1/7 - Don't Hyde From This Blog Post
Excerpt for characterization of Mr. Hyde: Chapter One, from where the text starts: He is not easy to describe..., ending with ...and yet I really can name nothing out of the way.
Excerpt for characterization of Dr. Jekyll: Chapter Three, from where the text starts: To this rule..., ending with This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop.
I have found that characterization of Mr. Hyde has almost always come from the reactions of other characters to him. In this expert in Chapter One, we read about the first of many pronounced negative feelings for Mr. Hyde. Mr. Enfield, who is a very well-respected man, feels so strongly about his dislike for Mr. Hyde that he is willing to put aside his good manners and morals and gossip about the man. Mr. Enfield states, "I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why" (Stevenson). I think using other characters' feelings towards Mr. Hyde to build his character is useful because it emphasizes that there is something clearly strange and inherently wrong about this man, that every person who interacts with him does not like him. If we hadn't had all of these testimonies, the reader might think that Mr. Utterson dislikes Mr. Hyde for no reason and Dr. Jekyll is right about Mr. Hyde being a harmless, misunderstood young man. It should also be noted that the characterization of Mr. Hyde comes from reactions to his actions, and usually not his speech. This contrasts with the characterization of Dr. Jekyll, which is mostly through how he speaks and what he says. One thing both characterizations have in common is that they both focus on appearance, Jekyll's being attractive and Hyde's being grotesque.
Dr. Jekyll is, conversely, described from the narrator's unbiased point-of-view. Dr. Jekyll is positively described as a kind, handsome man in his fifties. The author lists these positive attributes as solid facts, instead of subjective statements. But further, Dr. Jekyll is largely characterized through his speech. First, his speech characterizes him as a cheerful, light-hearted person. Dr. Jekyll states, "My poor Utterson, you are unfortunate in such a client. I never saw a man so distressed as you were by my will" (Stevenson). He is throwing playful jabs at the uptight Mr. Utterson, revealing his likable personality. However, then we see how Dr. Jekyll can have an extreme change in temperament. The text states, "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'" (Stevenson). His speech is suddenly cold and harsh, showing that there is a darkness hiding in him and also that Mr. Hyde is a touchy subject for him.
Two Voice Poem
Rachel Gittelman as Dr. Jekyll and Maria-Alejandra Arguello as Mr. Hyde
The purpose for our poem was to show the internal struggles Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have concerning how they have to deal with being themselves while living with the other. We see Dr. Jekyll as being ashamed of Mr. Hyde's actions and personality, but also jealous of Mr. Hyde because he gets to carry out what he deep down wants to do. Dr. Jekyll also wishes that he didn't have to turn into Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde is completely jealous of Dr. Jekyll because he gets to live out a normal life as a respected, handsome doctor. However, both realize that they need the other to survive, so though the relationship makes both unhappy, it continues because it is the only way.
hmmm are you guys poets??
ReplyDeleteHave you seen young Ernest Hemmingway?
DeleteA young poet...truly beautiful and inspiring. First of all, I liked how you pointed out how when it comes to Mr. Hyde, the characters reactions in the novella are very important because it puts an emphasize on how unsettling Mr. Hyde is. I think the reactions are really important to the story because without them then the audience would have a harder time understanding why Mr. Hyde is so off-putting. Dr. Jekyll is certainly idolized as someone who is trustworthy, smart, and just a great man overall. But the way his face changes when Mr. Hyde is brought up tells us all that we need to know. I think this story shows how important physical appearance and first impressions are because most people, myself included, make a lot of judgement based on someones appearance.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Dr. Jekyll was born with these evil desires that he needed to let out through Hyde, or if something in his life corrupted him?
Great post Rachel, see you tonight at the movies!! I can't wait to see The Shape of Water and see a woman fall in love with a fish xx
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DeleteI feel like I relate way more to Hyde in your poem than anyone should. "I yearn for a body and mind that doesn't hide", "I see darkness and solitude, there I'm alive".. (I swear I'm not some psychotic murder, just introverted and nervous) but I really like how it was written. The physical layout was interesting because it kind of made your eyes dart back and forth to read it. I like how it was more them being a part of each other than them hating each other, even though they still seem to. They appear to have moved past that and on to the realization that despite their unadulterated loathing (yay Wicked references), one of them cannot survive without the other. That sucks but when you think about it, we wouldn't really be human without some random destructive impulses. Little kids knock down each other's block castles, teenagers get into fights, etc. but part of being human is that we learn how to cope with these impulses and suppress them, hopefully in a healthy way.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you spoke about how the perception of the narrator effects the readers viewpoint of the story and the way that it is told.
ReplyDeleteRachel, wonderful post! I also took note of Enfield's duality (first quote) in my blog post. I feel as though the disorder that Hyde represents is a test to the seemingly perfect Mr. Enfield. Unfortunately, his character isn't detailed much in the novella. I didn't notice that the first quote is far more subjective than the second, but you're very right. What do you speculate was the reason for that? All in all, wonderful post, and even better poem! I think recognizing Jekyll and Hyde's co-dependency on one another was brilliant.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I've noticed is that students often don't remember what Hyde looked like- and that's something Stevenson does in the novella as well; characters who have seen him can't describe him.
ReplyDeleteYour postings presents a specific viewpoint that is substantiated by supporting examples and your poem was well-written to stimulate dialogue and commentary (love the collaboration between you and Maria). Push yourself a bit more moving forward to think about author's technique- what does the author specifically DO to convey what you are arguing?