The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
"Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been, known for charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion. He was busy, he was much in the open air, he did good; his face seemed to open and brighten, as if with an inward con- Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 39 sciousness of service; and for more than two months, the doctor was at peace. On the 8th of January Utterson had dined at the doctor’s with a small party; Lanyon had been there; and the face of the host had looked from one to the other as in the old days when the trio were inseparable friends. On the 12th, and again on the 14th, the door was shut against the lawyer. ‘The doctor was confined to the house,’ Poole said, ‘and saw no one.’ On the 15th, he tried again, and was again refused; and having now been used for the last two months to see his friend almost daily, he found this return of solitude to weigh upon his spirits. The fifth night he had in Guest to dine with him; and the sixth he betook himself to Dr. Lanyon’s. There at least he was not denied admittance; but when he came in, he was shocked at the change which had taken place in the doctor’s appearance. He had his death-warrant written legibly upon his face. The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away; he was visibly balder and older; and yet it was not so much, these tokens of a swift physical decay that arrested the lawyer’s notice, as a look in the eye and quality of manner that seemed to testify to some deep-seated terror of the mind. It was unlikely that the doctor should fear death; and yet that was what Utterson was tempted to suspect. ‘Yes,’ he thought; ‘he is a doctor, he must know his own state and that his days are counted; and the knowledge is more than he can bear.’"
A short excerpt about Mr. Hyde:
"‘He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way." (Stevenson 18).
Analysis:
To begin, these two exceprts from the novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reveals characterization about two of the main characters. The first excerpt gives a detailed explaination about the events that have happened to Dr. Jekyll. The second experct describes the physically unpleasant features about Mr. Hyde. One item that both excerpts have in common is describtion and deatail, specifically about Mr. Hydes appearance as well as the dates and events that characterize Dr. Jekyll in chapter six. However, the speech and tone is very different, with Mr. Hyde's description being mostly negative in a very critical tone, while the desccription of events from chapter six are more straight forward and informative in a monotone style. With looking into tone, detail and apperance, the characterization of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is proven by focusing on different attributes of their persona.
Poem: 'A Wonder'
This poem is to highlight to differences between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as they both seemingly ponder what their apperances are to others, as well show second thoughts about each of their lives.
Dr. Jekyll: I wonder what people think of me
Mr. Hyde: I wonder what people think of me
Dr. Jekyll: I am a doctor
Mr. Hyde: I am a monster
Dr. Jekyll: They must think im intelligent
Mr. Hyde: They must think im hideuous
Dr. Jekyll: I hope they like me
Mr. Hyde: I bet they don't like me
Dr. Jekyll: I want more to life, a purpose
Mr. Hyde: What is the purpose my life?
Dr. Jekyll: Am I meerly just a doctor?
Mr. Hyde: Am I meerly just too unapealing?
Dr. Jekyll: I wonder how I can change
Mr. Hyde: I wonder how I can change
Some good points here, but I wish you had done a bit more with part one- incorporating textual evidence, really diving into the passages to look at how Stevenson presents both characters. Be carefully that you are not just providing surface level analysis- look closely at the text provided (so the passages) to really pick apart what is important and why.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis was good but needs more added to it. Focus on the importance and compare them. I really liked you poem, I think you did a good job showing the difference between the two characters.
ReplyDeleteThere are many overall and narrative statements in your analysis! There could have been room for more detail and textual evidence would not have hurt. Since the excerpt for Dr. Jekyll was pretty long, there are many more literary devices other than characterization. The poem shows an obvious contrast between the two characters that is apparent and ending with a similarity that they care what people think and how they want to change.
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