This addictive state led him to believe that if he could not consume the medicine he would not be able to survive. His lust for the medicine begins to increase devilishly. He then begins to lock himself away from society itself, thinking of the benefit and safety of the whole of mankind, he decides he would not unleash Edward Hyde unto the world.
Jekyll in the form of Hyde causes havoc within the midst of society. Mr Utterson the lawyer becomes involved in the situation of Dr Henry Jekyll and Mr Edward Hyde. As the mass murderer continues with his lustful journrey, otherwise known as a killing spree, Mr Utterson becomes aware and concerned of the well being of Dr Jekyll.
In the chapter ‘ Remarkable Incident of Dr Lanyon’ Stevenson wrote about the death of Dr Lanyon. Mr Utterson enters to Dr Lanyons house and there he saw Dr Lanyon who was ill. Utterson says to Dr Lanyon ‘‘...Jekyll is ill too...’’ ( Page 41 )Lanyon replies ‘‘...I wish to see or hear no more of Dr Jekyll ... I am quite done with that person; and I beg that you will spare me any allusion to one whome i regard as dead...’’ ( Page 41-42). This shows us that Lanyon is horrified at what he saw and Dr Jekyll was really desperate to win the the battle, so he endangered Lanyon’s life and told him to bring th medicine.
In the chapter ‘Dr Lanyon’s Narrative’ Dr Jekyll’s friend Dr Lanyon explain his side of the story. Robert Louis Stevenson shows us the letter Dr Lanyon recieved from Dr Jekyll. In the letter Dr Jekyll writes that Dr Lanyon has to get some medicine for him and give it to Mr Hyde. When Lanyon saw Hyde drinking the medicine and he saw Hyde ‘‘...Reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with infected eyes, gasping with open mouth...’’‘‘...Like a man restored from death- there stood Henry Jekyll...’’(Page 68) Dr Lanyon screamed‘‘...O God!...’’(Page 68) twice. This shows us the terror Dr Lanyon experienced and it was a truelly horrific sight.. Dr Lanyon writes at the end of his letter to Mr Utterson‘‘...What he told me in the next hour I cannot bring my mind to set on paper. I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and I cannot answer...’’‘‘...My life is shaken to its roots; sleep has left...’’‘‘...I feel that my days are numbered, and that I must die...’’ (Page 68). This show the trauma Dr Lanyon was in before he dies and what he saw was horrific, this shows how horrendous the battle between Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde is.
In this chapter Stevenson shows us the horrendous battle by showing us that Dr Jekyll is prepared to take on the detestable Mr Hyde by writing that Dr Jekyll has taken the opportunity to make a medicine to turn himself back to Dr Jekyll and is ready to take precaution to stop Edward Hyde.
In the chapter ‘‘ Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement Of The Case’’ Dr Jekyll explains what happens. He Wrote when he first took the medicine and turned into Mr Hyde he liked it, so just incase he couldn’t turn back into Jekyll he made a will. It was written in his will that if anything happened to Jekyll, Hyde would get everything Jekyll owned. Jekyll told his servants that Hyde was to have full power of his house ‘‘...I announced to my servants that a Mr Hyde (whom I described) was to have full liberty and power about my house in the square...’’ (page 75). Jekyll knew Hyde was evil but he carried on taking the medicine that turns him into Hyde.
Hyde takes over and begins to kill people, so Jekyll tries to put a stop to Hyde’s rampage but he cannot get the drugs that can return him to his previous state. He then sends a letter to his friend Dr Lanyon and Lanyon brings him the drugs and Jekyll turns back. Now in the form of Jekyll he can get the medicine, so everytime he turns into Hyde he just has to take the medicine and he changes back, but the only way to stop Hyde is if Jekyll kills himself ‘‘...I know how he fears my powers to cut him off by suicide...’’(page 87). He says the only way to get out of this is to commit suicide. ‘‘...I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end...’’ (page 87) this shows us he planning to commit suicide but Robert Louis Stevenson doesn’t tell us if Jekyll has.
This chapter shows us how Jekyll is struggling to bring Hydes life to an end. The way Stevenson does this is by asking rhetorical questions ‘‘...And indeed the doom that is closing on us both has already changed and crushed him...’’ ‘‘...Hyde die upon the scaffold? Or will he find the courage to release himself at the last moment?...’’ by saying this Stevenson leaves us in suspension because we do not know if he killed himself or Hyde took control in the end.
Stevenson conveys the battle between Jekyll and Hyde brilliantly. His writing skills are just amazing at the end he leaves us hanging on a string by writing ‘‘...Hyde die upon the scaffold? Or will he find the courage to release himself at the last moment?...’’. He uses many techniques to keep the reader glued to the book by showing the reader how horrendous the battle is between them. The best part of the book is at the end of ‘‘ Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement Of The Case’ because the ending shows us the only way to end Hyde’s life is to give up his own and commit suicide. This shows us Jekyll is ready to do anything to stop Hyde.
By Shamshed Miah 10M
