Author: shannoab

In the short novel the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the idea of physiognomy is used to show that Mr. Hyde is not a trustworthy person. Physiognomy is the idea that a person’s outer appearance could reveal something explicit about a person’s character. After Mr. Utterson asks Mr. Hyde to reveal his face the narrator describes Mr. Hyde as, “pale and dwarfish; he gave the impression of deformity without any namable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had born himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness… all of these were points against him” (Stevenson 10). The description of Mr. Hyde is very interesting because of how it focuses on his appearance as evidence for him being evil. Mr. Hyde is described as “dwarfish” and possibly having a mild disability. However, the language of the passage causes the reader to wonder if maybe Mr. Hyde is possibly insane. The use of the word “impression” shows that part of what makes Mr. Utterson think Mr. Hyde is deformed comes not only from his appearance but also from his actions. Mr. Hyde’s “displeasing smile” also could be the result of his physical appearance or how he chooses to present himself to the world. The description of Mr. Hyde also reminded me of a woman since he is said to be small, and timid. All of these words reveal that because of how Mr. Hyde looks and carries himself, he is perceived as abnormal.

Christina Rossetti deal with the theme of forbidden female sexuality and the new woman in her poem “Goblin Market”. Greg Buzwell in his article “Daughters of Decadence: the New Woman in Victorian fin de siècle” he describes the new woman as sexually free and independent as opposed to the stereotype of the dutiful wife. In her poem, Rossetti rejects the idea of the new woman by describing the consequences of a woman exploring her sexuality. Though, Rossetti describes Laura as indulging in the fruit from the goblin market which could be interpreted as evidence of sexual freedom, however Laura pays greatly for tasting the goblin’s fruit, “Day after day, night after night, / Laura kept watch in vain / In sullen silence of exceeding pain” (Rossetti 8). Laura experiences terrible pain because she longs for the fruit thus revealing that her exploring her sexuality prior to marriage was a bad decision. In contrast, her sister Lizzie, maintains her purity and is able to save her sister, “one may lead a horse to water, / Twenty cannot make him drink” (Rossetti 12). Though the goblins attempt to seduce Lizzie, she cannot be persuaded thus allowing her to save her purity and in the end her sister’s life. At the end of the poem Rossetti, “Afterwards, when both were wives / With children of their own” (Rossetti 15) thus revealing how in order for the poem to end happily both girls must embrace the mainstream female gender roles in order to have a happy ending, and escape the evils of tasting the fruit from the goblin market.

In Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, the appearance of Dracula in London disrupts Victorian English culture thus revealing the repression and lack of freedom of romantic relationships in the Victorian era. Prior to Dracula’s appearance, Lucy receives three proposals in only one day making her the most sought after girl in the novel. In a letter to Mina, Lucy says, “why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble? But this is heresy, and I must not say it” (67). This quote reveals that deep down, Lucy does not approve of monogamy, and that she does not understand why society says she can only be with one man. However, because Lucy is too afraid of the social norms, and does not want to commit “heresy” she does not take the idea any farther than that.

After Lucy is bitten by Dracula she needs blood to stay alive, and as a result each of her three suiters and Van Helsing give Lucy blood through a transfusion. Though in reality this is not a sexual relationship, there is something romantic about giving a part of themselves to Lucy. Dr. Seward says that “no man knows till he experiences it, what it is to feel his own life-blood drawn away into the veins of the woman he loves” (138). Dr. Seward’s description reveals how giving Lucy his blood made him feel closer and more connected to her. However, Dr. Seward would have never been able to feel closer to Lucy if Dracula had never come to London because of the strict social norms in Victorian society. Arthur compares this connection the blood transfusion creates as something akin to marriage. Arthur says after Lucy’s death, “that he [Arthur] felt since then as if the two had been really married, and that she was his wife in the sight of God” (185). Arthur thinks that through the blood transfusion he and Lucy were married, however Arthur does not know that the other three men also provided blood for Lucy, and by that logic is also married to the other three men. Thus, making Lucy a polygamist, and completely undoing the Victorian idea of what a romantic relationship should be. Though Dracula’s appearance in London is detrimental it allows for Lucy to be with multiple men thus allowing her to “save all the trouble” (67).

When looking at The Hound of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle through the lenses of Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Braddon, how young men in the aristocracy can be naïve and somewhat prideful. In both novels appear young aristocratic male characters who are the last living male heirs to their family’s estate who have been thrown into a mystery surrounding the well-being of their family. In The Hound of Baskerville Sir Henry Baskerville says, “Whichever it is, my answer is fixed. There is no devil in hell, Mr. Holmes, and there is no man upon earth who could can prevent me from my final answer.’ His dark brows kitted and his face blushed to a dusky red as he spoke” (Doyle 38). Henry does not listen to Sherlock’s or Dr. Mortimer’s advice. He assumes that he knows more than both the men even though they are more educated and older than he is. Henry does not like the idea of someone telling him what to do or having any sort of control over him, hence he does not care if there might be a threat of danger to him. Henry’s reaction to Sherlock’s warning reveals how he is not only ignorant of the situation, but that he is prideful that he cannot imagine being at the will of someone else.

This depiction of the aristocracy also appears in Lady Audley’s Secret, “He [Robert] was a handsome, lazy, care-for-nothing fellow, of about seven-and-twenty; the only son of a younger brother of Sir Michael Audley” (Braddon 35). Like Henry, Robert is also an ignorant and entitled person. He does not work very hard and it is seen many times in the novel that he is not a particularly smart person. These two men together represent how the aristocracy is not as amazing as sometimes imagined.

“The winter sunlight, gleaming full upon her face from a side window, lit up the azure in those beautiful eyes, till their colour seemed to flicker and tremble betwixt blue and green, as the opal tints of the sea change upon a summer’s day. The small brush fell from her hand, and blotted out the peasant’s face under a widening circle of a crimson lake” (Braddon 121)

Throughout the novel there has been a conflict or a binary between what is real and what is a merely a facade. This conflict can be seen by the reader in this passage. I was interested in this passage because of the way Lucy visibly reacts to Robert. Here, the image of Lucy’s eyes changing color implies that there is some part of her that is not real, and that she is uncomfortable by Robert. Lucy’s blue eyes are a part of the image of herself that she has created and chooses to show to the world, but when Robert starts to question her and what happened to George; Lucy’s eyes flash a green color thus revealing that a part of her that she keeps hidden is starting to reveal itself. A large part of Lucy’s power comes from her image. Everyone thinks she is a sweet, beautiful, innocent woman, and she needs people to have that idea of her in order for her to maintain her power and position. If Lucy is found out to be Helen, then she will loose her place as Lady Audley and likely be persecuted. Thus Lucy takes advantage of female stereotypes to get what she wants, and to help her achieve her goal. 

In this passage, Braddon also describes Lucy painting a “beautiful Italian peasant, in an impossibly Turneresque atmosphere” (Braddon 121). However after Robert accuses Lucy she messes up her painting. Lucy painting mirrors how she subtly manipulates the situations to benefit her and her needs. However, Lucy is so shocked by Robert’s accusation that she messes up her painting thus revealing that the scene she has set up is beginning to fall apart.