Chapter 8
One night , Poole , Jekyll’s butler, approaches Utterson, who is afraid as Jekyll has locked himself in the basement and will not come out . The only communication that Poole has received, have been notes that are begging for a pure form of powder. He has also heard a voice crying and walking all day . The only relief for a week has been a bit of a break when new samples come from the chemist. Utterson follows Poole to Jekyll’s where they hear strange sounds coming from the laboratory basement and the two make their way to a cabinet where they hear a voice . Initially , they believe that the voice is their friend but they realize that it wasn’t of Jekyll , it was of Hyde. The pair think that Hyde has killed Jekyll and that he is hiding in the cabinet. Poole breaks the cabinet and find that Hyde has killed himself . Inside the lab Utterson found an envelope addressed to himself. Inside it was the same eccentric will , but this time the recipient was Utterson. Also there was a note from Jekyll that instructed Utterson to read the documents that Lanyon had provided.
The first signal that something is going to be terrible wrong in this chapter is the "wine left untasted" when Poole arrives at Jekyll’s residence. In the home of a wine consumer, this is clearly a signal of bad things to come.
Another important symbol in this chapter is the key to the laboratoryHyde has had possessions of the key, consequently, he holds the key to the mystery at hand. One does not need to look far for the symbolic significance of a key: it represents power and authority. The search for the key, and the failure to find it, represents the failure of Utterson and Poole to overcome the satanic power. It also represents the fact that Utterson and Poole do not have access to evil they are sinless in the story, because they do not and cannot hold the key.
In this chapter, the full name of Mr. Utterson is also revealed: John Gabriel Utterson, which has additional significance. Gabriel is one of the four archangels, usually given the role of a divine messenger.