The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1886

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary: “Incident at the Window”

During one of their Sunday walks, Utterson and Enfield once again pass by the door of Hyde’s former residence. They see Jekyll sitting on the top floor at the open window “with an infinite sadness” (86). Utterson calls up to Jekyll, who says that he is “very low” and cannot come down. The men talk for a moment, but suddenly Jekyll’s face takes on a horrified expression and he disappears into the house. Utterson and Enfield continue their walk, greatly shaken.

Chapter 7 Analysis

This short chapter recounts a single, brief incident that serves as the turning point in the story. Utterson and Enfield actually witness the beginning of one of Jekyll’s transformations, before he flees and hides. One moment Jekyll appears normal, and the next moment his face contorts in an expression of “abject terror and despair” (86). Utterson and Enfield are puzzled and shocked by this, and they know that something is seriously wrong with Jekyll. It is revealed that Hyde’s place is a “back way” (85) to Jekyll’s, a significant detail that symbolizes how Hyde’s secret identity is accessed by way of Jekyll’s outwardly respectable persona.