preview

Linear Structure Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Decent Essays

‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is a novel written by Stevenson. The author creates unique structure which can be defined as ‘non-linear’. Throughout the novel, there are many different examples of this non-linear structure. All the chapters have a name, and the author chooses to reveal important information in letters which are sent from character to character, this creates tension in the reader about the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde. Firstly, one of the ways Stevenson creates a non-linear structure is by giving titles to all chapters and not putting them in a chronological order. Stevenson has created chapter names in order to summarise the chapter's content, making it easier for the reader to understand the text and …show more content…

The chapter titles are ’The Carew Murder Case’, ‘Incident of the Letter’, ‘Remarkable Incident of Dr Lanyon’, ‘Incident at the Window’, ‘The Last Night’. Whereas from chapter nice onwards as the narrative is resolved the tension decreases, in fact the chapters all called ‘Dr Lanyon’s Narrative’ and ‘Henry Jekyll’s full statement of the case’. Some chapters are flashbacks and are events which happen before but are placed after, therefore it is non-linear. This creates confusion in the reader, but it also clears some of the doubts because of the unexplained information in the novel. Another non-linear narrative structure which was really important in the novel in order to create tension is Lanyon’s letter. This letter reveals to the reader about Hyde and Jekyll’s relationship. The letter is for Utterson. Lanyon wants him to open it after his own and Jekyll’s deaths. …show more content…

Jekyll talks about the years before the creation of the potion that transforms him into Hyde. He summarises his finding of the dual nature, human beings are half good and half evil. Jekyll’s goal in his experiments is to separate two opposite elements, creating a person with only good characteristics and a being of only evil. He does this because he wants to free his good side from dark urges. He fails this experiment, in fact he only manages to create a whole evil person ‘Mr Hyde’. In the letter, Jekyll says ‘I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man . . . if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.’ The events of the novel inform the reader that the dark side (Hyde) is much stronger than the rest of Jekyll, this is why Hyde is able to take over Jekyll. This letter is really important for the reader so that the whole novel is understood. A lot of horror is created and it is all quiet in the reader's mind. The reader feels horrified by the way in which Jekyll seems to love and care for Hyde. Jekyll’s words make the reader angry that a man who was so good could enjoy becoming so

Get Access