Mr Enfield is first mentioned in paragraph two of the first chapter. Mr Enfield is someone who Mr Utterson has known a long time. Mr Utterson describes Mr Richard Enfield as his ‘distant kinsman’. Mr Enfield is the opposite of Mr Utterson, so it is peculiar that they are so close and even friends. They have bonded because of their different opinions and personality. This is duality between the two characters; Mr Utterson is slightly withdrawn, where as Mr Enfield is ‘the well known man about town’ this relationship and the language to describe it adds softness into the cold which will surely follow and warms the scene up entirely. The meaning of their close companionable relationship is secretive. People wonder why they accompany each others often ‘It was a nut to crack for many, what they could see in each other, or what subject they would find in common’ it is a certainty that they were opposites of each other, but to understand the atmosphere of these two characters relationship, the hint which is mischievously given must be understood. Homosexuality hides in the doubtful atmosphere of these two men, it is not definite but it’s probable. ‘Set aside of pleasure…’ and ‘his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time...’ are examples to give this tight knot relationship a completely different overview.
The description of the street in the first chapter reinforces this theme of having a twin self. The street is described as simply an anonymous street in London, whose shop fronts "like rows of smiling women" have a brightness that stands out in contrast to the dingy neighbourhood. And yet on this street, two doors from the corner, stands a dreary, Gothic house, which "bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence." As we advance further in the novel, Jekylls house its self will be seen to have an instinctive duality: congenial, prosperous, respectable, as well as threatening, mysterious, and sinister. This duality is manifested by each of its two facades: the respectable, Jekyll side of the house stands out in contrast with the seediness of its neighbouring structures. The Hyde façade is bleak, neglected, and lowering on a street where it stands out among thriving, well-kept, and prosperous commercial structures. The theme of having a twin self is also marked by the representational nature of the name Hyde, which derives from the more familiar word hide, and stands for the hidden aspects of Jekyll as encompassed by Mr. Hyde. Indeed, later in Chapter 2, Mr. Utterson claims that "If he shall be Mr. Hyde . . . I shall be Mr. Seek."
The symbolic nature of the mysterious cellar door that Hyde disappears through is significant to note, it is referred to five times in the space of two pages of text. Doors are traditionally powerful and mysterious symbols, representing the possibility of things hidden or revealed, or traditional moments of finality. In addition, doors have powerful symbolic reference in biblical works, which Stevenson read throughout his childhood. In Genesis 4:7, it reads "sin lieth at the door," which means that the sinner must avoid sin. The door, in this case, then represents the literal path to evil.
Making a child the first victim of Hyde’s cruelty emphasizes the moral awfulness of his behaviour from the beginning. Dr Jekyll is not named personally in this chapter, but he appears as ‘a little old man’, which is Dr Jekyll without any inhibitions, also known as Mr Hyde. This is unknown though, this man mentioned, who trampled over a girl of eight or ten is just a ‘damned juggernaut.’ Words like ‘Satan,’ ‘screaming,’ and ‘trampled calmly over’ are words which convey inhumanity. He also describes the incident as ‘hellish to see.’ The brief description of the man and the door is a contrast to the long slow description of Mr Utterson. I think this proves that Mr Enfield and Mr Utterson have big differences but somehow have a lot in common and find each others presence more than welcome. Stevenson presents the different attitude of the bystanders by their reaction to the incident and their automatic hate recalled by Mr Enfield ‘I never saw such a circle of hateful faces; and there was the man in the middle, with a kind of black, sneering coolness.’ The atmosphere here is hell like.
Stevenson describes the men as ‘Gentleman.’ In Mr Enfield’s speech, even Mr Hyde is said to be a gentleman. Mr Enfield describes to Mr Utterson how he had taken a ‘loathing to the Gentleman at first sight.’ He also mentions the bystanders’ reactions. The doctor who was at the scene had turned ‘sick and white with the desire to kill him.’ From these reactions the reader can only think that the ‘Gentleman’ was something bad. Hyde is still unnamed because this would have been read in instalments. Letting the first chapter appear a mystery overwhelms the reader. Giving the whole story away at the beginning would ruin the development of the plot.
The first chapter also contains elements predicting the evilness and future crimes of Mr. Hyde. During chapter 1, Enfield refers to Hyde as "really like Satan." In addition, a few lines later, Hyde remarks "No gentleman but wishes to avoid a scene," is the first clue that we have that Hyde is an ally, or a manifestation, of the devil. Stevenson is playing on the well-known remark of Percy Bysshe Shelly’s in ‘Peter Bell the Third’ that ‘the devil is a gentleman.’ Hyde’s declaration that he is a ‘gentleman’ considering his recent behaviour represents the irony in the way Stevenson uses the word.
The reader get a very thorough and horrible image as Enfield describes Mr Hyde. The use of words which give the reader an automatic image of the type of man Hyde is. Mr Enfield describes Hyde as ’something wrong with his appearance,’ ‘displeasing…detestable…deformed…and an extraordinary looking man.’ Stevenson is instantly giving us a build up of negatives which suggest his attempt to present Mr Hyde as the embodiment of evil.
Continuing to look at the first two chapters, the key plays a significant part in the mystery of this almost detective novel which keeps the reader guessing. The key is only used twice throughout the first two chapters: ‘Whipped out a key’ and ‘he drew a key.’ The way Stevenson describes how Mr Hyde uses his key ‘with extraordinary quickness’ makes us to think that Hyde is hiding something, as he quickly disappears behind the door which was ‘blistered and distained.’ In addition, Hyde is probably a suitable name for this man, as he evidently wants to ‘hide’. We wonder how Mr Utterson knows who Mr Hyde is. The clue is in the will; Dr Jekyll's will was kept in Utterson’s most private part of his safe. The will stated that all Jekyll’s possessions were to be passed into the hands of his ‘friend and benefactor Edward Hyde.’ The mystery deepens, Mr Utterson knows something and we want to find out. I think that the Victorians would want to hear what happens in the next chapter considering they received the novel in instalments, equally though because it’s suspenseful, mysterious and explores suggestions of science which would have threatened humanist values.
Gothic literature, is known to many as a gloomy, horror story set in a castle or monastery, with touches of the supernatural. For example Bram Stokers ‘Dracula’ is a story about a vampire. There are many elements of Gothic literature; examples would be fear of the unknown, a character we fear and a male saviour. The character we fear is Mr Hyde but once we find out Mr Hyde is Dr Jekyll, we could fear both of them. The male saviour is Mr Utterson. Furthermore scientific knowledge is the key element of Gothic, as well as the significant derelict house and secrecy of the continuing mystery. Elements which will appear are time shift techniques which at the end of the book you will realise as Dr Jekyll writes his confession to all his scientific experiments. What's more there is a transformation within this book, a transformation this involves Dr Jekyll turning into the monster that is Mr Hyde using a chemical solution. This is something which should have been left to God not Dr Jekyll. It is a question of faith and morality but there is throughout a good versus evil power.
Commenting on chapter two, the setting of the scene is quite gloomy, Mr Utterson is a bachelor like all the other main characters appear to be, he returns to his house in ‘sombre spirits’ which means he could be thinking about what Mr Enfield had told him. The church ‘clock…rang out the hour of twelve,’ something must be on Uttersons mind to keep him up this late because usually he ‘would go soberly and gratefully to bed’ but no, he takes a candle which tells us that the house is in darkness and there is a fire which immediately gives us the impression that his house is cold and empty. Mr Utterson goes to his business room at 12 o’ clock at night just to read Dr Jekyll’s will. This will is a secret, as Utterson took it from ‘the most private part’ of his safe, where the document is hidden. We now know that Mr Utterson is reading something very secret and we are told that Dr Jekyll has left everything to Mr Hyde. Looking at the last line it ends with ‘fiend,’ this gives an end focus. Mr Hyde is a brute, an evil and cruel person as well as a beast, and a wrong doer. The word ‘fiend’ is the summing up of all these words which describe Mr Hyde. So the reader knows that Mr Utterson is talking about Mr Hyde. In the second paragraph of chapter two the narrator – Mr Utterson – uses the words ‘ madness…..obnoxious and disgrace’ to describe how he feels about the will and the whole Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde issue. The disgrace being that Jekyll is recognised by the other men as a respectable gentleman but this could change with what Mr Utterson fears is happening. Obnoxious being the word Utterson uses to describe the will, and that he’s changed his mind previously from thinking the whole situation was madness, to thinking that he ‘fears it is disgrace.’
After considering the implications of the will with what he has learned about Edward Hyde, Utterson sets off for the residence of , a hearty, healthy, dapper red-faced gentleman’ and another dear friend of Dr. Jekyll. Mr Utterson learns that Lanyon has not been friends with Dr Jekyll for more than ten years ever since he became ‘too fanciful’ for him. Stevenson includes this information for the reader because it is important to introduce Dr Jekyll more to the story, so the reader can believe that Dr Jekyll has some part to the mystery of Mr Hyde. Dr Lanyon describes Jekyll’s scientific interest as ‘such unscientific balderdash,’ but also Stevenson adds into the story that Dr Lanyon had noticed that Jekyll ‘began to go wrong, wrong in the mind.’ This is another person who has noticed the strange behaviour of Dr Jekyll but as we learn, he does not know of Mr Hyde.
This short conversation reveals right minded Victorians a decided manner and opinion that to prove something like a scientific demonstration of perhaps how humans were just like animals. They would think it absolute nonsense because they already had their mind set on what was right, what was wrong and how the world was created.
I think that Stevenson was intrigued by Jekyll’s ‘explorations’ but also added what ‘right minded’ people of the time would say about the matter. Everyone respects Jekyll but as soon as he starts exploring his own scientific ideas people become paranoid that he could discover something like the meaning of life which could ruin everyone’s beliefs. I think the Victorians were afraid of what could be discovered. But equally this could be a personal story for Stevenson about his life or his arguments between him and his father over his professional career and over religion. So I think part of the meaning of this story is to do with his beliefs and the dreams he had.
Before Mr. Utterson meets Mr. Hyde, "six o’ clock struck on the bells of the church that was so conveniently near to Mr. Utterson’s dwelling." To the reader, this might not be significant but to Stevenson these bells represented something ominous. The bells that Utterson hears are representative of the evil that he is about to meet. Stevenson suggests the atmosphere of the night with, ‘gross darkness of the night,’ or ‘nocturnal city.’ He also creates an evil atmosphere by writing that Mr Utterson was recalling the incident of the girl who was trampled on by ‘Mr Hyde.’ Stevenson also adds the fear that Mr Utterson feels for his friend Jekyll who he believes has something to do with Mr Hyde which could be more than just friends. Stevenson’s presentation of Mr Utterson is that he is the ‘good’ one of this story; after all he solves the mystery with the reader figuring it out as he does. I don’t necessarily think that Mr Utterson is the opposite of Hyde but I certainly feel that they have evident differences like their circumstances and their appearances. Everybody has similar feelings and no one can say that they have never lied or never felt angry or felt happy even if it was for only a second. So Utterson and Mr Hyde have similarities in their emotions.
I can understand if Mr Utterson is said to be the ‘opposite’ of Mr Hyde as he represents ‘good’ and Mr Hyde represents ‘evil.’ But I still feel that Mr Utterson isn’t free of evil, I expect he has a lot in common with Mr Hyde than he expects. I think we can all relate to Jeykll and Hyde we all have a bit of both bottled up inside.
It is interesting, during this second chapter, how Stevenson describes Mr. Hyde. Although the reader is continually reminded that Hyde is parallel to the devil and evil, Hyde’s qualities are never attached to any given detail. We are meant to think that decent people instinctively know that there is something morally wrong with him. Stevenson makes him seem less than a fully evolved human, more similar to animals than the rest of mankind, with imagery such as the ‘hissing intake of breath.’ Shortly after Hyde leaves Utterson in the courtyard, Stevenson again emphasizes Hyde’s animosity. Utterson thinks about Hyde as he walks away: ‘pale and dwarfish…deformity… husky…murderous.’ But again, though we are told that Hyde inspires "disgust and loathing and fear," we are never told precisely how, simply that this is the result. In contrast to this description, however, Hyde’s behaviour towards Utterson, initially, was extremely civil. The language Stevenson uses is very descriptive and creates a realistic picture of the city which is passionate yet powerful. A definitive detail of the night I have picked out like the ‘the great field of lamps’ meaning it is very dark and after that, there’s Mr Utterson thinking about his friend Dr Jekyll asleep in ‘a room in a rich house’ and its clear and detailed what Utterson is dreaming of. ‘The door of that room would be opened, the curtains of the bed plucked apart’ Stevenson has a clear picture in his mind of what he sees.
“If he be Hyde,” he thought, “I shall be Mr Seek” the relief of humour is much needed during Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It could be to throw us off the scent but somehow I don’t think so. I think it’s just a bit of a joke and to show another side of Mr Utterson’s personality because we recognise him as ‘a boring and predictable’ person. But what's more, it could be a disguised message in the name because Mr Hyde is ‘hiding’ and Mr Utterson is ‘seeking’ the truth.
Hyde knows in Chapter two that Jekyll has not told Mr Utterson about him because Mr Hyde is Dr Jekyll and I would think he would know. So that might be why Mr Hyde ‘cried… with a flush of anger’ when Mr Utterson mentioned Jekyll. Considering Victorians received the novel in instalments they would have had time to figure it out or maybe read it over a couple of times to figure it out. I think I would be able to figure out that Hyde is Jekyll and Jekyll is Hyde by the time I reached the last chapter. Knowing that Hyde is the darker side of Jekyll’s character, their names are appropriate. In French ‘je’ means ‘I’ so Jekyll means ‘I Kill’, Stevenson must have meant that Jekyll as his evil self ‘kills’ but Mr Hyde’s as in ‘hide’ hides away but kills. I believe that their names are each others, Mr Hyde kills and Dr Jekyll hides his secret.
In Chapter 10 Jekyll begins his narrative by describing his metaphysical views that the soul is made up of two separate distinctions: the good and the bad. It’s the most revealing, intriguing, and powerful chapter of the entire novel. Jekyll’s inner experiment with good and evil are explored and the dire consequences lay before the reader. It is important to see in this chapter that in Hyde, you have no Jekyll, but in Jekyll there is always some Hyde, reflective that there is no mechanism for humanity to free itself from its dual nature. Hyde, therefore, is not a separate person, but merely a projection of Jekyll. The story’s main theme, therefore, illustrates the darker side of a decent man, an aspect of our nature which we should acknowledge. Throughout this chapter, Stevenson shifts in alternating points of view, from first-person narrative to third person and then back again. Firstly, they let us feel the dizzying pace of the alternation between Jekyll and Hyde and secondly, they reflect the loathing Jekyll feels for his counterpart. Jekyll is using language to put as much distance from himself and Mr Hyde. The imagery of the last paragraph announces the imminent closure of a circle. Our story began with Jekyll’s desire to separate the moral aspects of his self so that he might have vibrant and wicked experiences without remorse. The cost of this pilgrimage, however, was a deadly reversal of dominance.
I have come to the conclusion that Stevenson uses his techniques as a writer to present character and atmosphere in ‘The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ by using language in interesting and diverse way in the story which looks at the duality of good and evil. Stevenson brings the possibility of another self in one person to life. He uses three narrators in the book to depict the tale of Dr. Jekyll, a respected, very "good" doctor who creates an alter ego of himself -- in the form of Mr. Hyde. Stevenson uses his own personal experiences into a story that shocked the Victorian era and received some negative reviews.
Even he called it ‘a fine bogey tale’ but Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde educated the era in a way no one could have predicted. Stevenson was on withdrawal from cocaine for his Tuberculosis before and during the time of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, he was on withdrawal from it so this meant he had the effects of hallucinations, sweating and most defiantly some craziness and bad dreams. His cocaine withdrawal and his concealed double life – his religious beliefs and his career path - from his parents were certainly a basis for this chilling and mysterious tale. The atmosphere Stevenson creates his mysterious. The technique I noticed he used was that of simply describing particular places, emotion or even a characters thoughts, they stand out in your mind and you have an vivid picture of what he is describing and the effect it has on the story. Stevenson also changes his language, differing from one narrator to another. Jekyll’s narration is different from Mr Uttersons. Stevenson changes the language to fit each character’s personality. Overall, I think that Stevenson wrote something which was personal to him and it’s a legend in itself. The atmosphere and characters which Stevenson has created are a fundamental creative mystery which continues to amaze the reader.