The very first line of the novel paints a somewhat contradictory picture of Mr. Utterson, the lawyer, that the remainder of the first two paragraphs helps to flesh out. He was
a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable.
Mr. Utterson is a rather gruff personage who never smiles, doesn't like to engage...
The very first line of the novel paints a somewhat contradictory picture of Mr. Utterson, the lawyer, that the remainder of the first two paragraphs helps to flesh out. He was
a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable.
Mr. Utterson is a rather gruff personage who never smiles, doesn't like to engage in conversation, seems somewhat unfeeling, is tall and skinny, and kind of grumpy, but he manages to be sort of endearing nonetheless.
He largely keeps to himself. He says that he "let[s] [his] brother go to the devil in his own way"; in other words, he doesn't consider himself anyone's moral keeper (which would be useful in his job as a lawyer).
Further, it "is the mark of a modest man to accept his friendly circle ready-made from the hands of opportunity; and that was the lawyer's way." Thus, he is unassuming and decent, never ostentatious or showy, and his circle of friends is mostly comprised of his family and the people he has known for a long time. He doesn't make friends easily; "his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time." He takes a long time to warm, but once he does, he is loyal. His tradition of weekly walks with Mr. Enfield, a distant relative, for which he neglects any other concern so that they might be uninterrupted, provides evidence of this.
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