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Silence and the keeping of secrets are an additional underlying theme in this story, with Dr. Lanyon as the pivotal character in this sub-plot. As with previous themes, Stevenson’s early religious teachings and his internal strife and beliefs are revealed in his writing. The bible repeatedly contrast good and evil as light and dark, and warns of the danger of those things that remain hidden. We are urged to bring all things into the light, where sin cannot live and to keep no secrets.
We are first introduced to Dr. Lanyon in Chapter 2 in the novel when Utterson visits his home. Utterson has just reviewed the will he created for Dr. Jekyll and is seeking possible explanations concerning Jekyll’s desire to leave his entire estate to Mr. Hyde upon his death. Utterson has yet to meet Mr. Hyde, but is concerned about his character after Enfield tells him of his first encounter with Hyde. As “the two oldest friends that Henry Jekyll has,” (Stevenson 11) Utterson hopes that Lanyon might be able to explain the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We learn that though they were once close friends, their friendship has been strained for more than ten years because Jekyll had “become too fanciful” (Stevenson 11) for Lanyon. Jekyll had “began to go wrong, wrong in mind,” (Stevenson 11) and Dr. Lanyon further describes his thinking as “unscientific balderdash” (Stevenson 11) but doesn’t go into detail. Utterson, thinking that “they have only differed on some point of science” (Stevenson 11) doesn’t think much of the divulgence, but as we learn later, this exchange foreshadows events and circumstances in later chapters.
In chapter six, Utterson again returns to visit Dr. Lanyon at his home, hoping to learn why Jekyll refuses to see anyone. Lanyon appears quite ill and explains that he has “had a shock… and I shall never recover,” (Stevenson 35) expects to die in a few weeks, and refuses to speak of anything concerning Dr. Jekyll. Lanyon tells Utterson that someday he will “perhaps come to learn the wrong and right of this” (Stevenson 36) but refuses to explain now. As promised, Dr. Lanyon passes shortly thereafter. Utterson returns home after the funeral and opens a letter hand addressed to him by Lanyon, meant only to be read after his death. Inside the letter is a cover marked “not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll” (Stevenson 37). Again, Utterson is denied the answers he seeks.
The next to last chapter of the book, chapter nine, we finally learn the reasons why Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll’s relationship suffered and the cause of Lanyon’s death. We are left to wonder that if these secrets had been reveled earlier would the results be different.
