Dr. Jekyll is a well established man in the high social class of Victorian England, where high social status is extremely important and a lot of pressure is put on people to behave properly. Dr. Jekyll has felt the need to act out since a young age and as an adult has used his intelligence to secretly create a potion which allows him to commit heinous and destructive crimes. He commits these crimes through another person besides himself because he does not want to ruin his own reputation. Mr. Utterson has concerns about Dr. Jekyll’s recent behavior and worries about the well being of his friend. He dedicates his time, with the help of his two friends, Mr. Enfield and Dr. Lanyon, to solving the mystery of the relationship between Dr. Jekyll …show more content…
Utterson as he attempts to find out what Mr. Hyde is up to and what his hold on Dr. Jekyll is. It is a mystery why a highly esteemed member of society such as Henry Jekyll would in any way be in association with a lowlife like Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll’s behavior starts to change as he seemingly begins to shut out his good friends, like Mr. Utterson, Mr. Enfield, and Dr. Lanyon. In a desperate attempt to save Jekyll from the grasp that Mr. Hyde has placed on him, Utterson takes it upon himself to become involved in this mystery and therefore witnesses some peculiar events. One day at the window, Utterson sees Jekyll, and in mid conversation Jekyll quickly contorts his face in terror and anguish, running from the window. Mr. Utterson is not the only one of Jekyll’s companions who has witnessed him in this similar terror. “For there before my eyes—pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death—there stood Henry Jekyll” (Stevenson 41). Dr. Lanyon saw Mr. Hyde turn into Dr. Jekyll right before his eyes, as all of the mystery and suspense in this novel had been leading up to the final point when the reader discovers that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person. It was as if Dr. Jekyll had risen from the dead when he transformed back into his better self from the evil Mr. Hyde. The horrors of this discovery are so shocking to Dr. Lanyon that he dies soon after as he could not live knowing this
Just as the emotions between a parent and toddler can change any second from loving to embarrassed and angry, the two main characters in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, struggle through a family-like relationship. Throughout the novel, the relationship between Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde changes from a close, family-like relationship to one of hatred toward the end of the book. Changes in the relationship between Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde can be seen in: observations by Mr. Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s state of mind before and after the murder of Sir Danvers Carew, and Dr. Jekyll’s confession.
Utterson, Lanyon, Enfield, Jekyll... one of these does not belong. Clearly, within the context of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Henry Jekyll struggles to fit himself into the strict Victorian society. In the events leading to his demise, he longs to separate his firm, polished face from his true inner self; from here, Stevenson paints this juxtaposition with the use of several point-of-view techniques. When Utterson, the protagonist, “[stands] a while when Mr. Hyde had left him... putting his hand to his brow like a man in mental perplexity” (Stevenson 19), he clearly becomes the literal center of attention for the story’s opinions and perspectives. Rather than giving an omniscient style to the novel, Stevenson provides an external viewpoint in order to engage his audience. The use of point-of-view techniques in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reinforces the audience’s reaction to the story’s moral dilemma.
On their weekly walk, a particularly practical lawyer with the name Mr. Utterson listens as his friend Mr. Enfield tells an awful story of violence. The tale describes a dark figure called Mr. Hyde who treads over a young girl, disappears into a random door on the street, then intently pays off her relatives with a check signed by a respectable gentleman. Because Utterson and Enfield dislike gossip, the agree to drop the subject. However, one of Utterson’s clients and close friend, Dr. Jekyll has will documents written to Mr. Hyde. Soon, Utterson starts having nightmares of a faceless figure who courses through the streets of London at night. Confused, the lawyer visits Jekyll and friend Mr. Lanyon to try and learn more about Hyde. Lanyon confesses he doesn’t really see much of Jekyll anymore, because of a dispute they’ve had over the course of Jekyll’s research, which Lanyon states as “unscientific balderdash.” Interested, Mr. Utterson watches over a building Hyde visits, which is actually a laboratory attached to Jekyll’s
Dr. Henry Jekyll is a respected doctor and a friend of Lanyon, a fellow physician and Utterson, a lawyer. He is a well-respected man in the city of London and is known for his charitable works. On the outside, he seems like a harmless individual. What the people of London don’t know is that since a boy Dr. Jekyll has taken part in unnamed corrupt behavior that could ruin his reputation if discovered. Dr. Jekyll finds that the “evil” part of his personality is troublesome, so he takes matters into his own hands and invents a tonic that can allow him to fully become his darker half. This, in turn, brings about the uncanny Mr. Edward Hyde; a creature not of the rational world and free of conscience. His appearance alone is but enough to make one’s hairs stand on end. Mr. Hyde is a violent and irate man who represents the fleshy, sexual aspects of a personality that Victorian men of that time period felt the need to hide. Anyone who crosses his path tells of his
To begin with, Dr. Jekyll is a well-rounded, well-respected man descending from a highly intellectual and respected Christian family of doctors and lawyers. He is nothing short of the ideal Victorian gentleman: tall, polite, honorable and refined, physically portrayed as being “a large well-made man of fifty,” and as having a “large, handsome face” (Stevenson, 19). Opposed to this seemingly impeccable man is none other than Mr. Edward Hyde, a short, hairy, ‘troglodyte’ man with a horrific
Utterson saw Jekyll since they were good friends he saw that this person in front of him was not his good friend. Dr.jekyll the good the kind and Hyde is turning him into a dark, and evil person. All these things that are happening to Jekyll is making his body sick, deadly looking. “This master Hyde, if he were studied though he , must have secrets of his own:black secrets, by the look of him; secrets compared to which poor Jekylls worst would be like sunshine.” (18 Stevenson) This quote shows that Dr.jekyll is good,compared to Hyde he is good. Even Dr.Jekyll’s Darkest deepest secrets compared to Hyde’s secrets Jekyll’s look like sunshine, and cant even compare to Hyde’s secrets. “Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr.Jekyll.”(31 Stevenson)This Quote shows that Mr. Hyde is evil. Hyde’s evil influence on Dr.jekyll who was a good man and Mr.Hyde was turning him into something evil. With his evil influence gone Dr.Jekyll can be himself; a good man.”It turns me to think of this creature stealing like a thief to harry’s bedside; poor harry what a wakening!” (18 Stevenson)This quote shows that everyone had a bad feeling about Mr.Hyde, Utterson knew that Hyde was bad, and evil. Utterson hated to see his oldest friend Dr.jekyll get his life ruined by a a thief and and
Hyde and was repulsed but in shock.When Utterson visits Dr. Lanyon again at his sickbed, he brings up Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Lanyon is immediately repulsed and cannot stand to talk about him. Stevenson shows this to his readers this by writing, “I wish to see or hear no more of Dr. Jekyll… I am quite done with that person, and I beg that you will spare me only allusion to whom I regard as dead”(Stevenson 23). Lanyon did not want to hear about Jekyll anymore because it was Jekyll who had caused him to go into shock when he saw Jekyll himself, turn into the infamous Mr. Hyde. Seeing this made Lanyon sick and he couldn’t bear it. This shows that when a certain evilness of when a person’s human nature comes into full light, people don’t want to see it, or they are not prepared. It is truly a gruesome sight and it is also part of that seer’s human nature to be repelled by that sight. It is simply not naturally part of a person’s human nature to have their dark side of their demeanor to be fully brought out of the darkness.
Dr. Jekyll character appears as "a large, well made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness". However, when angry "The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and their came a blackness about his eyes". He displays himself as a strong-minded man, as he argues about his will with Mr. Utterson, however he accustoms himself to Hyde, and becomes too weak to oppose him. Mr. Utterson, after meeting Hyde for the first time, starts to feel sorry for his friend, however he does suggest that Jekyll has a dark past: "was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure".
Now this story does not follow Dr. Jekyll through his journey of creating his evil alter ego. Moreover he is not even the first initial character that we are introduced to in the novella; we are first introduced to a man named Mr. Utterson. He is actually the lawyer of Dr. Jekyll and he takes an interest in his newfound protégé who is referred to as Mr. Hyde. His negative feelings towards Mr. Hyde, beget a personal investigation into his life and his connection to Dr. Jekyll. Sadly he does not realize the truth behind the mystery of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde till the end of the novella, where he finally discovers the secret from reading Dr. Jekyll’s last words written in a letter addressed to him after Dr. Jekyll’s untimely death.
The key ideas in chapter 1 of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr
The dual character combination of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the most well-known in literature and is arguably the most blatant example of duality Stevenson uses to try and get the theme of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde across. The dual personalities Dr. Jekyll possesses are stark examples of the animalistic and civilized sides of man that inherently resides in all men. The virtuous Dr. Jekyll serves as a portrayal of the more rational, human side of man. When Mr. Utterson attends Dr. Jekyll’s dinner party he paints a picture of a quintessential Victorian man when describing Jekyll’s appearance, “well
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde “explores the sinister side of Victorian masculinity, in particular the idea that the criminal tendencies and depraved behaviour normally attributed to the lower classes could also infect the middle and upper classes.” Maxwell continues expressing how the lower classes are associated with felonies but in this novella it “infects” Mr. Jekyll, a member of the upper class. Utterson avoids telling the cops that Dr. Jekyll is a close friend of Hyde after the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Instead of maintaining his friend’s reputation and protecting his public image, Utterson talks to Jekyll directly. As a result of this, the relationship of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is kept a secret. There is great importance on outside appearances; so in order to protect themselves and Mr. Jekyll, they must keep themselves quiet. Not only can they ruin their reputations, for they can also ruin how they think and how they act.
Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde consists of reputation, good vs. evil and damage control. In other words, Utterson tirelessly works to prevent his good friend Dr. Jekyll from being dragged into the horrid affairs of Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Jekyll goes to the greatest of lengths to prevent his Hyde identity from being discovered, in order to avoid anyone knowing of his somewhat questionable scientific work and morally despicable behavior. Much of the novel is based on the characters reputations and how they have to maintain a good public image, as they are upper class people. The novel takes place in Victorian England and the main characters are all male members of upper class London. Enfield, Utterson, Lanyon and Jekyll are all aware of social
Being a respected doctor, Jekyll is tied of chains by his social status in the society, for instance if a child is restricted to do something, by his parents. He will eventually find a secretive way to fulfill his needs. In the same manner Jekyll finds Hyde as a solution to satisfy his simple need like drinking. “His every act and thought centered on self; drinking pleasure with bestial avidity from any degree of torture to another” ().As the quote demonstrates Hyde enjoys drinking, which he cannot do as Dr. Jekyll, living in an oppressed Victorian society. The small and harmful temptation like drinking leads to more serious offences. As this boosts, Jekyll’s confidence, he ends up indulging into violent acts, “With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot, and hailing down a storm of blows” (). The simile in this quote delineates Jekyll’s unexpressed desire that erupts through Hyde. His small desires manifests into bigger crimes. Stevenson uses this theory to showcase temptation the evil cause of problems in mankind.
Hyde. In this way, Jekyll becomes monstrous himself as he wishes to pass on his evil parts into another person. Jekyll’s concoction is a threat to cultural morals and values as it enables someone to set evil free. Consequently, there is no obligation and interest in adhering to any moral standards. In the end, he is a split person, one-half is represented by Jekyll and the other one by Hyde. Stevenson used the different standpoints in the story to create the feeling that Jekyll and Hyde are two different individuals: “‘The Master Hyde, if he were studied,’ thought he [Utterson],’must have secrets of his own; black secrets, by the look of him; secrets compared to which poor Jekyll’s worst would be like sunshine.” (Stevenson 22). Thus, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story where the line blurs. As Hyde and Jekyll are one and the same person, the reader realises that they together are both moral and immoral and both good and