““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.”
– Enfield
Here, we see Enfield describing his encounter with Mr. Hyde. Enfield explains how although the man’s face was “displeasing” and “downright detestable”, he cannot provide any more details than that. The man’s face can literally not be described by anyone, and this is a theme that plays out many times over in this book. It is almost as if language fails when it comes to attempting to describe Mr. Hyde. It seems as if he outside of the human world, he is something that we cannot explain, almost as if he is supernatural. As a supernatural creation, he does not quite belong in the world, but instead avoids the common descriptions and categories humans try to apply. This is similar to Cohen when he mentions that monsters “border the limits of the possible.”
Question: Is Mr. Hyde truly a “supernatural being”, or is he just a grotesque man? Are his intentions truly bad or evil, or is he immediately put into a guilty category as soon as he is seen? (This is even mentioned by Enfield in the passage above when he says he immediately disliked the man upon viewing him.)
