In today’s class, we keep discussing monster culture based on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The book starts by Mr. Enfield talking about his memory. He saw Mr. Hyde running into a little girl, and, without helping her up, he keeps walking. The author uses the word “trampled” here to describe the unconcerned behaviors that Mr. Hyde has. From the action and the words chose by the author, we can see Mr. Hyde plays a “monster role.” Also, from the description of the appearances, Mr. Enfield states that “It wasn’t like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut” (Stevenson 9). The description that Mr. Enfield gives makes me hard to imagine how Mr. Hyde looks like, but one thing that stuck in my head is Mr. Hyde is an inhuman figure. Because of Mr. Hyde’s appearance, it makes him guiltier and evilly in that situation.
Mr. Hyde’ appearance represents thegroup of people who do not look good and people who have disabilities. The author is using the fact to reflect the social norm that people judge others based on their appearance. The stereotypes towards these disabled people are rooted in people’s heart, which prevents others from learning about their internal selves. As the book says, people won’t believe in Mr. Hyde’s check. In their sense, people like Mr. Hyde who has a lousy appearance also has a contrite heart. People at that time judge the book by its presence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud1-rgQqw
https://chesswolf.deviantart.com/art/Dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-437362026