Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

by

Robert Louis Stevenson

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The Appearance of Evil Symbol Analysis

The Appearance of Evil Symbol Icon
When Mr. Hyde is first described, he is associated with a strange, unnerving sensation, a sensation of evil. Mr. Enfield describes it as a “deformity”, but it is not a physical condition – it is something more ethereal and unexplained. This, from the outset, is what marks Hyde as a different kind of being from the other characters, whose professionalism and reserve keep them on the right side of the law. Not only is Hyde again and again associated with this intangible deformity, but it seems also to affect those around him, who feel a kind of instinctive and powerful hatred for Hyde that is beyond their normal limits. For instance, Hyde's housekeeper, an old woman, wears an expression of “odious joy” when she thinks Hyde might be in trouble. Hyde's evil seems to bring out the dark side of others, suggesting the reality of the duality that Jekyll has been trying to prove, that there is evil and good, odious and joyous, in everything.

The Appearance of Evil Quotes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Appearance of Evil. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Science, Reason and the Supernatural Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

"He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify the point.”

Related Characters: Mr. Enfield (speaker), Mr. Hyde
Related Symbols: The Appearance of Evil
Page Number: 53
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes. "I do not care to hear more," said he. "This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop."

Related Characters: Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Gabriel Utterson
Related Symbols: The Appearance of Evil
Page Number: 66
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

An ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy: but her manners were excellent.

Related Symbols: The Appearance of Evil
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

The fire burned in the grate; a lamp was set lighted on the chimney shelf, for even in the houses the fog began to lie thickly; and there, close up to the warmth, sat Dr. Jekyll, looking deathly sick. He did not rise to meet his
visitor, but held out a cold hand and bade him welcome in a changed voice.

Related Characters: Dr. Jekyll
Related Symbols: Mist and Moonlight, The Appearance of Evil
Page Number: 75
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

I looked down; my clothes hung formlessly on my shrunken limbs; the hand that lay on my knee was corded and hairy. I was once more Edward Hyde.

Related Characters: Dr. Jekyll (speaker), Mr. Hyde
Related Symbols: The Appearance of Evil, Letters and Documents
Page Number: 124
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Appearance of Evil Symbol Timeline in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Appearance of Evil appears in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Science, Reason and the Supernatural Theme Icon
The Duality of Human Nature Theme Icon
Reputation, Secrecy and Repression Theme Icon
Innocence and Violence Theme Icon
...through the dark street and ponder the inexplicable grotesqueness of the man. There is something deformed, even monstrous, about Hyde, but Utterson cannot place what detail gives him that impression. (full context)
Chapter 4
Science, Reason and the Supernatural Theme Icon
The Duality of Human Nature Theme Icon
The policeman requests to search Hyde’s rooms. The old lady’s face is filled with “odious joy” as she expresses her interest that Hyde is in trouble. She lets the men in... (full context)
Reputation, Secrecy and Repression Theme Icon
...identify him. The descriptions they gather of Hyde only have one sure detail, his unexplained deformed appearance. (full context)
Chapter 9
Science, Reason and the Supernatural Theme Icon
The Duality of Human Nature Theme Icon
...a visitor at midnight, and meets him on the porch. The visitor is a small, evil-looking man, who slinks into the house with suspicious glances to the street, and hurries at... (full context)