The little information we do have about Mr Hyde is very symbolic of the character’s mind. The “dwarfish figure” of this “really damnable man”, along with his “downright detestable” appearance all make Hyde seem indeed very displeasing and ugly, as he is said to have “Satan’s signature upon (his) face”. Stevenson uses pejorative vocabulary to describe Hyde in the rare occasions in which he does, in such a way as to make Hyde as detestable as possible. His exterior, although we cannot picture it, is ugly and deformed. His face is said to be “the face of a man who was without bowels of mercy”. This horrible exterior symbolizes the foulness of Hyde’s actions, the foulness of evil itself. If indeed Stevenson’s target was to teach a lesson, then part of that lesson was to inform us of the ugliness of evil and to warn us against it.
Part of Mr Hyde’s foulness is epitomised by the rather odd reaction that people have to him. This starts right at the beginning with Mr Enfield who “never saw a man (he) so disliked, and yet (he) scarce know(s) why”. At first, this feeling is simply dislike. Later, and as the character evolves, people feel it and are repulsed by the sheer look of him, and all the more so by his touch. When grabbing Lanyon, the doctor is “conscious at his touch of a certain icy pang along (his) blood”. This indicates that all are repulsed by Hyde, that man “which had but to show itself to raise up, (…) a spirit of enduring hatred”, either by touch or by simple vision, more and more so as he evolves. This symbolises the negative influence of evil; how it can transform a man from being regarded with respect to being looked upon with disgust.
To make Mr Hyde seem evil and deformed, Stevenson uses another effective technique, along with imagery, called bestialisation. Hyde is described as “drinking pleasure with bestial avidity”, and Utterson says, “The man seems hardly human!” This image conjures up the vision of a rough and ill-mannered creature, making him even more repellent, and appearing to stand for our untamed animal instincts. Hyde indeed acts very instinctively, thinking very little about what he is doing, incarnating lack of restraint, another animal trait. When beating up Sir Danvers Carew, he is described as “trampling his victim under foot” “with ape-like fury”, as it seems, for no reason at all. An act of such violence would not happen with a minimal amount of restraint. To have restraint, one has to be both mature and conscious, Hyde, however “would not even be conscious of all that he had lost”, which is indeed very animal-like, even child-like, which is interesting as Hyde could to some extent be considered Jekyll’s disobedient son.
The description of Mr Hyde contrasts strongly with that of Dr Jekyll, highlighting their difference. Where Hyde is said to be “a dwarf”, Jekyll’s allure is that of a “tall fine build of a man”. The hand of Henry Jekyll is “large, firm, white and comely”, whereas Edward Hyde’s hand is “lean, corded, knuckly, of a dusky pallor and thickly shaped with a smart growth of hair”. This physical contrast highlights not only the mental differences between the “polar twins”, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but also the contrast between both sides of man. It is meant to tell that one same person could be both exceptionally good and disgracefully evil, representing once again the strong duality of man.
Likewise, when describing the two characters’ housings and housekeepers, Stevenson draws a strong parallel between who they are and their environment to reinforce how the exterior world reflects the dark and light sides of people. Firstly, while Jekyll’s housekeepers are kind, proper, and caring for their master, Mr Hyde’s housekeeper has “an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy”. Dr Jekyll’s servants are loyal to him and stay for that reason, reflecting how Dr Jekyll would kindly do a service for anyone in kneed. As a contrast, Mr Hyde’s housekeeper only remains for the money she is given, and hardly cares about her master, for “a flash or odious joy” appears on her face when she finds out he is in trouble, reflecting the joy of Mr Hyde when there is question of evil deeds. Furthermore, the symbolism of Hyde’s character is shown through his housing. Indeed, he lives in “a certain sinister block of building” in the disreputable area of Soho, symbolising the “damnable man” that is Hyde. On the other hand, Jekyll is represented by his big majestic, imposing house. Additionally, the fact that both houses are linked by the backdoor reflects the link between the two men. Mr Hyde’s house is a little extension of Dr Jekyll’s, reflection how Mr Hyde is like a subdivision of Dr Jekyll’s mind.
But what does Hyde actually do? And what do his action represent? Jekyll’s confession suggests that his acts are devilish, unspeakable, but says: “into the details of the infamy which I thus connived I have no design of entering”. The fact that Stevenson doesn’t explain what these acts are (with rare exceptions) means that it is left to the reader to tell what kinds of atrocities Mr Hyde committed, making them much worse, for human imagination is always far bigger than anything on paper. These deeds get worse as the character evolves. At first, Hyde is the product of Dr Jekyll’s pleasures, carrying out the “undignified” actions that he felt like doing. He then becomes Dr Jekyll’s dark side (or is it potentially anyone’s dark side?) and carries out to more severe deeds such as the “hellish” trampling of a little girl. This evolution of Hyde’s actions symbolizes the fall of Dr Jekyll, as he slowly gives in to temptation. It seems Stevenson here is warning the reader against this other, dark side. He is warning us not to give in to temptation, otherwise evil will predominate, as it does in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This transfer from Jekyll being the dominant mind to Hyde gaining the power is shown by use of pronouns, in such a way that it seems so realistic. In his confession, Jekyll gradually switches from referring to Hyde as “I” to referring to him as “he”. Mr Hyde used to be a part of Henry Jekyll, but later takes a whole new identity, and a dominant one, in such a way that Jekyll refers to him as “he”. Stevenson here is guarding us against evil using a very comprehensible, credible example, and extremely careful linguistics.
Mr Hyde’s way of speech also is highly symbolic of his personality. He never seems to speak politely, often grunting “with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice”. To make him sound scruffy and rude, Stevenson uses very varied dialogue vocabulary and well as a common use of short sentences, such as “‘Have you got it?’ he cried. ‘Have you got it?’” The effect on the reader is that we hear Mr Hyde as gruff, abrupt, and very impolite and incorrect. This adds to the character’s visible evil, making him unkind as well as violent, and downright detestable, suggesting Stevenson’s severe judgment of man giving in to his dark side.
Dr Jekyll is guilty of the above, for the reader learns at the end of how much he loved being Mr Hyde. It made him feel “younger, lighter, happier in body”. This initial attraction he felt to Hyde symbolizes the general attraction of mankind to evil. The reason evil predominates is because people like to break rules. Unfortunately, the more you give in, the more you are tempted to do so again and further. This is what happens with Dr Jekyll. The more he transforms into Hyde, the more Hyde becomes strong, gaining power over Jekyll and committing even worse atrocities till Jekyll can control him no more. When this becomes the case, “Jekyll had more than a father’s interest; Hyde had more than a son’s indifference”. This demonstrates perfectly the relationship between the two: Jekyll is intrigued by what Hyde does in a fatherly way, for he created Hyde, whereas Hyde only remembers Jekyll “as a bandit remembers the cavern in which he conceals himself from pursuit”, for protection. Later still, when Hyde’s acts have reached the summit of their awfulness, Jekyll thinks of Hyde as “something not only hellish but inorganic”, and despises him completely. Mr Hyde, on the other side, “loathed the despondency into which Jekyll had now fallen, and he resented the dislike with which he was himself regarded.” This dual perception shows the danger of the attraction towards evil. Dr Jekyll’s original liking of Hyde (or evil) later turns against him. When, later on, he begins to hate Hyde, he pays for his original attraction for he now turns into Hyde whether he wants to or not. At first, evil is a temptation, but it soon becomes a whole new personality who takes over and forgets its old self. Hyde represents that threat of self-destruction through evil.
Edward Hyde, therefore, seems to be the representation of the worst in mankind. Firstly, Hyde represents the duality of man. Everyone has a dark and light side, which makes us human, and Hyde represents what we could become if we pursued only one course by being compared to an animal. Secondly, he represents animal traits in humanity such as animal instinct, lack of restraint, and lack of consciousness. And most importantly, he embodies evil and sinfulness, and man’s attraction to it. This attraction can be dangerous, and Stevenson’s overriding message is not to venture in our dark side. The symbolism of Hyde is so strong that this message cannot be ignored.