Literary Analysis Essay on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Atmosphere in Literary Works

Introduction

Novelists and writers often aim at publishing works that are enjoyable to their readers. It is equally right to say that readers also love stories and literary works that get them hooked. The fun of reading a novel is reading it in such a manner that the reader interacts with the world of the characters as if they were part of it in reality. They have to feel what the characters feel, see what they see, hear what they hear, experience what they experience and if possible see their dreams as they are. Therefore, writers have a noble responsibility of keeping their readers hooked to their works. This happens when they make good use of vivid description as regards settings, objects, and various literary devices to create an atmosphere. In the opening of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson creates an atmosphere of typical social gatherings.

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The purpose of creating an atmosphere in a piece of writing is major to create a sentimental effect. Human beings are emotional beings and they relate quite easily to emotional happenings and scenarios. Secondly, writers use atmosphere to create a link between readers and their works so that there is an active engagement. The reader is able to respond to the readings and thus want to continue hence the continued reading to the very last chapter. An atmosphere also makes a piece of writing full of life, and appealing to the readers, as it makes it even more fascinating. The atmosphere of a literary piece can be compared with the effect condiments have on a foodie. They appease the foodie's taste buds. In the same way, the atmosphere of writing touches the senses of readers and makes the happenings in a novel real.

Stevenson uses several literary devices to create the atmosphere of typical social gatherings. To begin with, he uses vivid description. The vivid description refers to a precise and specific way of describing events and people in a piece of writing. In the opening of the novel, he describes Mr. Utterson vividly. He is a man with an unattractive physique, and to put that across the author describes him even to Mr. Utterson's facial formation. The effect is an atmosphere of formality and utmost seriousness. He says that Mr. Utterson's face was never "lighted" by a smile. The image created here is of a man who has no luxury of jokes. The vivid description, however, comes out clearly when he explains how Utterson's "countenance" was a "rugged" one.

The writer also creates an atmosphere of doom through the same character. He says Mr. Utterson never had the pleasure of being the "good influence" among men who were getting lost. This is a description of a very unfortunate situation where people who are going astray have no chance of doing the right thing. Utterson knows the right way of life but he chooses to do nothing when his colleagues are losing moral direction. It also shows that the people around him are doomed. This has a way of preparing readers to anticipate the fates of every other character that will be close to Mr. Utterson in the following chapters of the book. Therefore, readers will always feel the presence of doom in any scene where he appears.

Another atmosphere that the author creates at the opening of the novel is the atmosphere of confusion. He creates this atmosphere using symbolic actions. A symbolic action refers to an activity that happens but implies something else directly or indirectly. There are two instances of confusion which all revolve around the same character, Mr. Utterson. First and foremost, he is not attractive yet is lovable. The reader gets confused and wants to clear the confusion by reading ahead to find what truly makes this man unattractive yet lovable. Secondly, he is a lonely man who only works hard to widen the rift between him and everyone else. Ironically, he has an acquaintance with a distant relative. The reader gets confused and an attempt to clear the confusion reads more ahead to find what makes this lonely man lovable by even a distant relative.