startling clause of the will that makes Hyde the sole heir. When the murder of Sir Danvers Carew occurs, Utterson immediately recognizes the victim and, upon seeing the broken stick—which he had himself presented to Henry Jekyll many years before—he can doubt no longer. He leads the police to Hyde's house in Soho, where he sees the rooms ransacked and a pile of grey ashes on the hearth, as though many papers had been burned. The discovery of the other half of the stick behind the door clinches the case. Utterson's thoughts turn to Jekyll: "Poor Harry Jekyll," he thinks, "my mind misgives me he is in deep waters!" He fears that Hyde, suspecting the existence of the will, may grow impatient to inherit, and he resolves to put his shoulder to the wheel—if Jekyll will let him.

The Letter and the Forged Hand

Utterson's suspicion of Hyde is further complicated by the letter Hyde sends to Jekyll after the murder. The letter, written in an odd, upright hand and signed "Edward Hyde," assures Jekyll that he need labour under no alarm for his safety, as he has means of escape. Utterson likes the letter well enough, as it puts a better colour on the intimacy than he had looked for, and he blames himself for some of his past suspicions. However, when his head clerk, Mr. Guest, compares the letter with a note from Jekyll, he discovers a "rather singular resemblance; the two hands are in many points identical: only differently sloped." This revelation sends Utterson's blood running cold: "Henry Jekyll forge for a murderer!" The relationship between Utterson and Hyde thus becomes a mystery of identity and deception, with Utterson now suspecting that Jekyll himself may be complicit in Hyde's crimes.

The Final Confrontation and Aftermath

The climax of the Utterson–Hyde relationship occurs on the last night, when Poole comes to Utterson in terror, convinced that his master has been murdered. Utterson, armed with a kitchen poker, joins Poole in breaking down the cabinet door. When the voice from within cries, "Utterson, for God's sake, have mercy!" Utterson recognizes it as Hyde's, not Jekyll's, and shouts, "Down with the door, Poole!" After the door is forced, they find the body of Edward Hyde, still twitching, dressed in clothes far too large for him, with a crushed phial in his hand and the strong smell of kernels in the air. Utterson knows he is looking on the body of a self-destroyer. He says sternly, "We have come too late, whether to save or punish. Hyde is gone to his account; and it only remains for us to find the body of your master." The search for Henry Jekyll proves fruitless, and Utterson is left to read the two narratives that finally explain the mystery. In the end, Utterson's relationship with Hyde is one of a moral detective confronting a figure of pure evil, and his horror at Hyde's existence is vindicated by the revelation that Hyde was Jekyll's dark double.