Violence

• Violence


  • The horrific violence in the novella is key to the text's reputation as a shocking piece of gothic fiction
  • Violence is used to characterise Mr Hyde as it is only him who commits it
  • Hyde's victims are characterised as passive in order to make his acts of violence more shockingly unprovoked
• Innocent victims


  Stevenson deliberately depicts innocent victims to highlight Hyde's barbaric acts
• Innocent victims


  • The trampling of the girl
  • Hyde's murder of Carew
• The trampling of the girl


  Made more brutal by her young age, however, the unembellished language used implies this is less an act of deliberate malice and more a passive disregard for human life
• Hyde's murder of Carew

  Shows a disregard for the upper class, Stevenson highlights Carew's status in the metaphor and auditory imagery
• This disdain from a member of a lower class towards the upper classes could be seen as symbolic of proletarian revolution
• The ordered series of clauses depicting Hyde's behaviour contrast with the violent and irrational nature of the action
• The metaphor of his violence as a "flame" also has natural connotations, suggesting that this is intrinsic to his character
• The verb "trampled" connotes animalistic aggression whilst the adverb "calmly" emphasises Hyde's detachment from his actions
• Violence in the setting

  • The description of the setting reflects how out of place Hyde is in society
  • The jarring nature of the building which is not in line with the others is emphasised by the plosive alliteration of "block of building"
  • Stevenson furthers this by using sibilance in "certain sinister"
• The building is also described to be in a state of "prolonged and sordid negligence" which could be reflective of Hyde as it suggests that his violent behaviour is rooted in his isolation
• Violation of innocence


  Innocence is said to be violated if a naïve or young character is exposed to something horrific and they can no longer be called innocent
• Female characters


  • The maid and the young girl fulfil the gothic character archetype of the innocent female
  • Like many female gothic characters, the girl is reduced to an object
  • Stevenson again uses stereotypes by describing the maid's "streaming tears" in order to characterise her as an irrational woman
• Carew's character is feminised by the description of him as an "aged beautiful gentleman with white hair", Stevenson's use of colour in "white hair" provides angelic connotations, and makes him appear as a vulnerable individual whom Mr Hyde takes advantage of