Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde quotes + analysis

"I feel very strongly about putting questions; it partakes too much of the style of the day of judgment. You start a question, and it's like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, starting others..."

In the first chapter of the novel, Mr. Enfield proceeds to tell Mr. Utterson about his impressions of a mysterious, violent man named Mr. Hyde. Enfield has had some limited interactions with Mr. Hyde, but he's very reluctant to talk about them--indeed, he protests to Utterson that to answer questions about Hyde is a "slippery slope." Enfield would prefer to ignore Mr. Hyde and Hyde's violent behavior altogether. Right away, Stevenson suggests that Enfield and Utterson are repressed and reserved--in short, they're stereotypical Victorian gentlemen. Rather than root out evil and violence in their society, they'd prefer to sweep it under the rug. This theme of repression and secrecy is crucial to the novel, as Stevenson draws an important connection between Dr. Jekyll's own repressed evil and Jekyll's friends' willingness to repress their knowledge of Jekyll's evil. In such a way, Stevenson could be said to criticize the repressive Victorian society that allows evil to survive as long as it's just out of sight.

"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."

Mr. Enfield describes the appearance of Mr. Hyde to his friend Mr. Utterson. Enfield notes that Hyde seems hideously ugly, though Enfield can't exactly explain why. Because Mr. Hyde is the embodiment of evil, Mr. Enfield's reaction to Hyde's appearance reflects his attitude toward the abstract concept of evil. Because Enfield is a good, moral man, he naturally rejects Hyde, and just as Enfield finds Hyde ugly without being to specify what, exactly, is ugly about him, Enfield instinctively rejects evil without fully understanding it. Enfield's observation that Hyde seems "deformed somehow" suggests that evil is a twisted, misshapen version of good. Hyde's deformed appearance could also reflect the fact that at this early stage in the novel, Jekyll's good side is stronger than his bad side--Jekyll (good) is strong, and Hyde (evil) is weak.

"He began to go wrong, wrong in mind; and though of course I continue to take an interest in him for old sake's sake, as they say, I see and I have seen devilish little of the man. Such unscientific balderdash," added the doctor, flushing suddenly purple, "would have estranged Damon and Pythias."

In this passage, Dr. Lanyon, one of Dr. Jekyll's oldest friends, complains that Dr. Jekyll has changed greatly in recent months. Where once Jekyll was calm, rational, and kind, he's become deeply "unscientific," experimenting with strange chemicals and potions and disappearing for days at a time. ("Damon and Pythias" alludes to a famous Greek story about two close friends--Lanyon is saying that he's a good friend to Jekyll, but Jekyll's behavior is trying their friendship.) Lanyon fails to respect the near-magical nature of Dr. Jekyll's experimenting. Lanyon dismisses Jekyll's current work as "unscientific," and indeed, Jekyll's potion is almost magical in its power (it's capable of transforming Jekyll into Hyde). In short, Lanyon could be said to embody the 19th century spirit of enlightenment and logic, while Jekyll, via his experiments, embodies the "dark side" of the era-emotion, violence, and cruelty.

"Poor Harry Jekyll," he thought, "my mind misgives me he is in deep waters! He was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure; but in the law of God, there is no statute of limitations. Ay, it must be that; the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace...

Utterson has known Dr. Jekyll for many years, and he's even aware that when Jekyll was a younger man, he used to get in trouble. Utterson wonders if Jekyll's current behaviour (unpredictable and untrustworthy) might have something to do with the sins of his youth. Notably, Utterson claims that sin has no "statute of limitations"--in other words, the sins of Jekyll's past will stay with him forever. Over the course of the novel, Utterson's words will prove correct: Hyde is the very embodiment of Jekyll's dark, secret nature, proof that all human beings contain deep, sinful secrets which they try, and fail, to repress.

The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes. "I do not care to hear more," said he. "This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop.

Mr. Utterson brings up Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll. Instead of talking about the matter, Jekyll replies thathe refuses to discuss Hyde in any capacity. Utterson is surprised by Jekyll's reaction, since Utterson is one of Jekyll's oldest friends. Jekyll's behaviour--i.e., his refusal to discuss his secrets--is indicative of the repressive, stuffy atmosphere of Jekyll's society: Victorian society in general, but particular his circle of bachelor friends and acquaintances. Like his friends, Jekyll refuses to disclose his sins, or even to allude to them. And yet even here, when Jekyll hasn't ingested any of the potion that transforms him into Hyde, Utterson can see some "blackness" in Jekyll. It's as if Jekyll's secret, sinful nature is struggling desperately to get out, affecting even his physical appearance.

And then all of a sudden, he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman

In this passage, Hyde commits a horrible crime; he beats up a defenceless old man, Sir Danvers Carew. Stevenson uses subtly-chosen language to convey the nature of Hyde's evil: he describes Hyde "breaking out" like a flame, suggesting that Hyde is as fierce, angry, and uncontrollable as fire. Hyde, one could say, is pure "id" (a concept from Freudian psychoanalysis) --he feels an unquenchable need to exercise his own aggression, or whatever other desire he might be feeling, and has no "ego" to check his behaviour. Dr. Jekyll feels similar aggressive instincts, but because he's a good man, he knows how to control and repress such instincts. Hyde--the embodiment of all Jekyll's sins and secret desires, has no such restraints on his behaviour, and thus, he beats the old man.

An ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy: but her manners were excellent

In this passage, the police investigate Hyde's living quarters. An old woman with an evil, "hypocritical" face, lets the police into the room. The woman's face symbolizes some of Stevenson's ideas about the relationship between good and evil. All human beings have a secret desire to do evil, but most people learn how to control or at least conceal such a desire. The old woman is a great example of a character who plainly desires to do evil, yet she is also an excellent example of the way society prevents people from giving in to their sinful desires. Good manners, it's suggested, help the old woman control her sinfulness--in other words, even though she's thinking nasty thoughts, she's able to conceal her thoughts beneath the facade of politeness. In a way, the old woman-and not Mr. Hyde--represents the real horror of Stevenson's novel. At least Mr. Hyde is clearly evil-someone like the old woman, who conceals her evil behind the appearance of goodness, can be far more dangerous in the long run.

The fire burned in the grate; a lamp was set lighted on the chimney shelf, for even in the houses the fog began to lie thickly; and there, close up to the warmth, sat Dr. Jekyll, looking deathly sick. He did not rise to meet his visitor, but held out a cold hand and bade him welcome in a changed voice

In this scene Mr. Utterson reunites with Dr. Jekyll after a long time. As is often the case when Stevenson sets the scene for something ominous or sinister, fog and mist are all around (even in the house!), obscuring what might otherwise be clear. Utterson immediately notices that Jekyll seems physically weak--his voice is different, and his hands are cold. Although Utterson doesn't know it yet, Dr. Jekyll has become physically weak because he's been spending more and more time as Mr. Hyde. One's good and evil side grow stronger with regular "exercise"--so because Jekyll has been neglecting his good, conscious side in favour of his evil, unconscious side, Mr. Hyde has grown stronger and Dr. Jekyll himself has shrivelled up. Jekyll's changed voice also alludes to Jekyll's experiences in Mr. Hyde's shoes. Jekyll might still be a good man, but he still remembers what he did during his time as Hyde. As a result, Jekyll has come to hate himself.

"I cannot say that I care what becomes of Hyde; I am quite done with him. I was thinking of my own character, which this hateful business has rather exposed.

In this passage, Dr. Jekyll insists that he is "done" with Mr. Hyde. Although Utterson doesn't know it at the time, Jekyll is saying that he'll never drink his potion again--from now on, he'll keep the "Mr. Hyde side" of his personality concealed. Jekyll makes a subtle pun on the word "exposed." Unbeknownst to Utterson, Jekyll's experience in Hyde's shoes has, quite literally, exposed Jekyll's moral character: it has literalized the secret wickedness that's been hiding in Jekyll's soul for years. Jekyll's comments raise an interesting question: is Jekyll morally responsible for Hyde's actions? It's important to remember that Dr. Jekyll's personality encompasses Mr. Hyde: even now, as Dr. Jekyll speaks to Utterson, Hyde is within him. So even though Jekyll claims that he's done with Hyde, we'll come to see that Jekyll can never be truly "done." Jekyll will always have a secret dark side--the only question is whether or not Jekyll will be able to keep this side of his soul under control, or whether it will take over his more "civilized" self.

The death of Sir Danvers was, to his way of thinking, more than paid for by the disappearance of 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...

After the death of Sir Danvers, Dr. Jekyll begins to change his ways. Instead of being unreliable and constantly secluded, he becomes outgoing and social once more (unbeknownst to Utterson, Jekyll has become social again because he's not transformed into Hyde half the time). Jekyll is operating under the naive belief that he can control Hyde forever, or just quit him "cold turkey." Jekyll is so confident that the good, rational part of his soul is in control that he surrounds himself with friends and well-wishers again as if nothing happened. In reality, Mr. Hyde hasn't gone away at all--on the contrary, Hyde is lurking just below the surface, waiting for the right time to strike. As we've heard, sin has no statute of limitations--once Mr. Hyde, always Mr. Hyde.

After the death of Sir Danvers, Dr. Jekyll begins to change his ways. Instead of being unreliable and constantly secluded, he

becomes outgoing and social once more (unbeknownst to Utterson, Jekyll has become social again because he's not transformed into Hyde half the time). Jekyll is operating under the naive belief that he can control Hyde forever, or just quit him "cold turkey." Jekyll is so confident that the good, rational part of his soul is in control that he surrounds himself with friends and well-wishers again as if nothing happened. In reality, Mr. Hyde hasn't gone away at all--on the contrary, Hyde is lurking just below the surface, waiting for the right time to strike. As we've heard, sin has no statute of limitations--once Mr. Hyde, always Mr. Hyde.

"I have had a shock," he said, "and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks. Well, life has been pleasant; I liked it; yes, sir, I used to like it. I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away.

In this passage, Utterson speaks with Dr. Lanyon. Lanyon has had a horrible shock, and senses that he is going to die very soon (suspend your disbelief, okay?). Lanyon seems unafraid of death--in fact, he implies that he's glad to be at the end of his life, since he's come upon some important and disturbing information recently. What Lanyon doesn't say (and what we don't know yet) is that he's discovered Dr. Jekyll's secret: Jekyll is Mr. Hyde. Lanyon has accidentally stumbled upon the secret that Jekyll was hiding, and now that he's aware of the truth, he can't bear to live any longer. Lanyon's observation about "knowing all" reinforces the novel's themes of repression and secrecy, suggesting that human happiness hinges on our ignorance of the world around us, and of ourselves. Inside each one of us lurks a Mr. Hyde--once we become aware of such a thing (as Lanyon must be), it becomes difficult to go on living normally, or living at all.

The middle one of the three windows was half-way open; and sitting close beside it, taking the air with an infinite sadness of mien, like some disconsolate prisoner, Utterson saw Dr. Jekyll

Here, Utterson notices Dr. Jekyll sitting in his laboratory. Jekyll seems sad, almost like a prisoner, although Utterson isn't yet aware of the truth. In reality, Dr. Jekyll has become something like a prisoner: after months of drinking his potion, he's unable to control when and where Mr. Hyde rears his ugly head, and as a result, he's forced to sit indoors, lest Mr. Hyde be seen and arrested for his crimes. The image of Jekyll trapped inside a prison-like building is evocative of the changing relationship between Jekyll and Hyde. At first, Hyde was the prisoner, trapped within the "prison" of Dr. Jekyll's good nature and proper manners. But now, Jekyll is the prisoner, a slave to his own sinful drives.

The hall, when they entered it, was brightly lighted up; the fire was built high; and about the hearth the whole of the servants, men and women, stood huddled together like a flock of sheep

In this passage, Mr. UItterson is summoned to Dr. Jekyll's laboratory immediately. There, Utterson is shocked to see Jekyll locked in his room, with the servants of his household gathered around the bright, warm fire. Stevenson chooses his words very carefully. Notice that the servants are described as being a "flock of sheep," reinforcing their innocent, blissfully ignorant nature. The servants are huddled around a warm, bright fire, a symbol of goodness and virtue (but also a Promethean symbol of the runaway scientific knowledge that has brought Jekyll to his current lowly position!). In contrast, Jekyll is portrayed as being isolated from the rest of society, a slave to his own dark desires. Jekyll has stumbled upon a discovery so horrifying that he can scarcely control it: all human beings have a secret evil side which, once directly outed, can never be fully controlled again. As Stevenson writes, the servants remain blissfully unaware of their own secret potential for evil.

"O, sir," cried Poole, "do you think I do not know my master after twenty years? Do you think I do not know where his head comes to in the cabinet door, where I saw him every morning of my life? No, sir, that thing in the mask was never Dr. Jekyll--God knows what it was, but it was never Dr. Jekyll; and it is the belief of my heart that there was murder done."

Poole, Dr. Jekyll's old, faithful servant, insists that the figure locked in Dr. Jekyll's study isn't actually Dr. Jekyll at all. Poole has known Jekyll for 20 years, and can clearly tell that the Jekyll he knows is no longer present in the house. Poole's solution to the mystery of Jekyll's disappearance is that someone has murdered Jekyll and taken his place. But as we'll soon discover, the truth is far more disturbing. In reality, Jekyll's own hidden nature has consumed him: he has meddled with science and been punished for his experimentation with an awful curse. Mr. Hyde has finally triumphed over Jekyll: in other words, the evil side of Jekyll's soul has dominated the good.

"Think of me at this hour, in a strange place, labouring under a blackness of distress that no fancy can exaggerate, and yet well aware that, if you will but punctually serve me, my troubles will roll away like a story that is told. Serve me, my dear Lanyon and save Your friend, H.J."

In this long letter, Dr. Jekyll--who, we'll see, has been transformed into Mr. Hyde unexpectedly--begs his old friend Dr. Lanyon to go into his house, obtain some chemicals and test tubes, and bring them to Mr. Hyde so that Hyde can have a way of transforming back into Jekyll and avoiding arrest. It's important to note that Dr. Jekyll himself doesn't say anything about why he needs Lanyon to follow his instructions--instead of explaining himself, he invokes his long, close friendship with Lanyon. Furthermore, Lanyon complies with Jekyll's wishes, recognizing that their friendship is more than enough reason to obey. Jekyll's letter is important because it clarifies the relationship between good, evil, and trust. As Lanyon has said (see quotes above), the truth is often too horrible to bear-therefore, there are times when truth must be concealed or repressed, as we often see with the characters of this novel. It's precisely because the truth must be concealed that friendship and trust are so important--because Lanyon has been friends with Jekyll for a long time, he goes along with Jekyll's requests, no questions asked.

"Lanyon, you remember your vows: what follows is under the seal of our profession. And now, you who have so long been bound to the most narrow and material views, you who have denied the virtue of transcendental medicine, you who have derided your superiors--behold!"

In this scene, Mr. Hyde meets up with Dr. Lanyon and drinks the potion that Dr. Jekyll has sent Lanyon to deliver. As Hyde drinks the potion, he urges Lanyon to "behold" his transformation from Hyde back to Jekyll. Jekyll's interaction with Lanyon in this passage reflects the differences in their approaches to science. Lanyon, we sense, has always refused to experiment with "transcendental medicine" (something Stevenson never really explains, except that it's scary and radical) because he finds it evil. Jekyll, on the other hand, has been more willing to take risks with science--as a result, he's been brave enough to stumble upon the secret of Mr. Hyde. Jekyll's behavior in this scene confirms his status as a tragic hero--a figure whose rather arrogant desire for knowledge and greatness has led him to great pain and suffering, almost as if he's being punished by the gods for reaching above his station. Jekyll has made a great scientific discovery, but at a great price--he's sacrificed his self-control and fallen into a state of uncontrollable sin.

What he told me in the next hour, I cannot bring my mind to set on paper. I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it; and yet now when that sight has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer.

Lanyon has just witnessed Mr. Hyde drink a potion and transform into Dr. Jekyll. Now that Dr. Jekyll has regained his true form, he tells Lanyon about the scientific discovery he's made: a discovery that allows him to turn into Mr. Hyde. Lanyon writes that he can't bring himself to write what Jekyll tells him next--presumably, Lanyon is going to hear about Dr. Jekyll's "career" as Mr. Hyde. It's strange that even after Dr. Lanyon has seen first-hand evidence of the success of Dr. Jekyll's scientific discoveries, he continues to feel "sickened" by Jekyll. One could say that while Dr. Jekyll is the better scientist, Dr. Lanyon is the better human being. Lanyon instinctively avoids scientific discoveries that lead to evil, while Dr. Jekyll bravely (and recklessly) pursues his scientific research, leading him to transform into Mr. Hyde.

With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.

In the final chapter of the novel--a letter written by Dr. Jekyll--Jekyll explains that he long ago realized that humans have a divided nature. All humans have two halves: one half good, one half evil. Jekyll's discovery has been interpreted in all sorts of ways: for some critics, Stevenson's conceit anticipates the discoveries of Sigmund Freud, who argued that man has a repressed, irrational side, the id. For others, the divide between man's good and evil nature evokes the age of imperialism, during which the people of Great Britain claimed to be righteous and moral, hypocritically ignoring their own country's brutal interventions in India, Africa, and other parts of the world (the source of England's great prosperity). It's also worth noting that Jekyll takes on the qualities of a Promethean hero in this passage. Like Prometheus, who was punished for stealing fire from the gods, or Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, Jekyll bravely and carelessly sails on to reckless heights, guided by his studies of science and of mysticism. Drawn to "the truth," Jekyll eventually comes upon a great scientific discovery, albeit one that brings him to ruin.

I looked down; my clothes hung formlessly on my shrunken limbs; the hand that lay on my knee was corded and hairy. I was once more Edward Hyde

In this passage, Dr, Jekyll is sitting on a park bench in public. Suddenly, he finds himself transforming into Mr. Hyde, despite the fact that he hasn't drunk any of the potion that's supposed to enable such a transformation. Thus far, Jekyll has believed that he can control his dual nature: he can be Hyde one day and Jekyll the next. Now, Jekyll begins to realize that he can't control his spirit at all: once Hyde has been released, there's no controlling him. Stevenson's description of Hyde's sudden, unexpected appearance parallels some of Sigmund Freud's ideas about the relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind. Mr. Hyde's unexpected appearances evoke the way the human unconscious can "jump out" at any time, no matter how rigorously one tries to control it. At the same time, Stevenson makes this duality physical in a horrifying way, again portraying Hyde as evil even down to his appearance--he is "shrunken," "corded," and "hairy," unlike the presumably healthy and wholesome Jekyll.

I am careless; this is my true hour of death, and what is to follow concerns another than myself. Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end'

At the very end of the novel, Dr. Jekyll senses that he is losing control of his spirit. He transforms into Mr. Hyde more and more frequently and unexpectedly--eventually, Jekyll predicts, he'll be Mr. Hyde all the time. In a way, Jekyll writes, his life is coming to an end: he'll still live as Mr. Hyde, but his life as Dr. Jekyll is ending forever. As we look back on the totality of Dr. Jekyll's life, we see that Dr. Jekyll meddled with evil and lost. Jekyll believed that he was pure and good enough to keep his evil under strict control. In reality, however, nobody is good enough to control their own evil nature. By flirting with violence and cruelty, Jekyll unleashed a force so powerful that by the end, it dominated his existence. Stevenson portrays evil (through Mr. Hyde) as an unquenchable appetite; an indestructible, constantly growing force of nature. In all, the passage suggests that Stevenson's novel is a cautionary tale. Dr. Jekyll has meddled with forbidden, sinful knowledge, and gotten his comeuppance for doing so.

'Mr Utterson the lawyer was a man of rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty, and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable'

Stevenson sets up the character of Utterson in a way that will illuminate the other characters, his friends. By focusing on Utterson's loyalty and kindness, and his ability to overlook flaws and misdemeanors, the author plants a question in the reader's mind, about how far this loyalty can be tested.

'The door was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and disdained. Tramps slouched into the recess and struck matches on the panels'

Stevenson paints a picture of this by-street as a colorful collection of people and properties, a place full of life, ensuring that the grey, desolate mystery-building stands out and invites the passers-by to investigate. A row of houses suggests privacy, anonymity, and family but the way this particular house juts out to meet them does not fit in with the appearance of the street.

'The man trampled calmly over the child's bod and left her screaming on the ground'

The contradictory imagery of 'trampled calmly' encompasses the total brutality and hatred Hyde encompasses- he performs these 'devilish' actions with such psychopathic coolness.
The imagery of a young girl also serves to enhance the theme of innocence vs violence.

'A fortnight later, by excellent good fortune, the doctor gave one of his pleasant dinners to some five or six old cronies; all intelligent, reputable men and all judges of good wine'

Jekyll has seemingly acclimatized to Victorian standards- the dinner party is evident of his more reputable, far more human like nature.
Even social events seem to maintain an air of professionalism and order- such constrained attitudes seem to be a result of the restrictive Victorian society.

'The little spirit of temper was somewhat a relief to Mr Utterson. 'They have only differed on some point of science,'...'It is nothing worse than that!'

Utterson wrongly assumes that the discrepancies between Jekyll and Lanyon are solely associated with scientific conflict, and therefore sees it as a perfect opportunity to withdraw any suspicion regarding Jekyll's behaviour.

'His attention had never been so sharply arrested'

Hyde embodies evilness- such quality is not contained only internally, but seemingly manifests and influences the actions of others.
'arrested'- imagery of prisons, and wrongdoing

'It is more than ten years since Henry became too fanciful for me. He began to go wrong, wrong in the mind'

Dr Lanyon and Dr Jekyll are estranged because they disagree over science. This suggests an initial fragility to their friendship in contrast to the strengths of Lanyon and Utterson's friendship.
Perhaps suggests the foundation of friendships, in the novel as a whole, are based on similarities in profession and beliefs, rather than genuine like towards one's personality.
Indicative of shallow nature of relationships in Victorian London.

'Wild, cold, seasonable night of March, with a pale moon, lying on her back as though the wind had tilted her'

The poetic description does not at first seem in keeping with the urgency of their mission but it creates a feeling of unearthliness, with strange powers at work. The moon being knocked by the wind draws similar imagery to his initial crime- suggests the abnormalities of the environment are related to Hyde's doings.

'The thin trees..were lashing themselves along the railing'
'biting weather'
'never seen London so deserted'
'It seemed to have swept the streets unusually bare'

It is a famous pattern in Gothic horror that particular elements of the landscape and atmosphere serve to forebode the changing fate of the characters. Here, the blustery night and the familiar haunted street of Jekyll's laboratory enough to prompt fear and suspense.

'light falling dimly through the foggy cupola'
'gazed around with a distasteful sense of strangeness..once crowded with eager students and now lying gaunt and silent'
'the floor strewn with crates and littered with packing straw'
'dusty windows barred with iron'

The great debate that we will discover in Jekyll's confession later, between mysticism and science, is manifested ominously here. The setting is an antique of medical science. The sight of the operating theater conjures the image of a once busy professional site. But the desolate building now, with fog obscuring it, makes the space seem wild and hints more at the supernatural than the scientific.

'the fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city, where the lamps glimmered like carbuncles'

A carbuncle is a glowing coal, a fiery- coloured, precious stone; but it can also be a large boil.
The description contains ambiguous language- evokes imagery of duplicitous nature.

'the few who described him differed widely...only one point they agreed; and that was the haunting sense of unexpressed deformity with which the fugitive impressed his beholders'

Hyde's appearance is not that of a normal man - in fact it seems, somehow, hardly human. The evil tone of his features cannot be attributed to one detail or scowl but something general and intangible. The gentlemen's inability to really talk about their fear of Hyde also gives him a larger-than-life power

'Mr Hyde had numbered few familiars'

Mr Hyde doesn't have any friend or relations- suggests he defied normal ways of nature, therefore demonstrating his wrong nature. His isolation is a consequence of his evil nature.

'The thoughts of his mind, besides, were of the gloomiest dye; and when he glanced at the companion of his drive, he was conscious of some touch of terror of the law and law officers'

Utterson, along the course of the investigation, seems to experience flashbacks to previous misdeeds- through being faced with such abject immorality he begins to question his own innocence. This is a perfect example of how Hyde's violence and terror tarnishes any sense of remaining innocence within Victorian society.

'At the sight of Mr Utterson, he sprang up from his chair and welcomed him with both hands' vs ' his death warrant written legibly upon his face'

The contrast within Lanyon's appearance serves to convey the heretical and absurd nature of Jekyll's beliefs.

'It was Hyde after all, and hyde alone, that was guilt'
'My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring'
'that child of hell had nothing human'

Although 'Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil', Jekyll keeps the mixed nature he had before. This suggests that while evil can be given free rein, if not kept in check by conscience and discipline, no person can be wholly good. Perhaps the reason is that goodness is demonstrated and achieved by shunning evil so goodness without evil is impossible.