Question

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The butler was awaiting my arrival; he had received by the same post as mine a registered letter of instruction, and had sent at once for a locksmith and a carpenter. The tradesmen came while we were yet speaking; and we moved in a body to old Dr. Denman’s surgical theatre, from which (as you are doubtless aware) Jekyll’s private cabinet is most conveniently entered. The door was very strong, the lock excellent; the carpenter avowed he would have great trouble and have to do much damage, if force were to be used; and the locksmith was near despair. But this last was a handy fellow, and after two hour’s work, the door stood open.

How does the complication affect the story?

It resolves the story.
It delivers exposition.
It introduces a theme.
It intensifies the conflict.

Answer 1

It intensifies the conflict.

The locked, hard-to-open door creates a concrete obstacle and delays the characters’ discovery, raising tension and suspense as they struggle to gain access to Jekyll’s private cabinet.