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.

Outline and annotations from sunday

Pages for essay

Page
67-68 Carola
22-24 Jonathan
28-29 Chris
9-10 Alex
69-70 Tom
85-87 Michal
39-41 Masa
42-43 Christine
51-52 Fabio
48-49 Boyan
56-57 Larina
43-44 Olivia

Hw due 8th

Chapter 5 Essay

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a Gothic Fiction which is a genre of literature that uses fiction, 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 an atmoshphere, suspense and mystery, supernatural occurrences and the use of gothic vocabulary. In this extract in chapter 5 Mr Utterson has recieved a letter signed by Dr Jekyll. Mr Utterson And Mr Guest conclude that the letter signed from Mr Hyde and the letter from Dr Jekyll is the same handwriting therefore it must of been written by the same person. In this essay i will analyse this extract and explain how stevenson used literary devises to create and convey different meaning. Also i will try to explain how the devices stevenson uses contribute to the novella, by giving it a sinister atmospher and giving a deeper insight into characters.

 Pathetic Fallacy, attributing human feelings to inhuman things and  creating a environment that reflects emotion or a characters personality, is used in this extract to create a certain mood and idea. One example is " the fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city" firstly the idea that the city is drowned sets a mood/atmosphere that the city has something bad in it which is causing it to be drowned. Also connotes that the city is quite a  dark, dull  and gloomy place to be. The idea that the fog is sleeping means that the fog is not moving away. Fog is a symbol of Dr Jekyll becoming overwhelmed by Mr Hyde in this book, so the fact that it is sleeping (not moving) refers to 

Mr Hyde as the fog, who is still waiting to overwhelm Dr Jekyll once again. Another example of pathetic fallacy in this extract is "the lights glimmered", the word glimmered connotes dim, weak and unsteady light, and that only small amount of light can fill the city. 

Motifs in this extract are used such as " letter", "door" , "house", "lamps", "handwritin" and "windows".  The words "letter" and "handwriting" are relevent in this extrat because the chapter is about the letters from Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll and all about why the handwritingsare the same on both letters. This whole questioning of the letters creates a suspensful atmosphere as we do not know at that moment what the outcome will be. Also gothic is driven by symbolic imagery like the motif above so the motifs reallt create the atmosphere and setting.

The phrase " a bottle of particular old wine that had long dwelt unsunned in the foundation of his house" that we read about in this extract is about Mr Utterson retrieving a bottle of good wine from "the foundations of the house". In order for wine to be good and to stay "good" it has to be neglected " left unsunned" to remain healthy. This is similar to Dr Jekyll that in order to stay in his "good" character he has to neglect and keep Mr Hyde hidden inside himself and away. The idea of neglecting wine to keep it good creates a dark atmosphere because to neglect something or someone is to show no care or thought for it.

Stevenson uses words with dual meanings throughout the novella, one word that he used in this etract is " carbuncles". This can mean a severe absess filled with bacteria or a bright red gem the use of this word brings another negative image of the city because it has a idea that it is being infected like a carbuncle.

To conclude Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of " The strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" uses a variety of literary devises to create moods, atmosphere and to suggest ideas. Without the use of several literary devices the story would be plain with no deeper insight or meanings or way to describe what is occuring in the novella.

 

Chapter 5 Annotation Hw

Annotations for Extract 4 ( Chapter 5)

Annotate.
Outline what you would write about this text.
consider, narrative, atmosphere, imagery, setting, diction, characterization

Key: Pathetic fallacy,Symbols,Themes, Imagery, Narrative context, Metaphors,Motifs, Diction contrast


The news sent off the visitor with his fears renewed. Plainly the letter had come by the laboratory door; possibly, indeed, it had been written in the cabinet; and if that were so, it must be differently judged, and handled with the more caution. The newsboys, as he went, were crying themselves hoarse along the footways: "Special edition. Shocking murder of an M. P." That was the funeral oration of one friend and client; and he could not help a certain apprehension lest the good name of another should be sucked down in the eddy of the scandal. It was, at least, a ticklish decision that he had to make;and self-reliant as he was by habit, he began to cherish a longing for advice. It was not to be had directly; but perhaps, he thought, it might be fished for.


Presently after, he sat on one side of his own hearth, with Mr. Guest, his head clerk, upon the other, and midway between, at a nicely calculated distance from the fire, a bottle of a particular old wine that had long dwelt unsunned in the foundations of his house. The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city, where the lamps glimmered like carbuncles; and through the muffle and smother of these fallen clouds, the procession of the town's life was still rolling in through the great arteries with a sound as of a mighty wind. But the room was gay with firelight. In the bottle the acids were long ago resolved; the imperial dye had softened with time, as the colour grows richer in stained windows; and the glow of hot autumn afternoons on hillside vineyards was ready to be set free and to disperse the fogs of London. Insensibly the lawyer melted. There was no man from whom he kept fewer secrets than Mr. Guest; and he was not always sure that he kept as many as he meant. Guest had often been on business to the doctor's; he knew Poole; he could scarce have failed to hear of Mr. Hyde's familiarity about the house; he might draw conclusions: was it not as well, then, that heshould see a letter which put that mystery to rights? and above all since Guest, being a great student and critic of handwriting, would consider the step natural and obliging? The clerk, besides, was a man of counsel; he would scarce read so strange a document without dropping a remark; and by that remark Mr. Utterson might shape his future course.


I am not sure if the words i highlighted for Diction is correct but they are certain words that were written in  that sentence to create an effect so thats why i highlighted them.