Stevensons novel
...nd therefore able to present a point of view that is untainted. All of Stevenson’s characters retain their unique perspectives, while the third person narrator can transcend subjectivity and human error. What the narrator says is true, we assume, because he or she has no vested interest in the unfolding of the drama that takes place. Utterson ... s), Utterson discovers it only now. But until this point in the novel, Stevenson only permitted tiny peeks into the minds of his central characters. Fear, anger, and bewilderment are some of the feelings we know are shared by Utterson and his cousin Enfield. Even Dr. Lanyon’s dread is obvious, for throughout the tale, he knows more than any other character other than Jekyll himself. Lanyon’s letter in Chapter 8 illuminates the truth for Utterson. It also introduces the layering of the text into three parts: Utterson reads a letter from Lanyon that also contains a note from Henry Jekyll within it. The events of the story are thus retold by Lanyon’s perspective but with an added dimension. This extra dimension is the culmination of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: the letter ...