How did Stevenson create horror and tension around the character of Hyde?

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Robert Louis Stevenson was a famous Scottish author who, in 1886 wrote, the chilling, fictitious novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.  Stevenson generated tension surrounding the infamous character, Mr Hyde, in a variety of ways.

Tension has been created around the character of Hyde throughout the novel.  In particular, the scene where Mr Enfield describes feeling terrified and bewildered at seeing a young girl callously trampled by Hyde.  

Stevenson creates tension using various methods.  During the trampling scene, as throughout the book, Hyde is described as a loathsome, ‘little man’.  This enables the reader to identify the character, using the recurrent labels.  Stevenson uses Pathetic Fallacy to portray Hyde.  This is apparent during Mr Enfield’s account of that ‘Black winter morning.’  Black is associated with evil and winter with dark, dingy mornings. Stevenson uses this sentence effectively to create tension and set the sinister scene before Hyde appears.  This suggests that Hyde’s actions, when he comes into the scene, are going to be corrupt and villainous.

Hyde was ‘stumping along’, ‘at a good walk.’  Stevenson has created a character that to the reader appears to move in a controlled, unstoppable manner.  Hyde then ‘trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground.’  These actions were unemotional and complacent.  Hyde did not care; he made no effort to stop and showed no remorse.  The reader would be disgusted, just like Mr Enfield.  He recounted the incident as, ‘hellish to see,’ which is the worst possible way of describing it, as Hell is a combination of everything evil. He also compared Hyde to ‘some damned Juggernaut’.  This makes Hyde sound unstoppable and powerful and as he is ‘damned’ he has nothing to loose.  

Mr Enfield had an encounter with Hyde after the trampling incident.  Hyde was, ‘perfectly cool and made no resistance’ Hyde, here does not care for the girl or his actions and shows no guilt, ‘but gave me one look, so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running.’  Mr Enfield’s loathing of Hyde appears to be fundamentally based on Hyde’s appearance.  Although, his features in this scene are not described, the reader is in no doubt that Hyde is a deformed, satanic creature.

Utterson and the spectators were even more horrified because the victim was a child.  Hyde appeared more awesome and powerful when compared to the girl.  Although the girl was not hurt, she was still shocked and understandably scared.  This compounds to the reader the despicable, evil nature of Hyde.

There was also a doctor within the scene.  Enfield described him as a plain man and ‘about as emotional as a bagpipe.’ This simile is an excellent way to describe Hyde, yet when he sets his eyes on Hyde; he showed his emotions, ‘turned sick and white with the desire to kill him.’  This, once again, compounds Hyde’s ghastliness.  

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Mr Enfield is recounting this horrific experience to Mr Utterson, a main character who is a lawyer. Mr Utterson has a nightmare after hearing the treacherous account.  This, once again gives Stevenson the opportunity to recreate the tension that surrounds his infamous character.  Pathetic Fallacy is used in the nightmare to build up tension. The room was in, ‘mere darkness,’ illustrating Hyde’s evil character.  The room is curtained, reflecting the darkness and evil that entrapped Mr Enfield.  The light, which is associated with good, is shut out and there is no escape.

The nightmare had two phases. The ...

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