How does Stevenson create a sense of mystery and horror in the novel?

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How does Stevenson create a sense of mystery and horror in the novel?

In this essay I am going to look at Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll, the first two chapters, and explain using quotes and information from these chapters how the writer creates a sense of mystery and horror. I will be focussing on the descriptions given about the characters and the house which plays a significant part in this story.

This novel is about a highly classed doctor of science, named Dr Jekyll. Dr Jekyll is a very clever professor who makes a mixture of chemicals, which can turn him into a totally different person for a short period of time. This power to become someone else lets Dr Jekyll live two different lives, without anyone finding out, but this has very bad consequences for the doctor.

As the story unfolds two characters, named Mr Utterson and Mr Enfield, both high class lawyers. These two characters become very suspicious about Dr Jekyll start to investigate. Finally Utterson meets Dr Jekylls science experiment a man named Mr Hyde. Now Mr Utterson knows this mysterious man, he reads over Dr Jekylls will, which states that if Dr Jekyll dies or is missing for more than three calendar months, Mr Hyde inherits all of Dr Jekyll possessions. Mr Utterson feels there is something suspicious about Jekyll and Hyde. Now the experiment goes badly wrong for Jekyll and Jekyll is found dead by utterson, but beside his dead body was a letter explaining that Jekyll was Hyde and that now Mr Utterson is the benefactor to his wealth and possessions. This novel is full of mystery and horror which is what I am going to be focussing on in this essay.

One of the first characters that Stevenson describes is Mr Utterson. This character is the first people who the readers get too know they get to know all about utterson, by the descriptions given by Stevenson. "A man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile" This could suggest to the reader that Mr Utterson is a grim or evil character, which creates a sense of mild horror and mystery already about this character. Now the writer again informs the reader about uttersons look, "lean, long, dusty, and dreary." This could imply that utterson is a creepy dark person, therefore again creating a sense of horror and mystery about him.
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This sense of mystery is portrayed again by Stevenson, in the way he describes uttersons lifestyle and personality. "He never marked a shade of change in his demeanour." This makes utterson sound like an old fashioned, cold hearted man, therefore creating a sense of mystery.

Now the reader has been told of uttersons looks and what his personality is like, now the writer informs the reader about uttersons stature and influence on people around him. "The last good influence of the lives of down going men." This foreshadows what is going to happen later on in the ...

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