Chapter 1: Story of the Door

The novella opens with an omniscient narrator describing Mr Gabriel Utterson, a lawyer of high regard and reputation. Stevenson uses the detached figure of the narrator to maintain a separation from the actions of the text, creating an authoritative and comprehensive overview of the story. Utterson is presented as a man of a “rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile,” suggesting a seriousness to his character. This is further emphasised when the narrator lists his qualities: “lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow loveable.” His temperance and “influence in the lives of down-going men” establishes him as a morally upright and restrained character, earning respect from Victorian readers as he represented their moral ethos.