Georgia Mone
Freshman Honors English
Ms. LeeDubon
Documents, Letters, and Wills in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Many different factors shape a story into what it is and can heavily influence the way that a book is read. Authors are always coming up with new and unique ways to enhance a story. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the use of different paper documents contribute to the overall effect of the book. The tale uses wills, letters, and sealed documents to make the reader feel like a character in the story, providing them opportunities to make their own interpretations and contributing a sense of suspense to the already exciting and mysterious plot.
The use of letters within Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde allows the reader to feel as though they are a part of
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Jekyll and Mr. Hyde leaves the reader with suspense in a way that is different than usual, adding to the overall effect of the tale. The will for Dr. Jekyll states that, “all his possessions [are] to pass in the hands of his ‘friend and benefactor Edward Hyde’” (6). The will leaves the reader wondering and gives new information about the unfolding mystery. Since the will is a written document, it adds confusion by being brief and professional. Dr. Jekyll does not explain why all of his belongings will go to Mr. Hyde, he just states his request. This keeps the reader involved and engaged in the mystery. In addition to this will, Utterson received a letter. Within this letter there was, “another enclosure, likewise sealed, and marked upon the cover as ‘not to be opened until the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll’” (24). This clearly adds secrecy to the plot of the book. A letter that can not be opened until a certain point is a piece of evidence that can not yet be seen. Those reading the story want to uncover the mystery, so this piece of hidden evidence excites them and encourages them to keep reading to solve the
Jekyll talks about the years before the creation of the potion that transforms him into Hyde. He summarises his finding of the dual nature, human beings are half good and half evil. Jekyll’s goal in his experiments is to separate two opposite elements, creating a person with only good characteristics and a being of only evil. He does this because he wants to free his good side from dark urges. He fails this experiment, in fact he only manages to create a whole evil person ‘Mr Hyde’. In the letter, Jekyll says ‘I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man . . . if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.’ The events of the novel inform the reader that the dark side (Hyde) is much stronger than the rest of Jekyll, this is why Hyde is able to take over Jekyll. This letter is really important for the reader so that the whole novel is understood. A lot of horror is created and it is all quiet in the reader's mind. The reader feels horrified by the way in which Jekyll seems to love and care for Hyde. Jekyll’s words make the reader angry that a man who was so good could enjoy becoming so
In this essay I am going to look at Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll, the first
The sophisticatedly-constructed novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was devised in 1886, during the revolutionary Victorian era, by the author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson developed a desire to write in his early life and ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ cemented his reputation. The novel is widely known for its shocking principles that terrified and alarmed the Victorian readers. ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ plays with the idea of the dual nature of man, his two identities. On the surface, Dr Jekyll is a conventional, Victorian gentleman, but below the surface lurks the primitive, satanic-like creature of Mr Edward Hyde. One of the elements that play a significant part in the novel is setting. Stevenson subtly uses the setting to
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.
Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Within the Novella – The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson depicts moments of graphic horror in order to convey the chilling story of duality and the ordeals of Dr Jekyll. The two moments where the theme of horror is particularly prominent are in the Carrew Murder Case and Dr Lanyon’s Narrative, where the character of Mr Hyde succeeds in being the epitome of evil in the reader’s eyes. Stevenson uses descriptive imagery, intense behavior (especially for Victorian circumstances) and the senses, of which I am going to be focusing on sound in order to instill this terror onto the readers. This combination of devices combined with the plot during these moments makes them so frightening and memorably so.
Harvey uses to create suspense in his story is by withholding information. By withholding important information about the character or the setting around the main character, makes us want to read more to find out what these little bits of detail mean. For example, “The final result, for hurried sketch, was, I felt sure, the best thing I had done. It showed a criminal in the dock immediately after the judge had pronounced sentence”(Source 2). This small part of the passage is what makes one to wonder who is this man and why he is seen in a courtroom waiting to hear his a sentence, which is the very suspense Mr. Harvey is trying to create. Another example of withholding information, “There? what do you think of that?” he said with an air of evident pride. The inscription which read for the first time was this -- SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF JAMES CLARENCE WITHENCROFT BORN JAN 18TH 1860 HE PASSED AWAY VERY SUDDENLY ON AUGUST 20TH 190-- “In midst of life we are in death.”(Source 2). This is the part of the story where Mr. withencroft sees what the man, Mr. Atkinson, has been working on with this piece of marble, only to find out it was a gravestone with his name on it. Its these type of scenes that build up on the suspense and makes one read on to find out what will happen to the
Stevenson uses the characters of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to expresses his beliefs about human duality by introducing them as two contrasting characters, instead of just one character. Using two completely different characters with different names and appearances gets his message of human duality across more effectively rather than using just one character that turns a different colour when its angry, for example.
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
Stevenson writes ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ with the intention of showing the reader the duality of man and explores this through the juxtaposition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this novella, Stevenson also uses the environment and setting of the story to represent the contrast between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
This increases the story’s purpose because instead of knowing the plan and thinking of it as comedic, his plan unfolds without us knowing and we see the grief and anger of Mrs. Barrows.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson uses diction, imagery, and details to characterize both sides of his main character.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde unveils various gothic elements. It is a mesh of different stories into one. The several narratives embraced by Jekyll do not exist separately, but instead rely on one another, (Germana, 2011). The Gothicism in, and concept of the novella shocked readers of its time. The novella offered new scientific thought, which many feared and could not accept.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde influence each other, Stevenson focuses on individual’s perspective. By illuminating on individual’s conflict and perspective, it makes reader to sympathize Dr. Jekyll’s dilemma. Because of social status, he can’t be free, but when people recognize Mr. Hyde as Dr. Jekyll, it will influence to his social status. Additionally, Victorian era time period affects to author’s perspective in the book a lot. It is unique for everyone to overcome internal conflicts, and the author portrayed it in extreme method. Stevenson ultimately claims that in reality, everyone has