During the Victorian era, societal rules were very stern and austere. There was one way for people to act, speak, and look which contributed to certain actions caused by people and relationships with people's true selves. Because of this, it is hard for people to uncover their true human nature and separate themselves from the rest of civilization. In the duration of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, many characters have a dark human nature that is hidden from the entirety of society because of the strict rules set for everyone in the community to follow. Characters like Dr. Jekyll and his lawyer Mr. Utterson undermine the cruelty that can be human nature. The Strange Tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is about the brutality of …show more content…
At the near beginning of the novella, Utterson is introduced as Dr. Jekylls lawyer and good friend. While with his cousin Mr. Enfeild, they stumbled across Mr. Hyde trampling a young girl. On Mr. Uttersons behalf, a thought was captured that "[Utterson] was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years. But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove." Besides Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, every individual in the Victorian time has human nature that lies underneath society. The passage highlights the reserved and controlled nature that Utterson has. Utterson is constantly restraining himself to entertainment. The restraint he has for himself reveals the darker portions of his human nature that he is drawn to. The mention of Utterson’s abstinence from showing up at the theater further demonstrates his severe nature: “Though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years.” Implying that he chooses to restrain himself from an indulgent lifestyle and his decisions to deny himself from cultural experiences with the rest of society contributes to his closed-off