Jekyll and Hyde 1

This novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson is both confusing and frustrating. It gives the image of both pure and contorted evil, yet it is unclear which is more prominent. Hyde is an irrational man, deformed by both physical appearance and emotional expression, it seems. He heartlessly tramples a young girl in the streets, and continues on as if he never even noticed her. This causes tension and anger from townfolk and the girl's family towards him. However, Dr. Jekyll seems to find some kind of characteristic in Hyde that keeps him interested in his company. Mr. Utterson on the other hand, the current main character of the story, has the opposite feelings toward Mr. Hyde. He finds distate and oppression toward the man, and wants Dr. Jekyll to have the same thought. As Mr. Utterson took note at Hyde's appearance, "Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timiduty and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice; all these were points against him, but not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him." (52)It is clearly stated that Mr. Utterson has a strong dislike toward the other man, yet he cannot quite conclude what caused such strong emotions.

Not only does the advanced vocab and irregular flow to the text confuse me, but the shadowed mystery and unanswered questions frustrates me during the reading. I do not understand things like; Why is the door so important? Why does Mr. Utterson want Dr. Jekyll to rid himself of Hyde? Why does Dr. Jekyll have a will that has to do with Mr. Hyde? Why does Mr. Utterson have the will? And other questions as well. Normally, an author would shed light on the subject soon after the question is considered, but Stevenson does not do this. He keeps us in suspense for too long, giving an irritated feel for the book. By the time he hints reasons for these things, I won't even remember what my question was. This might keep us reading, but it also makes me want to stop. Either way, Hyde and Utterson share an uneasy air of evil lurking in their veins. Hyde is more upfront with his behavior, while Mr. Utterson only shows small feelings and actions that might hint a relationship with hellish and Satanic ways. Words like fire, spirits, menace, and superstition have been used in sentences involving Mr. Utterson. These terms give a sort of demonic presence in the man, yet not enough to cause him to lash out or become violent. It simply eats away at him in his mind and in his sleep. Hyde on the other hand is more deformed in physical and emotional ways. He is not always in control of his actions and words, giving off a feeling of possession over him. However, we as humans are not always in control of our words and actions as well. What does this say about our overall spiritual life?