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Fog In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Decent Essays

Weather and lighting are both commonly used details which author’s uses to convey the general mood and implications of various events. “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a good example of this as Robert Stevenson takes great pains to set every scene in his story with particular emphasis on the weather and how light or dark the setting is. At many points in the story, it is noted that there is a thick fog hanging over in the streets. Fog, by nature, conceals and obscures vision, lending itself nicely to symbolize confusing. The scenes with fog are always travelling scenes where the protagonist and narrator Mr. Utterson is heading towards Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde’s house. These are times of immense confusion for the narrator as he …show more content…

Hyde’s house, the fog clears, implying that something will be revealed, which in this case is that Mr. Hyde has fled after the murder. Further, when Utterson confronts Dr. Jekyll about the murder, it is expressly noted that the fog has even managed to creep within the house itself. Dr. Jekyll sits close to the fire which offers some visibility against the fog. This fits perfectly with how Dr. Jekyll reveals quite a bit but still elaborates on nothing, leaving Mr. Utterson some information and assurance, but still deeply confusing and not entirely convinced. In a similar vein is the wind which seems to be used to denote a sense of confusion, only in a more chaotic and urgent way. At the beckoning of Poole, Mr. Utterson is rushed to Dr. Jekyll’s house with very little information to go on. Along the way, the narrator mentions the biting wind swirling around him, forcing the trees to whip around and throwing dust into the air. As all of this is said he thinks about the urgency of the matter and how he has a “crushing anticipation of calamity.” Stevenson also makes good use of lighting and time of day as well. The majority of the scenes in the story take place at night. This is fitting due to the overall mysterious nature of the

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