Mr Edward Hyde
English Lit: AQA GCSE Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, topic 8.1.2
Hyde - Chapter 1
Enfield describes Hyde, saying: "He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why.”
Analysis - ambiguity
- This shows us that he is an unidentifiable character that does not blend in with the rest of society.
- Hyde is deliberately described as vague and ambiguous to make the reader anxious about who this character actually is.
Analysis - fear
- The idea that Hyde evokes fear in the other characters, but there is a non-specific reason for this, builds tension for the reader, and also leaves the reader to paint an image of Hyde that aligns to their own personal fears.
- Hyde poses as a mechanism to revive the inner terrors and sins that exist within us.
Hyde - Chapter 2
When Utterson meets Hyde, he says: “The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house.”
Significance
- Utterson is the omniscient narrator - the reader views the events of his investigation through his perspective. This is the first time we hear a description of Hyde from this well-trusted character.
Savage
- Hyde is described as a “savage” character that we cannot describe - the adjective “savage” implies he is a degenerate without morals, and he also moves like an animal would.
Snarled
- The verb “snarled” is usually applied to animals, and has a sinister undertone.
Sibilance
- The sibilance in this quotation also suggests that there is a sinister aspect to Hyde’s character.
Context
- This connotes to the context of Darwinism, and the idea that humans could possibly degenerate into the inner savage if the veneer of society were removed.
Hyde - Chapter 9
Lanyon recalls: “There was something abnormal and misbegotten in the very essence of the creature”.
Abnormal
- Hyde is described as “abnormal” which differentiates him from the other well-respected gentlemen in the novella.
Creature
- Hyde is frequently referred to as a “creature” rather than a human and this evokes animalistic imagery.
- We get the impression that Hyde is a pre-human troglodyte (caveman) that exists without civilisation and the laws and morals that dictate the civilised being.
Test yourself on Mr Edward Hyde
Who is describing Hyde in the following quote from Chapter 1?
"He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why”Key Quote - Hyde
Who is describing Hyde when they say:
“The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house”Key Quote - Hyde
“The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house”
Which words from this quote about Hyde suggest he is animalistic?