Chapter 8 functions as perhaps the most traditional narrative Chapter in the novel. Most of the other Chapters present incidents: "Story [or Incident] of the Door," "Incident of the Letter," "Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon," and "Incident at the Window"; the other Chapters, similarly, give accounts of wills, what is reported in the newspapers, Dr. Lanyon's "Account," and finally Dr. Jekyll's own "Statement." In contrast, this Chapter flies along in its narrative sequences with such varied activities as the gathering of forces within Jekyll's house (and note how frightened all the servants are: some, like the maid, succumb to hysterics; likewise, all stand "huddled together like a flock of sheep"). They are terrified of what Mr. Hyde stands for and are afraid that he might appear. Then, in swift succession, there is the breaking down of Jekyll's door, the discovery of the dead body of Edward Hyde, the frantic search for Dr. Jekyll, the discovery of the new will, the new note, and Dr. Jekyll's final statement. In other words, whereas many of the other Chapters concern themselves with only one single incident, this Chapter is crowded with many incidents.
The beginning of the Chapter is rather slow because the distraught Poole is not educated enough to convince Utterson of the seriousness of the strange events occurring in Dr. Jekyll's laboratory. We should note the long, laborious method by which Utterson is finally convinced. That is, each time Poole offers some information, Utterson is able to offer some rational explanation; he sees the faithful Poole as merely a superstitious servant.
Utterson is not yet ready to act, but when Poole exposes Utterson to the sound of the voice behind the door, Utterson acknowledges that a change has indeed occurred. Then, when Utterson is told about Poole's hearing a cry of despair eight days ago, about the continual crying night and day, about the desperate need for some chemicals and some drugs, about the glimpse of the strange man in the laboratory, about the weeping of a seemingly lost soul, and about the dwarfish figure that Poole believes to be that of Edward Hyde, Utterson is at last ready to act.
After breaking the door down and upon seeing the dead person (a suicide) in the laboratory, Utterson and we, the readers, still think that the dead person is Edward Hyde, even though the "clothes were far too large for him, clothes of the doctor's bigness." In addition, Utterson's puzzlement over why such an evil person would commit suicide adds to the mystery. Then the mystery of the duality is increased by Utterson's assumption that Hyde has murdered Dr. Jekyll. The search for Jekyll's body still leaves the reader in suspense over the Jekyll/Hyde dichotomy or duality, especially when the search for Dr. Jekyll's body is, of course, futile: "Nowhere was there any trace of Henry Jekyll, dead or alive."
The discovery of the broken key and the rusty "fractures" (door or key openings) suggests that Jekyll's rational actions have allowed him to arrange his living accommodations so that Hyde has been prevented from going out the back door. He could not leave by the front door because since the murder of Sir Danvers, he would have been apprehended by, or at least reported by, the servants. Thus, even at the most insane end of his life, Jekyll retains enough of his old rational self to keep Hyde in bounds.
As Utterson and Poole examine Dr. Jekyll's laboratory quarters, more evidence of the Jekyll/Hyde duality is found. For example, they find a pious book which Jekyll had held in great esteem, "annotated in his own hand with startling blasphemies." But, of course, Utterson is misled here. Had he remembered his assistant's, Mr. Guest's, analysis of handwriting--that Hyde's and Jekyll's handwriting was virtually the same except for a slightly different slope--then he would have realized that the vulgar and blasphemous annotations were made by Hyde--not Jekyll--and yet they are the same, thus emphasizing, ironically, the duality of man.
The entire mystery reaches its apex at the end of this Chapter with the discovery of Dr. Jekyll's new will, making Gabriel John Utterson Jekyll's sole beneficiary. The name of Edward Hyde is struck out. Utterson's confusion is that the vile, evil Hyde was obviously there in the laboratory, saw the change in the will, and yet did nothing. Furthermore, by the date of the brief note--dated that day--Utterson is totally confused, because of the realization that earlier in the day, Jekyll was still alive. Finally, in the note which Jekyll left to Utterson, the word "disappeared" appears again: "When this shall fall into your hands, I shall have disappeared." This same word appeared in Jekyll's original will, as well as in Dr. Lanyon's instructions to Utterson, and now it appears again in this letter. Therefore, Utterson is utterly confused. And since the final two Chapters are "documents," and we neither see nor hear anymore from Utterson, we can only speculate as to how this strange information from his two closest friends will affect him.
