A brief refresher for the folks asking "what queer subtext": though this element is often dropped from modern adaptations owing to audience familiarity, in the original book, the fact that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person is framed as a twist. The front half of the novel concerns a friend of Jekyll's named Gabriel Utterson investigating the nature of the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde, and trying to figure out why Jekyll appears to be protecting Hyde. Though Utterson seems to have arrived at a conclusion early on, this conclusion is disclosed neither to other characters nor to the reader.
Later, once the cat is out of the bag, it's explained that the original motivation behind Jekyll's scientific research was not to create a transformative serum, but to purge himself of a certain flaw in his character, the nature of which is not described. It's additionally alluded to that this character flaw led him to commit a series of shameful indiscretions in his youth, the nature of which is not elaborated upon.
Questions for further discussion:
- Prior to the big reveal, what does reading between the lines suggest Utterson thinks is going on between Jekyll and Hyde, and why is he so reluctant to disclose this belief?
- What is the significance of the fact that the nature of the character flaw of which Jekyll sought to rid himself is never specified, nor the particulars of the shameful acts it led him to commit?
- Why are there so many older unmarried men – including both Utterson and Jekyll himself – kicking around in this story, anyway?
