The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a mystery novella, is told through the eyes of Mr. Utterson, who, in appearance, is described as a “lawyer of a rugged countenance” (Stevenson 1). He is inexpressive and looks as if time has worn him thin. While he is loved by his close friends, he comes across as someone who is reserved. As the story progresses, Mr. Utterson struggles to allow himself to venture away from his traditional rational thinking and begin exploring his curious thoughts. Mr. Utterson holds the values of a Victorian gentleman. In the quote “He condemned the fear as a disloyalty and broke the seal” (38), Utterson is showcasing how highly he values his honor. He is fearful that this breakage of trust with his now-dead friend, Dr. Lanyon, is diminishing his honor. In the quote “‘I have buried one friend today’, he thought: ‘what if this should cost me another?’” (37) Utterson concludes that breaking the trust with his now dead friend could help him save his other friend, Dr. Jekyll, from potential harm. This again demonstrates how loyal he is. Utterson holds his honor so highly that he would go to lengths to protect his friends as these quotes demonstrate. Lastly, in the quote “It is the mark of a modest man to accept his friendly circle ready-made from …show more content…
Utterson was a very curious individual, but tried to suppress his curiosity. Utterson expresses this hidden curiosity when he says “If he shall be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek” (13). He is driven by curiosity to discover the truth about Mr. Hyde however, while he is curious, he is stubborn and tries to always find a rational answer to his curiosity. Eventually, Utterson contemplates his curiosity when he says “It is one thing to mortify curiosity, another to conquer it.” (38). He is debating on whether he should appease his curiosity or not as it could potentially break his trust in Lanyon but could ultimately help