Read this extract from Chapter 1 and answer the Question. In this extract, the narrator describes the streets where Enfield and Utterson walk
How does Stevenson use symbols to create a deeper meaning for the reader?
In the book: 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde', Stevenson uses various symbols such as the weather and the setting to create a deeper meaning towards the novel and perhaps to hint at controversial topics such as crime in the victorian era to relate with the victorians and feed into their contemporary fears as Queen Victoria was yet to produce an heir to the throne. Arguably, Stevenson uses these symbols to shine light upon Victorian fears such as duality of man, Darwin's theory of evolution and labelling as a Victorian society.
In the extract, Stevenson uses the setting as a symbol of the dual nature of humans and how people have two contrasting sides to them. Stevenson uses the phrase:"shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood". This phrase explores the difference in looks that both neighborhoods present, as one neighbourhood looks clean and well-looked after, but the other seems sinister and foreboding. The adjective 'dingy' is used to show that victorians associated ugliness with crime, and that people who were not beautiful were criminals. Mr Enfield is also a character who believed this, as he cornered Hyde after Hyde trampled the little girl, and claimed that he was ugly:"Something downright detestable" that he wanted to kill him, relating to Lombroso's theory of physiognomy and how victorians with specific facial features were labelled as criminals showing how Stevenson used symbols such as the setting and facial features to resonate a deeper meaning for the victorian audience.
In the extract, Stevenson uses symbols like the house of Jekyll compared to the house of Hyde in soho to create a deeper meaning of how the readers interpret the characters. Hyde's house is described as:"a certain sinister block of building thrust forward". The adjective:"sinister" connotes to evil and foreboding elements. It is clear that Stevenson uses the description of the house to reflect the character of Hyde and essentially calling him evil. Stevenson also uses the phrase: "Satan's signature upon his face" to showcase biblical elements towards the novel, showing how Hyde could potentially be Satan's disciple through this arrogant and detestable behaviour throughout the novel. Also, in the extract the building is personified as being 'thrust forward' on the street. The violent verb 'thrust' perhaps mirrors Hyde's complex and forceful nature as am evil creation. This is how Stevenson uses symbols in the novel to create a deeper meaning about Hyde's character.
In the exact, Stevenson uses symbols such as the paradoxical doors belonging to Hyde and Jekyll. Mr Hyde's door is described as 'blistered and disdained'. These adjectives connote to ruins and wrecks, creating a semantic field of chaos. This image of chaos can perhaps be related to Victorian society in the 19th century, as Queen Victoria was in her last few years of ruling Britain before her demise. Victorian society was in chaos as Charles Darwin had introduced the theory of Evolution to a catholic country, meaning that people were shocked at the theory and became scared as devout Catholics. This may be why Stevenson introduced such symbols to create intense feelings in the 19th century and provide layers of interpretation to the characters, such as Hyde.
Not one of my finest works but please be harsh on me!! This question is out of 30
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