123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245 |
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
- Chapter 1
- The story begins with a description of Mr. Utterson, a lawyer in
- London. Mr. Utterson is a reserved, conservative man who does not
- reveal his true, vibrant personality. He tolerates the strangeness
- and faults of other. Early in his life, he watched as his brother
- fell to ruin, and it is noted that he is often the last
- respectable person that men who are turning to evil or ruin have
- to talk to. This foreshadows Utterson's involvement with upcoming
- evil.
- Mr. Utterson is friends with Richard Enfield, although the two are
- totally different from one another. They always took walks with
- each other on Sundays no matter what else they might have to do.
- As they walk down a lane on Sunday that would usually be crowded
- with merchants and children during the week, Enfield points out an
- old building without many windows, and only a basement door.
- Enfield tells a story of how, one night at about 3:00 am, he saw a
- strange, deformed man round the corner and bump into a young girl.
- The strange man did not stop but simply walked right over the
- young girl, who cried out in terror. Enfield rushed over and
- attended the girl along with her family. Still, the strange man
- carried on, so Enfield chased him down and urged him back. A
- doctor was called and Enfield and the doctor felt an odd hatred of
- the man, warning the man that they would discredit him in every
- way possible unless he compensated the girl. The strange man
- agreed to offer 100 British pounds.
- Enfield notes that the man is like Satan in the way he seems
- emotionally cold to the situation. The strange man presented a
- cheque signed by an important person, which they together cashed
- the next morning. Enfield states that he refers to the building as
- Black Mail House. Utterson asks Enfield if he ever asked who lived
- in the building, but Enfield explains that he doesn't ask
- questions about strange things:
- the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask.
- The building appears lived in, and the two men carry on their
- walk. Enfield continues that the strange man he saw that night
- looked deformed, though he could explain how. Utterson assures
- Enfield that his story has caught his interest. The two agree
- never to talk about the story again.
- Chapter 2
- The same evening, Utterson came home. Instead of reading until
- sleep at midnight, he poured over the will of his friend Henry
- Jekyll, a doctor and very educated man. The will stated that
- Jekyll's possessions and position should be handed over to Mr.
- Hyde, a friend that Utterson had never heard nor met. Utterson
- went to the house of Dr. Lanyon, an old school and college friend
- of Utterson's and Jekyll's, and asked him about Hyde, but Lanyon
- had never heard of him. Lanyon uses several evil references when
- talking about Jekyll, such as devilish, and gone wrong,
- foreboding evil relations between Jekyll and Hyde. Utterson knows
- something is wrong between the two. Utterson can't sleep for the
- rest of the night.
- Utterson considers how the strange man Enfield spoke of could
- trample a child and care nothing for it. Utterson staked out the
- door of the strange building looking for the strange man, whom he
- also believed was Mr. Hyde. One night, he found him. He confronts
- him as he is about to go inside the strange door, and finds the
- strange man is indeed Mr. Hyde. Hyde is unpleasant, cool, defiant,
- and confident. Utterson convinces Hyde to show his face, and Hyde
- suggests Utterson should know his address, implying that he knows
- of Jekyll's will. Utterson refers to Hyde to himself as
- troglodytic, meaning a primitive human being, detestable and
- unpleasant. Utterson decides to try and visit Jekyll at the late
- hour.
- At Jekyll's home, he learns from the servants that Hyde never east
- dinner at Jekyll's house, but is always there in the laboratory,
- with his own key. The servants rarely see him, but they have
- orders to obey him. Utterson leaves, and reflects upon his own
- life, what evil deeds he may be guilty of, and what bad things his
- friend Jekyll may have done in his life. He decides that this Hyde
- must be gravely evil, far worse than anything Jekyll may have ever
- done. Utterson decides to try and discover what evil things Hyde
- has done and may be doing, but fears that his friend Jekyll will
- object. To finish, Utterson again considers the strange will of
- Jekyll, specifically that it he disappears for longer than three
- months, that his estate should be turned over to Hyde. Utterson
- fears that Hyde might kill Jekyll for the will.
- Chapter 3
- Dr. Jekyll has a dinner party and Utterson attends. Utterson is a
- well liked and respected man, by Jekyll as well as anyone.
- Utterson stays behind after the party, and talks with Jekyll about
- the will. Jekyll tries at first to politely and jovially avoid the
- topic towards his scientific rivalry with Dr. Lanyon, but Utterson
- insists. Utterson explains that he thinks the will is a bad idea,
- and Jekyll wishes to stop talking about it. Jekyll states that he
- is in a unique situation that can't be fixed through talking, but
- Utterson promises that he can be trusted to help in confidence.
- Jekyll insists that he is in control, that he can be rid of Mr.
- Hyde at his own discretion. He begs Utterson to leave the matter
- alone. He explains that he has great interest in Hyde, and that
- Utterson follow his will and secure Jekyll's estate for Hyde if
- Jekyll passes away. Utterson promises to fulfill this duty.
- Chapter 4
- One of Jekyll's maid servants is watching out her window on a
- foggy night and sees Hyde and Sir Danvers meet by chance, They
- talk under her window, and without warning, Hyde explodes with
- rage and strikes Danvers with his heavy cane. Hyde stomped upon
- the man, crushing his bones, while the maid faints.
- The maid wakes up, calls the police. They find a purse and gold
- watch, and an envelope for Utterson on the victim, but no papers
- or cards. They find part of Hyde's splintered, broken cane.
- Utterson goes to the police station to see the body. Utterson
- identifies the victim as Danvers, and notices that the piece of
- cane resembles one he gave to Jekyll a long time ago. Utterson
- leads the police to Hyde's house in Soho. As they arrive at Hyde's
- house, Utterson notices the darkness from the brown fog, and
- considers the fear people must have of the law and the police. At
- Hyde's, an very white skinned woman with grey hair and an evil
- face tells them she hadn't seen Hyde for 2 months. At first the
- woman protests, but she seems happy to learn that Hyde might be in
- trouble.
- In the house, Utterson and the police inspector find that only a
- few rooms are being used. They find clues to show that Hyde was
- responsible for the murder:
- Hyde's clothes had been ransacked, a burnt cheque book, the other
- part of the cane, and at the bank, Hyde's account had several
- thousand pounds (British money) in it. The inspector believed that
- they could simply catch him when he returned to the bank, but
- found that without an accurate description of Hyde, they could not
- prepare the bank to recognize Hyde when he came in again.
- Chapter 5
- Utterson goes to Jekyll's house, and up to his cabinet (bedroom),
- where he finds Jekyll sick, not even getting up to say hello.
- Utterson tells Jekyll that Danvers was a client of his and asks if
- Jekyll is hiding Hyde. Jekyll declares that Hyde is safe, and
- Utterson finds it strange that Jekyll can be so sure. Jekyll gives
- Utterson a letter written by Hyde where he apologizes to Jekyll
- for causing so much trouble, although Jekyll is afraid that the
- letter might harm his own reputation. Utterson finds this a
- selfish consideration. Utterson believes that Hyde told Jekyll how
- to make his will, and tells Jekyll that he is lucky because Hyde
- was going to kill him. Jekyll is upset and says only, Oh what a
- lesson I have learned!. Jekyll tells Utterson that the letter
- came to him by delivery, not through the mail, but as Utterson
- leaves, he asks the servant, who tells him that no letters came by
- delivery...
- That night, Utterson has his assistant, Mr. Guest, over to look at
- the letter, so that he might hear his thoughts on the matter.
- Guest notices that Hyde's handwriting is the same as Jekyll's,
- except slanted differently. Utterson cannot imaging why Jekyll
- would forge Hyde's letter for him.
- Chapter 6
- The police's investigation into Hyde's background showed that he
- had a violent reputation. In the meantime, Jekyll seemed better
- than ever in his life. On January 6th, Jekyll had a dinner party,
- and Utterson and Lanyon went. However, after that date, Jekyll
- refused to allow any visitors. Utterson decides to visit Lanyon,
- but finds that Lanyon seems deathly sick, and won't discuss why
- except that he has had a shock. He seems that he has been
- terrified, and begs not to be reminded of Jekyll.
- Utterson goes home and writes a complaint to Jekyll about not
- taking visitors, and about Lanyon. The next day, Jekyll replies
- that he is sorry and doesn't blame Lanyon for not wishing to ever
- hear of Jekyll again, but doesn't say why. Jekyll asks Utterson to
- let me be alone to suffer for a great evil deed that he has
- committed. Utterson feels that there must be some very serious
- explanation for the strange behavior of both Lanyon and Jekyll.
- A week later Utterson receives a letter from Lanyon. Inside is
- another letter marked that it shouldn't be opened until the time
- that Jekyll disappears. Utterson is tempted to open it, but honors
- the order on the envelope not to open it yet. Utterson checked in
- with Poole, Jekyll's servant, who said that Jekyll stayed in his
- room, laid awake, did not read and was miserable. Utterson tried
- to visit less and less.
- Chapter 7
- On a walk with Richard Enfield again, he and Utterson resolve
- never to see Hyde again. Enfield tells that he now knows that the
- building Hyde entered that night long ago was Jekyll's house. As
- they strolled by Jekyll's house, they saw him in a window.
- Utterson urges him to come for a walk, but Jekyll refuses. They
- agree to talk while Jekyll sits at the window. Suddenly, a look of
- terror comes over Jekyll's face, and the window blind is shut in
- front of him, hiding him from the sight of Utterson and Enfield.
- Frightened, the two men look at each other. God forgive us!
- cries out Utterson, and the two men walk on.
- Chapter 8
- Poole comes to Utterson's house in a panic, saying that Jekyll is
- locked up in his room again. Poole fears that Jekyll has been
- murdered and that the killer is still in his room, pacing back and
- forth and moaning and crying out. Utterson agrees to go to
- Jekyll's house with Poole. When they arrive, they find all the
- house servants crowded around the fireplace in fear of what goes
- up in Jekyll's room. Poole tells Utterson that he wants him to
- hear what is going on in Jekyll's room. They proceed, and Poole
- calls out to his master, saying that Utterson is there to visit. A
- voice answers that is certainly Jekyll, pleading for Utterson to
- leave him alone.
- Poole reports that the person in the room tosses out papers with
- orders for chemicals from every company in London, but with every
- delivery, Jekyll/Hyde refuses them and sends them back claiming
- they are not pure. They examine the notes, and find that the
- writing is Jekyll's, but with a strange slant like Hyde's.
- Poole mentions that he saw the person in the room at one point,
- but it looked like
- Hyde, not Jekyll
- Poole and Utterson decide to break down the door and find out what
- has happened in Jekyll's room, using an axe. They post two other
- servants near the door to prevent Jekyll/Hyde from escaping should
- he get past Utterson and Poole. Utterson and Poole consider that
- they face some danger in doing this. While they wait for the other
- servants to get into position, they sit in the old surgery
- theatre, where Poole describes how Jekyll/Hyde paces back and
- forth across the floor and sometimes cries out. After the servants
- are ready, Utterson warns Jekyll that he is coming in, and the
- voice begs him not to.
- They burst in and find Hyde twitching and dying on the floor. They
- look around and find various articles, but no sign of Jekyll's
- body. They find chemicals, a book, a cheval-glass, and a strange
- drug. They search the house, and still do not find the body.
- Utterson finds Jekyll's latest will and learns that it leaves his
- estate to Utterson, not Hyde. Utterson finds this strange because
- Hyde was in the room and cold have destroyed this will in favor of
- the one that names him the recipient of the will. Utterson finds a
- note written in Jekyll's handwriting, and is afraid to read it.
- In it Jekyll says that he has disappeared, that Utterson should
- read the letter Lanyon sent, and also Jekyll's own confession
- which is included with this note. Utterson returns to his office
- where he will read the two important documents.
- Chapter 9 - Lanyon's Narrative
- On January 9th, Lanyon receives a letter from Jekyll. It tells
- Lanyon that this is a matter of life and death. Lanyon is to go to
- Jekyll's house, and The door of my cabinet is then to be forced;
- and you are to go in alone; to open the glazed press (letter E) on
- the left hand, breaking the lock if it be shut; and to draw out,
- with all its contents as the stand, the fourth drawer from the top
- or (which is the same thing) the third from the bottom. This is
- to get Jekyll's drug. Then, Lanyon is to return to his own home's
- consulting room, and wait for a visitor at midnight from Jekyll.
- Lanyon does this and finds the drug that Jekyll must have made
- because it is not as neatly done as a chemist would do. He returns
- to his home and waits for the visitor, keeping a gun with him
- (revolver) should he need to defend himself.
- At midnight, Hyde shows up, and is very excited to get the drug,
- almost crazy, but he stays calm enough. Once Lanyon gives it to
- him, a scary smile comes over Hyde's face. He tells Lanyon that
- Lanyon was a fool, and that he would now see proof of
- transcendental medicine. He drinks the drug and changes into
- Jekyll in a terrifying way that haunts Lanyon for the rest of his
- few days until he dies. Lanyon ends his letter by saying that he
- cannot tell what Jekyll told him because it is too terrible, other
- than that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person.
- <br><br>
- Words: 2548
|