Arathi Anand

Language and Literature

How Do The First Chapters Establish The Concepts In the Novel?

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a
gothic novel published in 1886. Being written in the time of the Victorian era, Stevenson's
novel reflected the time period and societies mind set by setting the novel in Victorian
London. The Victorian era is said to be a time of technological and scientific change, but the
change brought along increased crime as well as social disparities. At this age, morals were
also changing, with a growing fear of degeneration. These morals included values which
were supportive of not committing crimes, a strict code of conduct with society, and
supported chastity. This novel surrounds a legal practitioner named Gabriel John Utterson
who is investigating strange occurrences between his friend Henry Jekyll and an evil
character named Edward Hyde. In the Victorian era, many judge others by their appearance
and classified them using such information. This is shown in the novel as the author focuses
on characterization to depict themes. To present key concepts, Stevenson uses a range of
literary devices. He uses zoomorphism, oxymorons, and symbolisation to convey the
concepts of degeneration, diction, imagery and setting to show the duality of man, and the
supernatural.

The Victorian era was filled with the innate fear of degeneration. Society feared the
rise in crime, and decline in morality. They feared insanity. This fear of degeneration is seen
throughout the novel as Stevenson uses the characterization of Mr Hyde who is degenerate
himself. He also uses the reactions of others to show how much it was feared. For example,
Mr Utterson says ​“The man seems hardly human… something troglodytic” (ch.3) ​to describe
Mr Hyde. The use of ellipses makes it clear that Mr Utterson himself has difficulty to
describe how different he looks. He also characterizes Mr Hyde as troglodytic, meaning that
he is predatory in nature and primitive. This shows how society perceives him as strange and
degenerate. Another way the author makes Mr Hyde look predatory is by saying he
“..snarled aloud into a savage laugh..” (ch.2). ​Here he is being described as almost a
caveman who is not civilized, and thus degenerate. The writer also uses the symbolization of
Hydes door to depict him. Stevenson describes ​the door as being ​“...blistered and distained.”
(ch.1)​, which can be seen as a true reflection of its owner (Hyde), both in appearance and
neglection. Even before all this, the reader can tell that Mr Hyde is despicable from the first
impression. In chapter one Mr Hyde​“... trampled calmly over the child's body and left her
screaming”. T ​ he use of the oxymoron shows how twisted and animalistic he is. He is also
​ omparing Hyde to the devil makes him
described as being ​“..really like satan” (ch.1). C
appear even more evil, showing the hatred society has for him. From this, the reader can see
how degeneration is a key concept in this novel, as cruel acts and evil gestures are shown.

Before even reading the first few chapters, the author provides clues to the plot by
naming his novel “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. The phrase ‘Jekyll and
Hyde’ is often used to refer to a person whose actions do not coincide. Throughout the novel,
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Language and Literature

there are hints to the notion that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are both in fact the same person. Mr
Hyde is a creation within Dr Jekyll himself. To depict this, Stevenson uses the setting of
London to show the duality and differences which can reside in a single neighborhood or
person. For example, the narrator says that the ​“streets shone out in contrast to its dingy
neighbourhood, like a fire in a forest..” (ch.1) ​Here, the streets are being described in a
brighter light than the neighbourhood which is said to be ‘dingy’. Also, the connotations
coming with the word fire depict the danger which may arise within beauty which is the
forest. This metaphor is a reflection of Dr Jekyll as he is like the forest and Mr Hyde is the
fire burning the good in Dr Jekyll. Furthermore, in chapter one when Mr hyde is entering a
building, it is described as displaying an air of ​“prolonged and sordid negligence”​ ​(ch.1)
This description uses strong diction suggesting to the reader that the building might have
been abandoned for many years. This is a strong contrast to the street that he is living on
which is described as bright. In opposition, in chapter three, Dr Jekyll’s house is described as
having​ “..a great air of wealth and comfort.”​ This is the complete contradiction of what was
said when Mr Hyde was entering his house. This is a clear depiction of the concept which is
seen throughout the novel which is the duality of man as one person (Dr Jekyll) can be seen
in different ways. Another example of this is when Mr Uttterson remarks on Dr Jekyll saying
that he is ​“..a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty with something of a slyish cast
perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness"​ (ch.3). T ​ he characterization of Dr Jekyll is
a complete contrast to how he described Mr Hyde. To represent Dr Jekyll, Mr Utterson uses
the rule of three, saying he is large, well made, and smooth-faced, which is the opposite of
“something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right
detestable” (ch.1).​ Using the rule of three makes the reader believe and understand in more
detail. Even so, Dr Jekyll is still said to have a ‘slyish cast’ which suggests a somewhat
deceitful nature. This is foreshadowing Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll being the same person, and
outlines the duality of Dr Jekyll. In the Victorian era, individuals were judged by their
appearance, suggesting why Stevenson chose to make characters be viewed differently on
appearance.

Another concept seen in the beginning chapters is the supernatural. These chapters
also introduce a character named Dr. Lanyon who is Jekyll’s former colleague. He deems
Jekyll’s research as ​“such unscientific balderdash” (ch.2) ​which is hinting to the supernatural
aspect of the experiments being conducted. This is a strong contrast to the prevailing science
of the Victorian era, where rationalism also stood strong. Lanyon also dismisses Dr Jekyll’s
more mystical experiments being a nineteenth-century scientist himself. In addition, Hyde is
described throughout as being, quite literally, beyond the rational description. He is described
as giving a ​“..strong feeling of deformity” (ch.1) a​ nd the idea of him being ​“...deformed
somewhere..” (ch.1) ​ is brought up many times. This idea of deformity which can be both
body and mind brings up the idea of supernatural or beyond the natural world. In the quote
“Mr Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath” (ch.2) ​zoomorphism is used to
portray Hyde as animalistic, making him seem like a deceitful snake. This plays in with the
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Language and Literature

supernatural as he is being characterized as being a mysterious and almost animal like

creature. Mr Hyde is representing the supernatural himself, as he is dehumanized in the
novel.

Overall, it is clear that many literary techniques were used to convey and foreshadow
important concepts included in the novel. These devices used in the first three chapters
foreshadow the events yet to come, building up the plot, and laying out concepts in the novel.
Stevenson’s novel depicts aspects of Victorian life as many showed fear of degeneration as
seen with Mr Hyde. In the Victorian era, the irrational did not even pass individuals minds,
they were focused on the science and rational aspects. The novel depicts how people feared
the unnatural, and how they evaluated anything which seemed out of the ordinary. The writer
highlights the concept of degeneration by the characterization of Mr Hyde, and by using
zoomorphism and oxymorons. He also uses the setting and imagery to further emphasize the
duality of man and the supernatural. Using these techniques foreshadows the development of
the plot and sets key concepts.

Word Count: 1332