Doors

Stevenson introduces the importance of doors to the reader from the novella’s outset, with the first chapter named Story of the Door. The motif of the door as a barrier to the truth or a symbol of secrecy was a popular device in Victorian literature. It can be seen through many Gothic works of the time; for example, the door to the attic in both Jane Eyre and The Picture of Dorian Gray conceal the darkest secrets of these novels’ characters. The doors physically lock away the parts of themselves they wish to hide from others, keeping them from the prying eyes of others. Through this, Stevenson reflects the Victorian preoccupation with the public and private life, whereby the public sphere was traditionally masculine and work-focused and the private was feminine and homely.