How Stevenson Creates a Sense of Intrigue and Engages the Reader’s Interest in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay

In this essay I am expiry to be exploring how Stevenson examines squared-toe hypocrisy and human nature, the duality of man, in his famous tale, The quaint Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. His novella, ready verb aloney in 1886, was set in London, and is described as a gothic horror. Stevenson uses Mr Utterson, a modest lawyer, to flow us with the novella, unravelling to the mystery gradually through step up the novella. By revealing a few clues at a time, many an(prenominal) questions emerge in the readers mind, however, that a few of these argon answered throughout the tale. Stevenson uses a wide range of style and structural devices to build a sense of interest and engage the reader.Dr Jekyll, a renowned London scientist, was born into a wealthy family with large(p) honour and had gained jimmy from his fellow men. Dr Jekyll struggled with the dual nature of his nature and although he was loyal to his friends, Jekyll had a dark side, which he picking to express in the p erson of Mr Hyde. He noticed that man is not rattling one, but truly two and this lead him to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man. Jekyll saw the need to track Hyde from the world since he was compel to be respectable and loyal to everyone around him due to his class since birth. However, Dr Jekyll had check his pleasures for too long and his darker side grew intemperateer and stronger inside him throughout his life. Many of the pleasures Hyde was able to have included intoxication alcohol, and gambling as well as being able to fulfill many of his sexual desires.I believe that Jekyll was guilty of that crime upon so pitiful as provocation, which he committed through Hyde, because he had a choice to drink the potion again and carrying on with his devilish deeds or mash his darker side from committing much(prenominal) devious crimes. Jekyll, himself, couldnt resist and was too tempted to drink more of the potion again with strong courage, eve though he was awar e of the consequences he will have to face. Stevenson engages the readers by victimization many negative adjectives to describe Hyde, which suggest he is a villain. When Utterson questions the maid the morning after the politician, Mr Carew, was murdered, she explains to Utterson that all of a sudden Hyde broke out in a flame of anger, stamping his foot, brandishing his cane and carrying on wish a madman.This is shocking to the reader because a man who owned a cane in Victorian participation was known to be a respectable gentleman. Hyde is as well described, by the maid, to have had ape-like insaneness. Being compared to an ape was said to someone who is a person who resembles a nonhuman primate1 and has so more than rage to the point of committing the most unspeakable horror against innocence. Utterson is biased when guiding the reader through the novella. In the first chapter, Story of the Door, Utterson tells us that he is a modest man and that his friends are those of his o wn line of business. The reader is influenced to think that Jekyll, having been stated as a good friend, belongs to the same middle-class society as Mr Utterson does. So when Jekyll commits his devilish deeds, the reader is shocked because men of the middle-class societies are known to be humble and loyal, not evil.Stevenson creates intrigue for the reader by using long, lengthy descriptions in the tale in order to draw out the highly gruesome aspects of the scene set in The Carew instruction execution Case. Around the scene of the incident, there was a misty fog and clouds over the city while the lavish moon lit up the night. The full moon associates with the time when evil beings, often shown as deform men or werewolves, commit their most heinous acts. The fog suggests intrigue and mystery.Stevenson uses highly descriptive language during the attack. The maid explains to Utterson how Mr Carew, the kindly gentleman, was trampled under foot and his bones were audibly shattered by the ape-like Hyde. Stevenson starts off The Carew off Case by describing a quiet scene however this contrasts against the abominable attack, which is described in many gory details. Hyde was described as a small person compared to his good side, Dr Jekyll, which may be because Stevenson mean to emphasis on how low Hyde had gone by committing heinous crimes.Using lengthy descriptions, Stevenson sets the scene to create an atmosphere and engage the reader. Stevenson sets his novella in 18- and mentions bad deeds and secrecy throughout the parable. This may be because Stevenson saw that although most noblemen seem to be modest and loyal from the outside, inside they hid dark secrets. In chapter 7, The stretch out Night, Jekyll transforms uncontrollably into Mr Hyde and by describing the unsettling weather, Stevenson shows this as a bad omen. Stevenson shows that the evil was angering the wind outside by describing the wind, which only broke in puffs and draughts into that deep we ll of building, tossed the light of the candle to and fro. Most crimes that Hyde commits are ordinarily during the night as this is the time when evil is lurking around the most. Stevenson also mentions that all human beingsare commingled out of good and evil by using Dr Jekylls statement.Stevenson shows us that appearances of middle-class noblemen can never be fully trusted and also ventures to tell us how important reputation was in the nineteenth century. Jekyll had crush his darker, evil side inside of him for far too long and was unaware that it was growing inside of him day-by-day. Jekyll was forced into being a middle-class nobleman since birth because he was brought up in one such modest family. A similar thought may have emerged in the readers in about Jack the Ripper who had been suggested to be living a double life and may have been a respectable man in his society with an uncontrollable dark side. Stevenson shows that the evil in Hyde is very sulphurous by describing the scene where he tramples on the innocent, little girl on the street corner and also when describing the scene where Hyde slays Mr Carew brutally. Hyde also causes death indirectly when Dr Lanyon dies after witnessing the transformation of Dr Jekyll into Mr Hyde. Dr Lanyon may have realised that he too had an evil side himself.The nineteenth century was often with Mary Shelleys concept of a mans double self. Frankenstein had created his monster in 1818 and many associate the name Frankenstein with monsters and devils nowadays alternatively than names of scientists. Frankensteins monster had destroyed him in a similar way Hyde had brought the life of that suffering Henry Jekyll to an end. Dr Jekyll and Dr Frankenstein both wanted to become renowned scientists with their own creations and therefore, Dr Frankenstein had created a monster by ignoring the rules of nature and using body parts of dead human beings, whilst Dr Jekyll had created a potion, which would unleash his evil sid e, Mr Hyde.Frankensteins monster had had achieved domination over Frankenstein and shortly was able to kill him completely. In a similar way, Hyde had over antecedented Jekyll and soon murdered him too. Also, a man called Faust had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for absolute power and knowledge whilst he was still alive. Ina similar way, Jekyll created Hyde, as one of his marvellous creations, however, instead of being steep of his creation, Jekylls terror of gallows drove him continually to commit temporary suicide.After reading The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, when it was first published, readers would have realised that man has both, an evil and a good side to him. At the time the book was published, society was very strict, it didnt question religion and there was a great divide between poverty and wealth. This made the readers of the time engaged and intrigued. The Victorian Society was very apparitional at the time and believed that if you sinned then you will be banished to hell for eternity. The story was enormously popular with it Victorian audience, showing a fascination with the other side of life. Many of the characters in the novella have professions that were seen to be significant and dominating by society, such as a Doctor and a Politician. The readers may be influenced into thinking that the upper classes were more likely to have a dual personality compared to someone of a lower class. He might also have been moralising here, exposing Victorian hypocrisy for what it was.