Hyde as an Outsider

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ by R. L. Stevenson  is accepted as his best novel. It was first published in 1886 and quickly sold nearly 40,000 copies in Britain. The mystery of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is revealed by the testimonies of Mr. Enfield, Mr. Utterson, Dr. Lanyon, and Jekyll’s butler Poole.

One day, with the help of Dr. Jekyll’s will, Mr. Utterson who is Jekyll’s lawyer, discovers that a stranger, named as Mr. Edward Hyde, is the heir of the Dr. Jekyll’s fortune. Utterson first couldn’t realize the truth despite his wide research about this stranger and conversations with his friend Dr. Jekyll but a few witnesses who saw this man just talk about the irritating evil energy that surged through his being. First Dr. Jekyll just says that Mr. Hyde is a friend of his.

Then when Mr. Hyde is being suspected of murder , the mystery starts to be revealed. One night Utterson and Poole break into Jekyll’s laboratory and find the death of Mr. Hyde. Two documents explain the mystery: Jekyll’s old friend Dr. Lanyon tells that, Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. Dr. Jekyll confesses that, to separate the good and evil sides of his nature, he found a transforming drug. This drug brings the evil side of Dr. Jekyll, Mr Hyde, out. And one day Jekyll’s storage of drugs ends and he finds himself changing involuntarily into Mr. Hyde completely and irreversibly. Dr. Jekyll suicides to block the metamorphosis, but before, the last words of his confession are written by the last fragments of his nature: ‘Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Dr. Jekyll to an end.’ (Stevenson , 181).

Sample essay on Hyde as an Outsider.

Introduction

In “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” Stevenson explores the nature of evil through his main character, Mr Hyde. In the chapter two extract as well as the rest of the novel, Stevenson presents Mr Hyde as a frightening outsider through his behaviour and appearance. In addition, Stevenson employs religious imagery to highlight Mr Hyde’s evil and Satanic ways, thereby representing Mr Hyde as a shock to the traditional mores of Victorian society.

Look first at the quoted extract 

One of the most effective ways Stevenson uses to illustrate Mr Hyde as a frightening outsider is through his behaviour. Before Mr Hyde lets Mr Utterson into his home, Mr Hyde `snarled aloud into a savage laugh and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house.’ This unusual and discomforting behaviour contrasts with what a normal person would do, which is to warmly welcome a guest into their home.

In addition, the word `snarled` portrays Mr Hyde as animalistic because a normal human would not snarl.Stevenson, moreover, extensively uses the simile `like a mad man` to describe Mr Hyde’s madness. In Victorian times, mental health was a taboo issue. When Stevenson compares Mr Hyde to a `madman,` he cements Mr Hyde’s frightening behaviour within the context of the novel. Madness is uncontrollable, which is the anathema of a controlled, intellectual Victorian society.Stevenson also uses Mr Hyde’s appearance to illustrate him as a frightening outsider. He describes Mr Hyde, for example, as `pale and dwarfish.`

Let’s look at the passage:

“Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky whispering and somewhat broken voice, – all these were points against him but not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear with which Mr Utterson regarded him.

‘There must be something else,’ said the perplexed gentleman. ‘There is something more, if I could find a name for it. God bless me, the man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say? Or can it be the old story of Dr Fell? Or is it the mere radiance of a foul soul that thus transpires through, and transfigures, its clay continent? The last, I think for, O my poor old Harry Jekyll, if ever I read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend!’

This use of sensory language presents Mr Hyde to be the opposite of what a traditional Victorian man would look like: tall, strong and healthy like Mr Hyde’s `polar twin` Dr Jekyll. Such an appearance would frighten Victorian people, because it was far outside the norm. In addition, Mr Hyde is described as having a `deformity,` something that would have been considered frightening and looked down upon in Victorian society. People with such deformities, such as the elephant man, would be seen in shows for entertainment and shock value.

Let’s consider the rest of the novel

In other parts of the novel, Stevenson describes Mr Hyde by saying that there is something `wrong with his appearance,` which is ‘displeasing’ and `downright detestable.` This use of alliteration in `downright detestable` not only brings emphasis to Hyde’s appearance, but it also vividly highlights Hyde’s evil and fear-inducing characteristics. Since no physical deformity is ever named, one could suggest that it is Hyde’s soul that is deformed. Furthermore, Mr Hyde is also described as being `troglodytic` or primitive, thus relating Mr Hyde to savage cavemen. Only a few decades before Stevenson’s book, Darwin produced his theory of evolution. This theory states that we all evolved from one common ancestor: the primitive animal. Victorian society, at the time, was religious and too traditional to hear Darwin’s radical theory. That is why Mr Hyde’s appearance is so shocking and frightening, because he embodies primitivism.

In a sense, Mr Hyde’s behaviour and appearance could be considered an extended metaphor of the novel that evil and savagery lies within all of us, as it does with Dr Jekyll in the form of Mr Hyde.

Finally, Stevenson employs religious and Satanic imagery to present Mr Hyde as a frightening outsider. Stevenson accomplishes this by describing Hyde as having `Satan’s signature` upon his face. It’s almost as if Mr Hyde has made a deal with the devil as Satan’s puppet. This metaphor is effective in painting Hyde’s evil. Furthermore, Stevenson uses the simile `like a damned Juggernaut` to describe Hyde, suggesting that Hyde is a strong and powerful force that is condemned by God. The thought of a powerful juggernaut would have scared a Victorian audience, because it steps into the realm of the occult and supernatural.