Our next setting is at the murder of Sir Danvers Carew where - once again - there was fog, which had “rolled over the city”. This sets a mysterious atmosphere and gives a suggestion that evil may happen. Here Stevenson has used personification to provide power to the fog and to let the reader imagine the fog is in control. In addition the surrounding was described as “blackguardly”, which means evil looking. Throughout the novella fog is ever present which symbolizes a sinister atmosphere and as if the fog is disguising something just like Dr Jekyll was. When Mr Utterson and Mr Enfield were at Dr Jekyll’s window the court that they were stood in was described as “very cool and a little damp and full of premature twilight”. This once again produces an uneasy and unwelcoming atmosphere.
Later when Mr Utterson is worried about Dr Jekyll - because he has locked himself in the cabinet, he goes with the butler, Poole, to the house and the weather is once again unpleasant and is described as a “wild, cold, seasonable night of March, with a pale moon, lying on her back as though the wind had tilted her”. The wind, being described as wild, makes you imagine an unruly animal running wild and knocking objects over in this case the moon. The “pale moon” represents suspicion, as the surroundings are once again dark and deserted. This adds to the wariness of the reader as in a dark and deserted place anything could happen and there would be no witnesses around and Stevenson has once again used personification on the fog. This description forms an uneasy feeling among the reader and creates a basis for which evil to happen. In the readers mind they cannot imagine anything happy or joyful happening on wild stormy nights just as they cannot envisage horror and evil taking place in the middle of a bright sunny day. This feeling of suspicion is ever present when the weather is adverse.
I believe the fog is used in this story as a representation of secrecy and mystery as fog makes objects harder to see. Many of the incidents happen in the early hours of the morning, which at the time the book was written would have been very effective, as people believed these were the witching hours and as people then were extremely superstitious this would immediately make them curious. It is also a time most people would be scared to be outdoors. Stevenson has created these dark unpleasant settings to suggest an unnatural and possibly evil atmosphere.
Even within such settings Stevenson focuses on small details to emphasize his effect. For example, when he mentions “the red baize of the cabinet door”. This is effective because red is classically a warning or even a forbidden colour. It is like a psychological message to the reader that whatever is behind the door is dangerous and does not want company. This again gives an intense unwelcoming atmosphere. Red can also be a colour associated with hell, the devil and therefore with evil. This helps to create suspense and makes the reader question: What is behind the door?
The setting is a contribution towards the evil Stevenson wants the reader to feel about Mr Hyde. Stevenson uses many metaphors to make Hyde sound more beast than man. The contrast of animalistic against human imagery is used a lot in this novella. The animalistic imagery is used to describe Hyde, and the human imagery is used on gentlemen as a whole not as an individual. Hyde is described to have “ape like fury”, “ape like tricks”, and to be “like a monkey”. Most of these animalistic features describe him as a primate of some sort. These ideas fit into the suggestion of Stevenson getting some inspiration from Charles Darwin and his idea of evolution from monkey to man. This suggests that Hyde’s actions can be blamed on the fact that he is not a real human and does not understand the concept of right and wrong. Also Stevenson describes Hyde’s appearance as having some kind of abnormality and the characters that have witnessed Hyde all agree on the unsettling disfigurement however each witness has trouble explaining his facial characteristics. This creates a mystery about Hyde’s character. For example when Mr Utterson first sees Hyde’s face he described Hyde as giving “an impression of deformity without any namable malformation”. This shows that there was something about Mr Hyde that gave a sense that he was deformed but there was not anything physically deformed about him. The human imagery used, such as: “handsome”, “tall” and “strong build”, all represent a good man and a well respected man, as Henry Jekyll was. This used effective contrast as Stevenson was using all the well-respected doctors and lawyers in this story to compare Hyde to. The vision the reader imagines of Mr Hyde is a monster that is ruthless, spontaneous and disregards civil law.
Stevenson creates a fearful atmosphere in order to portray the effect of Hyde’s savage-like actions. The incident of the trampling of the little girl also shows the animal like actions of Hyde. He is said to have “trampled calmly” over the girl and that it wasn’t like a man but more like a “juggernaut”. This implies that Hyde is not human in many ways, firstly he is said to have “calmly” trampled over a little girl this shows that he cannot have any human feelings, as he did not even react to what he did. Also I believe Stevenson used a little girl on purpose as you would see this girl as a defenseless human being which would emphasize Hyde’s cruelty. Secondly a juggernaut means a machine or a huge creature these both also imply that Hyde cannot have any human feelings. Similarly At the murder of Danvers Carew, Hyde is said to have “clubbed him into the earth”. This is a brutal ‘non-human’ way to have killed someone, which re-enforces the idea of Hyde being a beast and having no moral codes to obey. Both incidents were witnessed by members of the public, who were clearly disturbed by Hyde’s atrocious crimes. At Sir Danvers Carew’s murder the witness – a maid – was so disturbed by his actions that she fainted. The author carefully constructs the setting of the night of Sir Danvers Carew’s murder. The maid describes it as peaceful: “never had she felt more at peace with all men or thought more kindly of the world”. Sir Danvers Carew is depicted as “an aged and beautiful gentlemen with white hair” and as having “a very pretty manner of politeness”. The description of the night and of Carew’s appearance projects an image of innocence. Stevenson does this so the murder has a more horrific effect.
The cruelty of Mr Hyde’s character becomes more and more severe as the book gets nearer the end and Hyde becomes a character that completely disregards society and civilization. There are many other small incidents where animalistic characters are used to describe Hyde. In chapter ten when he is described as having “bestial avidity” which suggests extremely ‘beast-like’ desires. Also when Jekyll refers to the “animal within me” and his “devilish fury” this also strongly agrees with the previous suggestions of his animalistic characterisation. Stevenson’s choice of name for Dr Jekyll’s alter ego was interesting as the name “Hyde” is very similar to ‘hide’. Throughout the book it is as if Hyde is hiding within Jekyll. Also this links in with the tough, thick skin of an animal also known as ‘hide’. This suggests a toughness and imperviousness to morals and emotions as displayed by the character Hyde. The hide of an animal links in with Hyde’s bestial tendencies.
The animalistic imagery helps to create the gothic feel to the novella as well as Stevenson use of structure and language. Stevenson cleverly decided to set the story of “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” out into different episodes, rather than using chapters. Each episode describes an event from more than one point of view, which gives the reader freedom to make up their own mind about the characters. The plot is revealed to the reader in many ways, for example in letters or in a diary which involves private thoughts of that character instead of just being told the story.
The novella uses multiple narrators instead of the usual, one - they were all noble and highly respected men: Mr Enfield, Dr Lanyon and Dr Jekyll in the last chapter. This tells us, that there was no voice for the people who were not in the higher class of society, and that the Victorians had a very narrow view of society. There is also another main character - Mr Utterson – who is trying to solve the mystery as the reader is. The story is told how he experienced it and how he went about solving the case. The effect of this on the reader is that if Utterson was particularly scared or confused in the story he explains what he was feeling in depth so the reader could understand the fear and torment he experienced. Enfield, Lanyon and Jekyll each describe a section in the story, which helps the reader and Mr Utterson solve the mystery, which continues after Jekyll’s disappearance and Hyde’s death.
This novella is unusual, as it does not run in chronological order. We hear of Hyde’s death in chapter eight and then in chapter nine and ten we hear how Hyde came to be. This is a different style to most books as the story carries on after the main character has died. This relates to how Stevenson rebelled against his background as he is now rebelling against the normal.
Stevenson’s view of evil, in my perspective, is that all human beings possess both evil and good, but if we nurture the evil side it will develop and try to take over. Alternatively, that there is some way to bring out the evil side (as the potion did in the book). I think that Stevenson thought that it was the repressive Victorian society that brought out the evil of Hyde. The environment will affect the way that things turn out and I believe Hyde is a traditional enemy or view of evil from those days. I think the book is a reflection of Stevenson’s life as it was his upbringing, which caused him to rebel.
I think the novella explores traditional evil from the Victorian era, as the enemy is being described as a beast. I feel Stevenson portrays evil to be fun and therefore tempting, and to be good as being weak. To be good you have to care for others as well as yourself and consider people’s feelings, which will double the burden. Therefore, to be good also means to be vulnerable. He portrays evil to be strong, as you only think of yourself and what you want, and this is why Hyde attempts to take over Jekyll. Although Hyde seems to take over Jekyll there is still a part of Jekyll there, which makes Hyde take the potion to become Jekyll again, so that he can then end the evil of the beast he created which also means ending his life too.
In conclusion I feel Stevenson has successfully portrayed evil through his characters, setting and language. I enjoyed the different ways it suggests evil and I believe Robert Louis Stevenson has accomplished his aim to write a gothic horror book and “The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is truly a book of its time as creating an evil side that, if made subject to, would alter normal civilized behaviour and conduct horrific violence was unheard of at the time the book was published.
