Jekyll and Hyde 3

Authors notes: A symbol that I found a lot in Jekyll and Hyde was the weather, but the weather didn’t follow the course I thought it would.  This is a less creative piece explaining my view on the weather in Jekyll and Hyde.

The Weather

The fog is unknown; the epitome of mystery.  With in every chapter the unrelenting presence of the fog can be found; typically dwelling in the most faded areas, but this seemingly typical weather stands for a much higher purpose then what may seem.  In the Novella “The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde”, the weather is used as a symbol to help portray and give insight on the surroundings, and lure the reader into a feeling of unease or false safety.

Consistently throughout the story, the weather is written in to give a sense of the scene, and a feeling for future events.  The Novella does not hide when problems are approaching; in fact it is quite contrary to that.  The story’s weather will commonly follow a change of scene.  The most typical change occurs when the presence of Mr. Hyde is expected.  Opposite to what would be expected, fog often is not the predecessor to the presence of Hyde, and often it is when Hyde lurks that the clear skies and the bright moon can be seen, absent of fog (Example: “The Carew Murder” “The early part of the night was cloudless…brilliantly lit by the full moon” (59)).  This weather gives both a sense of confusion and a sense of false safety.  When the fog lurks, Dr. Jekyll (Hyde) is not to be found, but as a character, Jekyll is surrounded by mystery, hence the presence of fog in his absence.  The reason Hyde is not followed by stringent weather is because when he is present, he is no longer a mystery.  The monstrosity that is Hyde is visible, and there is no mystery to him then.  The weather reflects the amount of knowledge the reader knows at a given time, and all the reader wants to know is the whereabouts of Mr. Hyde.  The weathers beauty often lures the reader into a sense of safety, but only to bash them back into terror by bringing about Mr. Hyde during the most pleasant of climates.  Although the weather is at times misleading, it parallels the story while giving a sense of unease.