Jekyll and Hyde

1. Jekyll and Hyde Remarkable Incident of Doctor Lanyon

2. Summary • Despite thousands of pounds being offered as a reward, no-one comes forward. • Hyde appears to have vanished (he has vacated his Soho flat), though stories of his cruelty and brutality ensure that although he is not there in person, he is in spirit. • Once Hyde has disappeared, Jekyll’s health begins to improve and he begins hosting dinner parties again. For two months, he appears to be enjoying life and is more like himself again. • On January 8th, four days after festive and merry dinner party, Utterson attempts to see him. He is turned away this time and the next few he tries to see him. Utterson is concerned as his health had improved and believes that this grave illness is once again threatening his body and soul. • With these fears, Utterson goes to find their mutual friend, Dr Lanyon.

3. Summary • Utterson also finds Lanyon in severe ill health, with “his death warrant written legibly upon his face” (p41). He notes that he doesn’t believe that he is dying of natural decay, but rather he is the victim of some “deep seated terror of the mind” (p41). • Utterson mentions to Lanyon how ill he is looking, to which Lanyon replies “I have had a shock.” (p41). Upon mentioning to him that Dr Jekyll was also very ill, Lanyon’s face changes and states: “I wish to see or hear no more of Dr Jekyll.” (p41) • He is done with the Doctor. From now on, Dr Jekyll is as good as dead to him and some day he “may perhaps come to learn the right and wrong of this.” (p42). • He tells Utterson that unless he wishes to talk of something else, then he must leave.

4. Summary • Upon returning home from Lanyon’s Utterson writes a letter to Jekyll, asking why he and Lanyon have fallen out so. • Jekyll’s speedy reply, however, does not answer any of Utterson’s questions. He does, however, agree with Lanyon that the two should not see each other again. • Jekyll tells Utterson that he is going to lead a very lonely existence from now on. He pleads for Utterson to believe in their friendship and to trust him to know what is best for all concerned. • Jekyll says that “I have to go my own dark way... If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also.” (p42) He could not believe that the world contained such “sufferings and terrors” (p42).

5. Summary • Less than three weeks after Utterson’s visit to Lanyon, Lanyon is dead. After the funeral, Utterson takes out a sealed envelope and studies it. • Written on the outside of the envelope is: "PRIVATE: for the hands of G. J. Utterson Alone, and in case of his predecease to be destroyed unread."The emphasis on these last two words puzzles Utterson. Reluctantly, he decides to open the envelope. Within, there is another envelope, also sealed, with instructions "not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll.“ • Again, the words “death or disappearance” instantly remind Utterson of Edward Hyde and the hatred/fear he has for him. • Both envelopes contain Lanyon’s handwriting on the outside, further puzzling him more. Despite the urge to open the letters, he feels that he cannot betray his dead friend’s wishes.

6. Summary • As much as Utterson wants to open the envelopes to find out more about Jekyll, his "professional honour and faith to his dead friend" prevent him from doing so. • He then places the inner envelope into the larger, outer one and locks them away into his safe. • Poole also confirms that Jekyll is deteriorating and he now rarely leaves his room above the laboratory and refuses to see anyone. • Each time Utterson tries to see Jekyll, he is constantly knocked back by Poole, saying that he is alone, “out of spirits” (p44) and doesn’t want to see anyone. • Utterson’s visits, because of this, become less and less frequent – something that Utterson is quietly relieved about.

7. Analysis • We now begin to realise the amount of vile practices that Hyde has undertaken in the year between chapters 3-4. • We are told that “Much of his past was unearthed, indeed, and all disreputable tales came out of the man’s cruelty, at once so callous and violent, of his vile life, of his strange associates, of the hatred that seemed to have surrounded his career.” (p40). In his time, he had “collected a multitude of enemies.” (p40) • Even the reserved Utterson utters that  "the death of Sir Danvers was . . . more than paid for by the disappearance of Mr. Hyde.“ (p40) – this is a truism, as opposed to slander.

8. Analysis • It is important to note that Jekyll’s dinner party was on January 8th. It was only two days later that Jekyll wrote to Lanyon begging for help, with the letter being dated January 10th – we will find out more about this later. • By January 12th, Jekyll was no longer receiving visitors. • The cause of Lanyon's death — the horror — is not fully clear until the entire novel is considered. It must be remembered that both men had once been very close friends and that both men are eminent in their professions. Likewise, we ultimately know that Dr. Lanyon has disapproved of Dr. Jekyll on professional grounds — that Jekyll'smetaphysical speculations about human behavior transcend the true limits of physical medicine, that Dr. Jekyll's ideas are "too fanciful" for him, and thus they broke company.