Blog Assignment # 3: Character/Theme

As I have been reading this book I have become drawn to the character of Dr. Lanyon. He seems as though he's a minor character but, the parts that he comes up in the book always pop out at me. The theme that i think that Stevenson is trying to get across through this book is that once you have seen all of the evil in the world there isn't anything more to live for. There is an example of this when Dr. Lanyon is laying in bed dieing.
He says ""I have had a shock," he said, "and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks. Well, life has been pleasant; i liked it; yes, sir, I used to like it. I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away.""  
He is saying that something has frightened him so much hes gone into shock, hes dieing. Dr. Lanyon is saying how if everyone saw how bad things really were in the world some of them might give up on life right then and there. I think that Dr. Lanyon portrays Stevenson's theme very well.

Reaction to "Story of the Door"

Throughout reading Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde many points of interest caught my eye. "Story of the Door" is a really important chapter in this story, it pretty much sets things in motion for the rest of the book. One thing that really caught my attention while reading this chapter was how Mr.Utterson describes Mr.Hyde to Mr.Enfield.
""He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet i scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although i couldn't specify the point. He's an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; i can make no hand of it; I can't describe him. And it's not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.""
In this passage Mr.Utterson is describing Mr.Hyde. Hes saying that by just looking Mr.Hyde he is able to tell many thing about him. This is very odd to me because I was always taught to "never judge a book by its cover" yet it is seems as thought Mr.Utterson is doing just that. Mr.Utterson keeps saying how deformed and different Mr Hyde looks without exactly being able to describe him accurately. Its a feeling that MrUtterson is having, a knowing that Mr.Hyde is deformed.
Knowing how important manners are in this period of time I'm surprised that Mr.Utterson said anything about Mr.Hyde at all. I would think that, to be polite, Mr.Utterson would just brush it off and say he didn't remember anything about Mr.Hyde. Socially Mr.Utterson was wrong, he was going against what he was taught hiss entire life. It may not seem like a huge deal but back then i meant the world.