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Jekyll and Hyde chapter 9 - Coggle Diagram
Jekyll and Hyde chapter 9
The chapter is titled "the incident at the window"
The word "incident" alerts the reader that something is wrong, due to the negative connotations of the word "incident"
It also reminds us of the overall structure of the novella- it's meant to reflect a case file
Setting
"premature twilight"
The ideas of the sunset reflect the state of both Jekyll and Utterson's minds during this scene. Utterson is hopeful and believes, like Enfield, that they shall "never see more of Mr Hyde" and so his mind has set on the story- the dramatic irony being in the "premature" nature of this conclusion. Jekyll is represented as he is between states- the good Jekyll being day and the evil Hyde being night- and it shows the severity of his situation that he is no longer able to just be one of these states.
The idea of the sunset being early is also reflective of a trope of early gothic fiction, as it presents something natural doing something subtly supernatural and thus creates unease with the reader
"very cool and damp"
This contrasts to the warm feeling created by the sky being "still bright with sunset" and thus reflects the duality of Jekyll and Hyde. Hyde has made London a darker place and now, with him seemingly gone, the light of goodness can being to shine through again, though, like Stevenson cleverly describes, this sunset is "premature" and this foreshadows what is to come
Jekyll
"infinite sadness" "disconsolate prisoner"
The use of the word "prisoner" is interesting as it is reflective of the language of entrapment used by Jekyll in his narrative. In this instance, it is dramatic irony, as Utterson- who' point of view the novella seemingly follows- can't understand why Jekyll has himself locked away; as a contemporary audience, we know that it is really Hyde who has him trapped inside his cabinet
"infinite sadness" is a contrast to the personality we have seen of Jekyll so far. In the last chapter, Jekyll was "at peace" but now, he is depressed and agitated. This makes us question what has happened to him and creates suspense leading up to the final few chapters of the novella
"the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by and expression of such abject fear and despair"
The idea of the smile being "struck" from him created an idea of something hitting him. This represents the knife's edge that Jekyll is being held on, as the severity of Hyde can suddenly knock him out of himself and into something else
"abject" means to experience something to the maximum degree, which amplifies the look of "fear" on Jekyll's face. This pronounced image would too make readers feel uneasy and fearful as, at this point in the novel, what is making him feel like that is left in suspence
The fact that Jekyll suddenly, in that moment is visually in "despair", it demonstrates both the evil and supernatural qualities of Hyde. To despair is to loose all hope (by dictionary definition) as so for Jekyll to feel commanded to loose hope in everything in the presence of Hyde shows how he drains the room of all good, reflecting both his supernatural and evil nature
This is highly entangled with the theme of Religion that is present throughout the novella. The "sudden "thrust" down of the window is also reflective of this, as it represents shutting out the light, symbolic of good.
Secrecy
Stevenson leaves the chapter's ending vague and this creates suspense and tension for the ending of the novel. The secret here is what Utterson and Enfield saw and the description the "answering horror in their eyes" alerts us, the reader, that, whatever it was, it was not good
We don't know what exactly Utterson saw- we just assume that he saw the beginnings of the transformation, though it is never actually explicitly said and this is gauged from a modern knowledge of the book- but the fact we are never told what he sees and left to imagine it for ourselves reflects on the social secrecy there was in a contemporary setting for the novella, as well on the in-novel society that makes it clear that Hyde is too horrible to describe and therefore, must be kept to the mind- like a secret
Religion/ Science
"may God forgive us"
The almost mantra-esk way Utterson repeats this while in a state of trauma and shock amplifies the ungodly and evil nature of (what we assume to be) Utterson and Enfield witnessing a transformation. This symbolises the reliance upon religion for answers that many people in the contemporary society felt and thus reflects, contextually, the fears of the changing and developing world in a scientific way