Lethal Creatures and Dr. Roylott

“His costume was a peculiar mixture of the professional and the agricultural, having a black top-hat, a long frock-coat, and a pair of high gaiters, with a hunting-crop swinging in his hand. So tall was he that his hat actually brushed the cross-bar of the doorway, and his breadth seemed to span it across from side to side. A large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and marked with every evil passion, was turned from one to the other of us, while his deep-set, bile-shot eyes, and the high thin fleshless nose, gave him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey” (140).  

In class, we looked at Doyle’s description of Doctor Roylott. I believe that this passage uses similar strategies to develop the image of Roylott as a savage. To begin his description, Doyle decides to call Roylott’s clothing as a costume rather than an outfit or get up. While this may be reading too far into the language, I have come to learn that authors don’t accidentally use certain words. His “costume” is described as peculiar, which further emphasized that he was not what was considered normal in England at the time. The rest of this passage also begins to point out the animalistic attributes of Doctor Roylott. It starts with his size and continues on to other physical descriptions. He is so tall and wide that the door that works well for the typical British citizen, almost does not work for him. Now he has created the image of a strange, massive being. Continuing with his description, Doyle gives him a “large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles” because of his extended exposure to the sun, a fleshless nose, and bile-shot eyes. The wrinkled face implies that he spends much of his time outdoors, which is atypical for the average British gentleman, while the fleshless nose and bile-shot eyes suggest that he does not care for his appearance at all. These descriptions are intended to identify all of the qualities that make him different.  

In the last sentence, Doyle ensures that this description is not misunderstood by the reader. He explicitly equates his appearance to one of a “fierce old bird of prey.” This method of associating Roylott with animals is deliberate in establishing Roylott as an outcast from society. The passage above is not the first time that Roylott is associated with animals and was not the last. Not only is he associated with animals, but they are all dangerous animals: cheetahs, baboons, snakes, and fierce old birds of prey. This appears to reinforce the common sentiment that was present in the Western world at the time, which was that those who did not conform to society were seen as uncivilized and dangerous. It was noted earlier that Roylott had spent time in India and brought these animals back with him. This displays the perceived negative effect that an “uncivilized” culture can have on a man who was once squared-away and educated.