CHAPTER 1: Summary
Chapter one serves as an introduction for the entire book, and sets us a scene. Not much action takes place; nevertheless, it is still of a huge significance to the novella as a whole. We start off with an introduction to Mr. Utterson, who will remain as the point of view we look at the book from. Mr. Utterson is described as being “a man of a 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.” He was austere with himself, and mortified chats; nonetheless, he did have tolerance for others, and wondered often at the “high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds.” A fascinating fact is that he often remained “the last reputable acquaintance of those downgoing men,” which insinuates his situation with Dr. Jekyll. Such words curtail the delicacy that Stevenson had placed upon the novella as a whole.
Later on, we turn to the chats between Mr. Enfield and Mr. Utterson. They are remarked as to taking long walks every weekend without talking, possibly as a result of their hatred towards chitchatting. On this weekend, as usual, they take a walk. On the way, they encounter a mysterious door that has secluded itself from its surroundings, and looks peculiar to one’s eyes. Mr. Enfield is prompted to recount a strange experience that had happened on this street.
His recount is fascinating – one night at three in the morning, Mr. Enfield was walking down the town when he saw a “Juggernaut” who powered through the street and trampled over eight year old girl, who was out to fetch a doctor – Mr. Enfield remarks that the scene was so horrible he will not go into details. Then, Mr. Enfield, the doctor and the family of the girl decided to blackmail the man to give one hundred pounds to the girl’s family as compensation.
Once confronted, Mr. Hyde opens that very mysterious door, and enters through that door. He comes back out with 10 pounds of gold, and as we find out later in the story, a check signed by Dr. Jekyll, a highly reputable figure in the town. Mr. Enfield thought that the check was forged, and requested the man to wait until the banks opened. However, when Mr. Enfield got the check checked by a teller, the check was proved to be genuine.
Mr. Enfield deduces that blackmail had been involved, and ever since, he referred to that house as the “Black Mail House.” He had further studied the place, and there is no other door, and no one ever comes in nor out, apart from the mysterious man.
However, Mr. Enfield has a strong feeling that someone else exists within the blocks; nonetheless, the houses are built irregularly and out of shape that no one can ascertain where one house ends.
Though Mr. Utterson tells Mr. Enfield that it is best to mind one’s own business, a moral code that Mr. Enfield strictly lives by, Mr. Utterson asks him the name of the mann who ran down the child – and Mr. Enfield tells us that it is “Mr. Hyde.” Mr. Enfield is unable to describe Hyde, and states that the man had “something wrong with his appearance, something displeasing, something downright detestable”
Mr. Utterson further asks: “You are quite sure that he used a key?” Mr. Utterson explains that he knows Dr. Jekyll and that Mr. Utterson wants Enfield to be exact – and Enfield promises that it is all true, and adds “The fellow had a key. What’s more, he has it still. I saw him use it, not a week ago.”
Mr. Utterson sights and the two men make a pact to never speak of this incident – and shakes their hand to confirm the deal.
Later on, we turn to the chats between Mr. Enfield and Mr. Utterson. They are remarked as to taking long walks every weekend without talking, possibly as a result of their hatred towards chitchatting. On this weekend, as usual, they take a walk. On the way, they encounter a mysterious door that has secluded itself from its surroundings, and looks peculiar to one’s eyes. Mr. Enfield is prompted to recount a strange experience that had happened on this street.
His recount is fascinating – one night at three in the morning, Mr. Enfield was walking down the town when he saw a “Juggernaut” who powered through the street and trampled over eight year old girl, who was out to fetch a doctor – Mr. Enfield remarks that the scene was so horrible he will not go into details. Then, Mr. Enfield, the doctor and the family of the girl decided to blackmail the man to give one hundred pounds to the girl’s family as compensation.
Once confronted, Mr. Hyde opens that very mysterious door, and enters through that door. He comes back out with 10 pounds of gold, and as we find out later in the story, a check signed by Dr. Jekyll, a highly reputable figure in the town. Mr. Enfield thought that the check was forged, and requested the man to wait until the banks opened. However, when Mr. Enfield got the check checked by a teller, the check was proved to be genuine.
Mr. Enfield deduces that blackmail had been involved, and ever since, he referred to that house as the “Black Mail House.” He had further studied the place, and there is no other door, and no one ever comes in nor out, apart from the mysterious man.
However, Mr. Enfield has a strong feeling that someone else exists within the blocks; nonetheless, the houses are built irregularly and out of shape that no one can ascertain where one house ends.
Though Mr. Utterson tells Mr. Enfield that it is best to mind one’s own business, a moral code that Mr. Enfield strictly lives by, Mr. Utterson asks him the name of the mann who ran down the child – and Mr. Enfield tells us that it is “Mr. Hyde.” Mr. Enfield is unable to describe Hyde, and states that the man had “something wrong with his appearance, something displeasing, something downright detestable”
Mr. Utterson further asks: “You are quite sure that he used a key?” Mr. Utterson explains that he knows Dr. Jekyll and that Mr. Utterson wants Enfield to be exact – and Enfield promises that it is all true, and adds “The fellow had a key. What’s more, he has it still. I saw him use it, not a week ago.”
Mr. Utterson sights and the two men make a pact to never speak of this incident – and shakes their hand to confirm the deal.
CHAPTER 1: Analysis
The first chapter is a brilliant beginner to the novel – it firtly sets us in a peaceful setting, with two particular Victorian gentlemen. However, he quickly moves on to a mysterious setting with the door, which is described as being out-of-place, and furthermore, the happening that Mr. Enfield describes adds onto the suspense. We get the Mr. Enfield’s point of view on Mr. Hyde, and he seems relatively uninterested in the matter, though he had been curious – but he never went a step further to research more on Mr. Hyde. The suspense is broke when Mr. Enfield mentions that he is “Mr. Hyde.”
In the beginning we are also exposed to the idea that Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll know one another very well – and we are insinuated that we will learn about them furthermore.
Some curious facts is that Uttterson remains with his friends, even those whose reputation ha been damaged or ruined – he is extremely charitable, and “intrigued” by a darker side of the world. He is, however, a rationalist and unimaginative – as portrayed by this chapter. Victorian rationalism and supernatural clashes, and Utterson is the Victorian rationalism – so is Enfield.
Concerning the novel’s structure, the novel is not an entirely first-person narration but rather a mix – in the beginning we see the novel from a point of view of Utterson (however in third-person perspective), then we open ourselves to two narratives by Lanyon and Jekyll respectively. Furthermore, the novel is written to mimic a mystery novel, such novels as Sherlock Holmes whereby the solution to the problem is presented at the end of the novel, which is what happens with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Nonetheless, it is different in the fact that it is highly allegorical, and full of themes, unlike mystery novels which tends to be void of such factors.
In the beginning we are also exposed to the idea that Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll know one another very well – and we are insinuated that we will learn about them furthermore.
Some curious facts is that Uttterson remains with his friends, even those whose reputation ha been damaged or ruined – he is extremely charitable, and “intrigued” by a darker side of the world. He is, however, a rationalist and unimaginative – as portrayed by this chapter. Victorian rationalism and supernatural clashes, and Utterson is the Victorian rationalism – so is Enfield.
Concerning the novel’s structure, the novel is not an entirely first-person narration but rather a mix – in the beginning we see the novel from a point of view of Utterson (however in third-person perspective), then we open ourselves to two narratives by Lanyon and Jekyll respectively. Furthermore, the novel is written to mimic a mystery novel, such novels as Sherlock Holmes whereby the solution to the problem is presented at the end of the novel, which is what happens with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Nonetheless, it is different in the fact that it is highly allegorical, and full of themes, unlike mystery novels which tends to be void of such factors.