Essay on Suspense and Horror in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

How does Stevenson create an atmosphere of suspense and horror in Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Why was this so significant at the time it was written? In the book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson truly proves himself as a wonderful writer. Throughout the story he keeps a huge sense of suspense and horror, capturing the reader’s interest and making them want to read on. From just the first paragraph he has gained the readers interest and pulled them into the plot of the story. The opening sentence of the story is: â€Å"Mr. Utterson the lawyer was 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†¦show more content†¦People say how a single look from Hyde is enough to bring out beads of sweat on their foreheads, as he is so evil, and as Hyde was created he is also un-natural. Stevenson also describes how the door looks very unpleasant. He mentions that it looks blistered and distained and had neither bell nor knocker. Bad things often happen in bad places and this building is probably the king of bad places. You wish to know what types of evil deeds go on in this building that creates a feeling of curiosity and suspense. On page 11 of the book Mr. Enfield tells a story of how a man trampled over a young girl leaving her screaming in the street. One of the most shocking parts of this is how the man is described as walking calmly over the screaming child as if he had no sense of guilt or remorse. Enfield says â€Å"It sound nothing to hear, but was hellish to see.† But the description he gives creates a clear image of what went on. The reader would be horrified at how a man could show no mercy, not even to children who are considered innocent and defenseless. Enfield describes how he chased after the men who put up no resistance once he was caught instead he just went calmly. This would also have shocked the reader as it shows that he has no fear of punishment. You soon learn that this man is Edward Hyde and that he lives in the sinister looking building that was mentioned earlier. You already know that Mr. Hyde is more of aShow MoreRelatedSuspense in Jekyll and Hyde Essay1572 Words   |  7 PagesHow suspense is built up in ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson was born on the 13th November 1850. He wrote Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in 1886, with that 40,000 copies of the book were sold in the first six months. This was designed to mirror the Victorian secret and based on good and evil. Stevenson later died in 1894 in Samoa. Stevenson used the contemporary setting of Victorian London to write his gothic horror novel. The streets with the gas lamps were the perfectRead MoreAn Atmosphere of Mystery and Suspense in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1352 Words   |  6 PagesAn Atmosphere of Mystery and Suspense in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde During the Nineteenth century, horror stories were getting more popular than ever. Several distinctive horror stories, like Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are still known today. These stories were not set in busy countries, but written as happening in Transylvania, Switzerland, the Arctic, and other far away and little known countries. The setting links to some peculiarRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1035 Words   |  5 PagesHyde-ing In Plain Sight: The Duality of Dr. Jekyll Robert Louis Stevenson s initial notoriety came as an avatar of expansive adventure fiction, most famously through 1883 s Treasure Island. 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In chapter one, Stevenson creates an enormous amount of suspense and intrigue in the descriptionRead MoreStevenson Create a Sense of Mystery and Horror in Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll1253 Words   |  6 Pagesof Mystery and Horror in Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll In this essay I am going to look at Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll, the first two chapters, and explain using quotes and information from these chapters how the writer creates a sense of mystery and horror. I will be focussing on the descriptions given about the characters and the house which plays a significant part in this story. This novel is about a highly classed doctor of science, named Dr Jekyll. Dr Jekyll is a very cleverRead MoreHow Does the Use of Setting and Imagery Affect the Readers Understanding of Dr. Jekll and Mr Hide?1190 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Robert Louis Stephensons masterpiece, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) symbolizes Hyde as a representative of the specific Victorian anxieties. He is seen as the ugly, deformed, apelike, but also reflecting Victorian fears about Darwinian evolution theories of humanitys deform from ape, and fears the newly enfranchised working classes. This essay will explore the function of the narrative which helps the readers to perceive the meaning of the narrative. It will do so in termsRead MoreA Sense of Atmosphere in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde828 Words   |  4 PagesA Sense of Atmosphere in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde Introduction: The tension and suspense in the novel begins with the title, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It makes you want to know what the strange case was and how it affected the characters. One day, Utterson was out walking with the town distant kinsman Mr. Enfield when they passed a house Mr.Enfield tells Mr Utterson a strange case about the house. Description of the house makesRead More How Stevenson Builds Suspense and Tension in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1137 Words   |  5 PagesStevenson Builds Suspense and Tension in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde After thoroughly examining the question at hand. I have understood that I should comment on at least three episodes of the novel and clearly stress out how the writer built up the suspense and tension of the story. However I am going to look at techniques such as using shot quotations and not being to repetitive. The episodes l am going to be explaining are the incident of the letter, the remarkable incident of Dr Lanyon and theRead MoreThe Way Robert Louis Stevenson Uses Literary Techniques in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde1103 Words   |  5 PagesThe Way Robert Louis Stevenson Uses Literary Techniques in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novella that was written an 1886 and has gone down in history as one of the most famous works of gothic horror fiction. The term Jekyll and Hyde personality is used in society today to depict someone with a dual personality who is a kind of schizophrenic, describing someone who lives a double life of outward morality and inward iniquity. AtRead MoreHow Robert Louis Stevenson Builds and Maintains a Sense of Mystery and Suspense in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde1109 Words   |  5 PagesHow Robert Louis Stevenson Builds and Maintains a Sense of Mystery and Suspense in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in 1886 after waking from a dream in which he recalled a fine bogy tale. The book was published in the same year and its likes had never been seen before. It gave a chilling insight into the murky depths of both experimental science and the duality of the human mind. These two fields of study were both in their infancy