High Thread - Page 52

In every aspect of lives, our environment can have a profound subconscious impact on our perspective in any given situation. This is no less true in literature, where the setting, the tone and the overall mood of the piece will inherently determine how we interpret the events that occur throughout the story. In his novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Stevenson demonstrates a masterful use of setting and mood by situating the reader in a very dark and somber atmosphere, thus enhancing the themes of chaos and evil in the story. Because of this, commonplace elements of the story such as the weather and the antihero’s living
quarters become key symbolic features of the plot.

The fog and the night sky, though seemingly innocent, are figurative features that foreshadow events to come and build tension in the novella; they amplify the impending feel of doom and create an atmosphere of evil. It is no coincidence that the story mainly takes place at night. Nighttime sets the scene for crime and chaos; throughout all of the more dramatic parts of the plot, the night is always colder, windier, and in a frenzy. Consider the contrast between the first night that is described, and the night leading up to the climax of the story. Initially, Utterson encounters “mere darkness” or “a fine dry night” (Stevenson 8 & 7). Toward the end, however, Stevenson writes:

It was a wild, cold, unseasonable night of March, with a pale moon, lying on her back as though the wind had tilted her […]. The wind made talking difficult, and flecked blood into the face. […] The square […] was all full of wind and dust […]. (Stevenson 28)

This night is deliberately chaotic, because it is the night when Utterson and Poole break into Jekyll’s laboratory and unravel the mystery of Jekyll and Hyde. Stevenson uses the degree of chaos in the night to symbolize the amount of chaos to come. The fog, while playing a similar role, is more symbolic of mystery and the unknown. We are constantly reminded of the foggy streets of London, which makes us vigilant and gives us an evil, eerie feel. For example, notice how in chapter 4, The Carew Murder Case, the first fog of the season is the night Hyde reappears after having been absent for almost a year. After the murder, the police fail to capture Hyde, and he shrouds back into mystery. Fog seeps in and clouds our sight, both figuratively and literally. In the following chapter, Stevenson writes: “The fog […] slept above the drowned city, […] and through the muffle and smother of these fallen clouds […]” (Stevenson 20), plainly describing at once our view from above of the fogged city and its uncertain state. Besides representing mystery, fog also has a certain wickedness about it that makes London seem evil and sinister, with danger lurking about every street corner. Combined with the cold nights, the weather in the story unquestionably sets the mood for sin.

Another important ingredient of the setting is Jekyll and Hyde’s house, with a back-entrance effectively connecting the two together. The house is symbolic of Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship; the latter infiltrates the former and takes over it. Hyde’s house is also described to be windowless, with no bell or doorknocker. Figuratively, this indicates Hyde has barricaded himself from the outside world, making it impossible to break through the wall of mystery he has cast about himself. Instead, we must enter through Jekyll’s house. Analogously, we cannot find Hyde by taking the main entrance in Soho; we can only unearth him in Jekyll’s laboratory. Furthermore, Hyde’s house seems sinister and unkempt, as though it has been neglected for far too many years, and his house always figures some way or other in the darker portions of the story. The result is a building cloaked in evil. Jekyll’s house, on the other hand, is perfectly respectable, owing nothing more to the demands of the Victorian era. It has a very pleasant hallway, smartly decorated with a fireplace and oak cabinets. On the outside, Lanyon’s living quarters seem perfect. However, the evil of the house has been locked up inside Jekyll’s cabinet, where he keeps his drugs. Inversely, though Hyde’s residence appears wicked from the exterior, its interior furnishing is of excellent taste:

Mr. Hyde had only used a couple of rooms; but these were furnished with luxury and good taste. A closet was filled with wine; the plate was of silver, the napery elegant; a good picture hung upon the walls […]. (Stevenson 16)

The author is creating a chaos with the contrasts, turning everything over upon its head and amplifying the disarray the reader feels throughout the story. Every part of London is crafted to emphasize the evil of Hyde and the chaos between him and Jekyll.

Stevenson relentlessly underlines the key aspects of the settings throughout the whole of the novella. He paints London to be a scary place, with its conspicuous buildings and its spine-chilling nights, in order to create tension and keep the reader on guard. Without this extensive use of setting and mood, Stevenson would fall short of creating an adequate atmosphere for the events that would follow.