Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay

Page 43-44  Essay on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a mix of the Gothic Fiction, Mystery and Detective Fiction Genres, that uses  horror and Romanticism all together. Gothic fiction has elements that we can also see in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde such as a dark and gloomy atmoshphere, suspense, supernatural occurrences and the use of gothic vocabulary. This extract is from in  Chapter 8 - The Last Night. In this chapter Poole visits Mr Utterson at his house worried that something has happened in Dr Jekylls cabinet , Poole believes Mr Hyde has something to do with it. Mr Utterson and Poole go back to Dr Jekylls house, where they break into the cabinet  to find Mr Hyde dead on the floor. This Chapter is the most dramatic chapter of the novella and it is filled with a lot of suspense created by literary devises such as Personification , Pathetic fallacy, Diction and setting. Supsense is one of the most important aspects of this extract.

One way in which Stevenson creates suspense is through atmosphere and setting. The description of the "wild, cold, seasonable night" links to the theme of ativism vs civilisation which is constant  throughout the book. In this extract the wind is described as  making talking difficult and " flecked the blood into the face". The idea that the wind is so strong to fleck blood, gives a sense of supernatural occurances which is a typical gothic element. This builds suspense as from that point onwards the sense of supernatural follows in the extract. The night is also described as "biting" which adds the idea that the weather is unrelenting and has a animalistc nature aswell as being metaphoric by describing how it is so cold outside that it causes physical pain. Victorians were used to predictablility and routine therefore the thought of  the weather,  being so uncontrolable and wild would increase fear and dread in the reader. Finally the setting and the weather is a typical example of a gothic atmosphere, dark, cold and deserted. This type of gothic atmosphere is usually used to give a sense of forboding to a characters fate, therefore it creates suspense as we do not know what will occur next.

The Personification of the trees in the street  gives a sense of foreboding to the reader. They are described to be "lashing themselves along the railing" which makes it seem as if the trees are  self flagellating, in fear of  with Dr jekyll and Mr Hyde. The violent diction used with the world "lashing" creates an image of supernatural power, bruitality and unforgiving.

Near the beggining of this extract Mr Utterson and Poole are having a conversation about what they believe is happening at Dr Jekylls lab, this conversation leads to Poole expressing his thought of there being " foul play".  Poole is repressing his suspisions for the fear of consequences that could possibly happen in the future. The Phrase " foul play" is a victorian euphism for violence, as well as being a euphism  of something dishonest  and treacherous behaviour , by saying " i think there has been foul play" is covering up all kinds of issues and suspicions with it.

Once  Poole and Utterson have hurried through the streets of Soho back to Dr Jekylls house, Poole takes off his hat and mopps his brow with a hankerchief. This is an important moment as the weather is a cold night however Poole is not wiping off sweat because he is warm; This is due to  the fact that he is back where Dr Jekyll lives and the though of Dr Jekyll and/or Mr Hyde makes him fearfull and nervous. The idea that Poole is nervous creates suspense in the reader because Poole is so fearful that he is physically showing it. Further on it is said that " these were not the dews of exertion that he wiped away" meaning that the sweat is not from a hard physical effort, "but the moisture of some strangling anguish". Poole is sweating from mental suffering  with a physical manisfestation which he is too afriad to talk about.

To conlude this chapter is the most important in the book as the book starts to come together and everyone starts to know and fear of  Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde the use of literary devices helps expand this feeling in the readers throughout.  Without this Chapter the book wouldnt be such as gothic and mysterious because this is when the reader begins to wonder what will actually happen with Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde whilst feeling the fear that the characters are going through.