HYDE CHARCTER PROFILE
Hyde
Overview of Hyde
- Hyde comes to represent the embodiment of pure evil merely for the sake
of evil. When he is first extracted and in our first encounter with him, he is
seen running over a young girl, simply trampling on her. He does not do
this out of spite, it is simply an amoral act. He does make reparations. But
even in this first encounter, he raises a fear, and a deep loathing in other
people. The reaction of others to him is one of horror, partly because while
looking at him, others feel a deep desire to strike out at him and kill him. In
other words, his mere physical appearance brings out the very worst evil in
other people.
- Since Hyde represents the purely evil in man (or in Dr Jekyll), he is,
therefore, symbolically represented as being much smaller than Dr Jekyll —
Jekyll's clothes are far too large for him — and Hyde is also many years
younger than Jekyll, symbolically suggesting that the evil side of Jekyll did
not develop until years after he was born.
- Hyde also creates terror; the servants are extremely frightened of him.
When they think he is around the house, the servants cringe in horror, and
some go into hysterics.
- As the novel progresses, Hyde's evil becomes more and more pronounced.
He beats Sir Danvers Carew to death for absolutely no reason other than
the fact that Sir Danvers appeared to be a good and kindly man — and pure
evil detests pure goodness.
- Since Hyde represents the evil side of Jekyll, and since Jekyll does,
vicariously, enjoy the degradations which Hyde commits, Hyde gradually
begins to take the power and control over the good Dr Jekyll.
- A conflict between them erupts, as though the older Dr Jekyll is a father to
the errant son. He wants to punish this son, but at the same time, he
recognizes that Hyde is an intimate part of himself. Ultimately, when Jekyll
commits suicide in order to get rid of Hyde (suicide is an evil act in the eyes
of the church), this allows Hyde to become the dominant evil figure, and
the dying Jekyll becomes Hyde in the final death throes.
Key Quotes
“Unknown disgust, loathing and fear”
- No good feelings can come from meeting him. Earlier on in the novella
Utterson expresses his “inordinate curiosity to behold the features of the
real Mr Hyde” and expects the mystery to “lighten”. Instead, he becomes
even more disturbed effectively showing how Hyde is full of negativity and
Hyde
Overview of Hyde
- Hyde comes to represent the embodiment of pure evil merely for the sake
of evil. When he is first extracted and in our first encounter with him, he is
seen running over a young girl, simply trampling on her. He does not do
this out of spite, it is simply an amoral act. He does make reparations. But
even in this first encounter, he raises a fear, and a deep loathing in other
people. The reaction of others to him is one of horror, partly because while
looking at him, others feel a deep desire to strike out at him and kill him. In
other words, his mere physical appearance brings out the very worst evil in
other people.
- Since Hyde represents the purely evil in man (or in Dr Jekyll), he is,
therefore, symbolically represented as being much smaller than Dr Jekyll —
Jekyll's clothes are far too large for him — and Hyde is also many years
younger than Jekyll, symbolically suggesting that the evil side of Jekyll did
not develop until years after he was born.
- Hyde also creates terror; the servants are extremely frightened of him.
When they think he is around the house, the servants cringe in horror, and
some go into hysterics.
- As the novel progresses, Hyde's evil becomes more and more pronounced.
He beats Sir Danvers Carew to death for absolutely no reason other than
the fact that Sir Danvers appeared to be a good and kindly man — and pure
evil detests pure goodness.
- Since Hyde represents the evil side of Jekyll, and since Jekyll does,
vicariously, enjoy the degradations which Hyde commits, Hyde gradually
begins to take the power and control over the good Dr Jekyll.
- A conflict between them erupts, as though the older Dr Jekyll is a father to
the errant son. He wants to punish this son, but at the same time, he
recognizes that Hyde is an intimate part of himself. Ultimately, when Jekyll
commits suicide in order to get rid of Hyde (suicide is an evil act in the eyes
of the church), this allows Hyde to become the dominant evil figure, and
the dying Jekyll becomes Hyde in the final death throes.
Key Quotes
“Unknown disgust, loathing and fear”
- No good feelings can come from meeting him. Earlier on in the novella
Utterson expresses his “inordinate curiosity to behold the features of the
real Mr Hyde” and expects the mystery to “lighten”. Instead, he becomes
even more disturbed effectively showing how Hyde is full of negativity and
