Dr. Henry Jekyll

The first 200 words of this essay...

Dr. Henry Jekyll

A respected physician and chemist, who is well known for his dinner parties, we first meet Jekyll in the third chapter. " Dr. Jekyll was quite at ease" in which he is described as 'a large well-made, smoothed faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness'. This is typical of the author's economical style through which, using few words he can reveal the many layers of a characters personality. Notice that the doctors 'smoothed face' seeming to present an inscrutable exterior and therefore an air of mystery. The phrase 'a slyish cast' opens a crack in this polished facade through which the reader begins to see his true nature. We are reminded here of Poole's description later in the novel as he describes the Jekyll/Hyde double in the laboratory as having 'a mask upon his face.' Also, in the chapter of 'The Carew Murder Case' the silvery haired old woman' at Hyde's room is described as having 'an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy.' once again, the mask motif is used by the author to underline his theme of duality.

Dr. Jekyll owns a large estate and