Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

The ultimate purpose of this novel (or tale) will be to demonstrate Dr. Jekyll's view of Hyde; yet this, as noted, is only the last portion of the novel. By using Enfield as the initial narrator, we get our first opinion about Hyde through Enfield, and in describing his first encounter with Hyde, Enfield also gives us the views of all of the others gathered about when Hyde tramples the young girl underfoot. If we remember that Enfield is the type of person who prides himself on being a connoisseur of the beautiful, it might at first seem natural that he would over-exaggerate his own personal loathing for Hyde, especially since Enfield cannot specify any single deformity or any single distortion in Hyde's physique; rather, Enfield has simply a general sense of nausea and extreme distaste, so extreme that he senses that there is something unnatural about Hyde: "There was something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked." But if we do not completely trust Enfield's sensibilities, then there are the reactions of the crowd of people which gathers at the scene and remains there to make sure that Hyde does not escape. For example, the women, upon looking at Hyde, suddenly seem to be "as wild as Harpies," and then the apothecary who is "as emotional as a bagpipe" turns sick upon seeing Hyde and has a strong desire to kill the man.

Others, including the child's family, all possess this intense loathing for Hyde, accompanied with a desire to kill him. This first Chapter, then, presents not only Enfield's view of Hyde, but also the views of several others and, consequently, the reader is entranced about a person who can evoke such horrible responses in such differing types of people. And we should also note that Dr. Jekyll is not even mentioned — in fact, this part of London is built so strangely that it is not until quite some time later that we are able to discern that the particular door which... [continues]

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