Summary and Review Novel : Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Jumat, 07 Oktober 2016 | 0 comments
1. Summary
When
his cousin, Mr. Enfield was first telling about a dreadful story, Mr. Utterson
could not believe at first. He did not suppose that the story would bring him
to a very complicated case. When they were taking a walk as their weekly routine, they passed a door in the back of a
house. Seeing that door, Mr. Enfield looked back on queering incident had happened a few night
before and this was told to Mr. Utterson.
That
night, Mr. Enfield narrated, he saw a
short-man with oversized clothes was walking around, and from the opposite way
there was a little girl who was also walking through her way. When they were
close enough, that man suddenly made the little girl fall into the ground,
instead of helping that little girl getting up that short-man trod that unfortunate little girl. The
screaming and weeping of her painful made people around approach them, that
short peculiar man regretlessly tried to flee, but Mr. Enfield efficiently
grasped him so that he could not elude and promised to give a cheque as medical
tuition for that little girl. That short odd man then entered the door where Mr. Enfield and Mr.
Utterson belong now.
Not
after a long time that man was out from the door and met Mr. Enfield to give
the cheque as what he had promised. But everyone there seemed not to
believe that the name and signature on
that cheque was a name of a very famous figure and highly regarded, Dr. Jekyll,
Mr. Utterson’s dearest friend. People started guessing that it was a forgery.
But it was not true that that man who confessed as Edward Hyde was doing a
forgery, regarding to the authentic signature of that cheque and no one
reported a lost cheque. Hearing the story from his cousin, Mr. Utterson bit
doubted besides it was said that the short man entered a door where they belong
now. And Mr. Utterson really knew this door because it was a laboratory door
that connected to a private house of Henry Jekyll, his friend.
A
few nights later Mr. Utterson happened to meet Mr. Hyde and the characteristic
was really identic as what was explained by Mr. Enfield, a short man with a
devilish face so that every person looking at him would feel horrified and disgusted.
Before
Mr. Enfield told him about Mr. Hyde, Mr. Utterson actually had been acquainted
with the name of Mr. Hyde because a view days before Dr. Jekyll had ever asked
a help to Mr. Utterson who was a lawyer to make a will. It is said that all Dr.
Jekyll possessions were to pass into the hands of his friend “Edward Hyde”, and
the dissapearence of Dr. Jekyll or absence for any period exceeding three
months, Edward Hyde should take his place without further delay, and free from
any burthen or duty beyond the payment of a few small sums to the members of
the doctor’s household. Since Mr. Utterson wrote that will, he felt it was
wrong, moreover hearing the story from his cousin who saw Mr. Hyde could easily possess the key of laboratorium that connected to Dr. Jekyll’s
house even he could give a cheque in the name of Dr. Jekyll. With those peculiarities, Mr.
Utterson was suspicious that Mr. Hyde tried to exploit the doctor.
As a friend, Mr. Utterson wanted to
set Dr. Jekyll free from Mr. Hyde, but
the doctor calmed Mr. Utterson down and said that he was fine and nothing could
be worried about. Still feeling suspicious, Mr. Utterson tried to see Dr.
Hastie Lanyon, a regardest Dr. Jekyll’s friend since in college. Dr. Lanyon
said that Dr.Jekyll really liked doing some experiments and lately Dr. Lanyon
considered Dr. Jekyll’s experiment had made him weird, sometimes Dr. Lanyon saw
the evil side of Dr. Jekyll by himself,
and asserted that Dr. Jekyll had never had a friend named Edward Hyde.
These peculiarities had not been revealed,
suddenly something dreadfully was happened. In a night, a member of council was
murdered. A witness saw the murderer was a short with wicked face. In the
location a stick which looked scarce and unique were left there. Mr. Utterson
really knew that stick because it had ever been a gift to Henry Jekyll.
Until this happened, a letter
written by Mr. Hyde and sent directy by the writer to Dr. Jekyll’s house, and
it is said that Mr. Hyde really thanked to the doctor who helped him and ask
the doctor didn’t have to worry about him because he had his own way to run off.
Reading that letter, Dr. Jekyll looked that feverish and seemed very
frightened. Yet without any considering he allowed Mr. Utterson to save the
letter. In the same time a letter
arrived to the hands of Mr. Utterson, it was written by Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Utterson
was suspicious about the letter because the handwritten of both letters is
quite the same. Indeed the letter was nothing peculiar, but after constulting
the letter to Mr. Guest, who was expert in predicting handwritten, the letter
was clarified that they were written by the same person.
Dr. Lanyon seemed very pale, depressed,
and thinner than before when Mr. Utterson had dinner with him, looked like he
was bearing a very severe burden. But after a few days he was dead, but before
he died he wrote a letter sent to Mr. Utterson. The letter must not have been opened before Dr. Jekyll died or
disappeared. What was the meaning of ‘disappeared’ in the letter of Dr. Lanyon
and in the will of Dr. Jekyll?
This confusing riddle gradually was
revealed by the reporting of Poole, head of servant in Dr. Jekyll’s house. He
told everyting weird that was happened in the house. One day he saw a masked
man tiptoed from the laboratory got into the house, when Poole tried to greet
him, he immediately screamed and ran back into the laboratory. In addition when
Poole called the doctor in front of the door of laboratory, an unknown voice
answered him, it was not his master’s voice but another man in the laboratory.
Since then Dr. Jekyll refused to meet anybody including Poole. Poole and Mr.
Utterson were really worried because of that, eventually they decided to break
the door and force to meet Dr. Jekyll. But apparently the answer of this peculiar
riddle really out of human sense. There was no figure of Dr. Jekyll, yet
a short man with oversized clothes. Edward Hyde who died in suicide. Mr.
Utterson still found out where Dr. Jekyll was, and there he found a letter
written by Henry Jekyll.
There were two letters, a short on
and a bundle one. The short one was said that Mr. Utterson had to read Dr.
Lanyon’s letter first before he read a bundle of letter that was left. Letters
from Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll must have been a key to all those riddles. In
the letter was found finally who Mr. Hyde really was. Beyond our logical
reasoning that that short peculiar man was Dr. Jekyll who was transformed to be
a wicked person ever. Owing to Dr. Jekyll discovering drugs, he could change
good side of human to be a dark (evil) side. His curiousness brought him to
what he really wanted, yet brought him to what so-called sorrow and suffering
too. He brought his life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.
2. Review
Renowned
novel, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde one of classic stories that has
been legendary. This novel mainly narrated about black and white side
personality of human which each of human has. In the other hand, Stevenson also
inserted science issue in the story which could make up our imagination
instantly grow fast. Through this novel,
Robert Louis Stevenson really showed off his well-versed in scattering the
very basic characteristics of a human.
He explained the chronicles neatly and made the readers curious what was really
happened there.
From
this novel, Stevenson tried to give us a lesson that each of us have two sides,
good side and evil side. It is all depend on our own self, whether we will
fight to be in good side or fall into the evil side. He reminded us from what
was so-called longing to challenge the God, recreating His creature, but
basically we can never be comparable with our God, we will still be His
creature.
How the way Stevenson describes the
characters is very detail with beautiful words, this can help us to imagine how
they look like, and how their manners are, for example in describing the lawyer
“Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of severe features, that were never lighted
by a smile; he spoke rarely, and then with difficulty; he showed his feelings
but little; he was lean, long, dusty, dull, and yet somehow lovable.” or when
describing how wrecked Mr. Hyde is. So is the situation described beautifully
makes it pleasant reading book.
On the other side, the author sophisticated
in making the reader curious about the line of the story. By putting the
explaination at the end of the story, it brings the reader to continually read
the next chapters to find the truth. You cannot miss even one of the whole
chapters otherwise you will get nothing.
In another point, this novel was
written in around 18th century which means it is commonly known that
the language use here is little bit hard to be understood for the advance
English learners. Even when the advance English learners read the simplified
one, I am not sure that we will instantly get the point, we have to analyse
carefully. It is quite challenging for us, the advance, to get more vocabulary,
to be a better reader, and to improve our interpretation of literary works.
Beside the language use, another
point which was unfortunately missed was the explaination about the finding
drug. It is quite nonsense if a particular salt could basically change person’s
appearance even also the personality with just one drink. Well actually it
doesn’t matter, but I think it will be more interesting and fascinating story.
By all those considering, I, myself,
recommend you to read this one of masterpiece by Stevenson. The story will
bring you to a mistery and drama that you must have never been thought before.
In addition, as what I have said above that this novel will help you improve
your interpretation of literary works. This story is not too complicated, yet
rich of sense of life which makes it worth reading book.
Label: Novel, review novel dr. jekyll and mr. hyde, strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, summary novel
