The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Ch 9

[Silver]

Please post your thoughts and questions here and be aware if you have not finished this chapter spoilers may be posted here.

[Silver]

Why is Mr. Hyde being so short (at times even described as dwarf like) emphasized so much within the book?

At this time was shortness perceived as being particularly unattractive/repulsive?

Or was describing him as being so unusually short, along with at times being said to appear to have some deformity or appear abnormal was meant to be a physical manifestation of the evilness of his nature?

I know in many Victorian novels virtue and beauty are often linked together.

[Deborah, Moderator]

I also wondered why as Jekyll he's tall, as Hyde a dwarf. I really like how Stevenson lets our imagination create the horror. His prose tells us the story with a sense of calm. Our imaginations supply the rest.

[Wendel]

There is a rationale behind Hyde's physical stature and it will be revealed in the last chapter.

[Frances, Moderator]

This was a shocking chapter with the secrecy and creepiness of Lanyon's mission and subsequent meeting with the unpleasant Mr Hyde, and then the overwhelming shock of seeing him transformed into Dr Jekyll. It is interesting that Hyde/Jekyll initially gives him the choice of discovering the root of the mystery, knowing how shocking it will be (and also a surprise that he chose to reveal himself initially to Lanyon, although that may have been to preserve the layered narrative). I suspect that Jekyll wanted someone to share his secret with enough that he was willing to risk a friendship in the hope of getting some support. Clearly it was too much for Lanyon, both shattering his own health and causing an immediate and permanent rupture with his friend Jekyll. I wonder how Utterson would have reacted in the same circumstances?

[Everyman]

Deborah wrote: "I also wondered why as Jekyll he's tall, as Hyde a dwarf. I really like how Stevenson lets our imagination create the horror. His prose tells us the story with a sense of calm. Our imaginations sup..."

Nice.