Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Individual
Group Discount
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews October 5, 2023 September 28, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan - Group Discount
Qty: 00
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Please wait while we process your payment
Mr. Poole is Dr. Jekyll’s butler and the most senior member of the household staff, having been of service for over twenty years. While he is not necessarily the most dimensional character in terms of personality or character arc, he does serve three specific functions within the framework of the novel. First and foremost, Mr. Poole’s presence allows the plot to advance by bringing Mr. Utterson closer to the scene of Jekyll’s mysterious happenings. He invites the lawyer into Jekyll’s home out of fear for the safety of himself, the rest of the house staff, and his master. Once he does so, Mr. Poole acts as a vehicle through which Stevenson communicates important information to the reader, such as Jekyll’s extreme seclusion, an unfamiliar voice coming from the laboratory, and Hyde’s unwelcome presence in the house. This information invites more theories and possibilities regarding Jekyll’s situation, an effect which speaks to Mr. Poole’s second function in the novel. Since he is so familiar with the mystery’s subject and has insider knowledge of the day-to-day operations of the house, his bewilderment works to heighten the overall confusion and strangeness of the scenario. If Jekyll’s closest contact has no answers, then surely no one else will either.
The final, more metaphorical function that Mr. Poole serves in the novel is as a gatekeeper between Jekyll and the outside world. On a surface level, he does this in his job as a butler, answering Jekyll’s front door and determining who can and cannot enter the home. Mr. Utterson sees this side of Mr. Poole as he attempts to visit Jekyll at home to no avail. He performs this same function on a metaphorical level, however, as he initially resists disclosing information about Jekyll’s unusual behavior to others. His first interaction with Mr. Utterson, for example, is very straightforward in tone and divulges little. While Mr. Poole protects Jekyll from the outside world early in the novel, he ultimately invites the outside world in by connecting with others on his master’s behalf. The primary example, of course, is the fact that Mr. Poole calls Mr. Utterson to the house and helps him break down the cabinet door, but he also draws other chemists into the mystery by seeking out large quantities of a particular salt and acts as a go-between for Jekyll and Dr. Lanyon. This gatekeeping position ultimately has a powerful influence over the passing of information.
Please wait while we process your payment