How Does Stevenson Present Hyde as an Evil and Immoral Character in the Extract?

Stevenson presents Hyde in the extract as a ruthless man with little morality as Hyde is described as trampling and clubbing a man to death. The victim of the ruthless attack, "an aged and beautiful gentleman with white hair", is depicted as saintly or godly by the description of his looks which constructs Carew as innocent and therefore victimised, accentuating the cruelty of Hyde and his actions. Carew described as God-like also links to how the murder is similar to that of the crucifiction of Christ, emphasising the abject nature of the crime. However, Hyde is depicted very differently to Carew and said to be a "very small gentleman" which could be seen as metaphorical for his moral debasement and figuratively denotes how we underestimate the power of the id. The adjective "small" highlights how he looked insignificant and not dangerous but really he had evil intentions which could emphasise how the inner darker side of our personality isn't seen or expected by others but can be very dangerous and come out at random unexpected times, presenting Hyde as unpredictable and dangerous in society because of his sudden evil outburst.

Hyde's "small" persona and deceiving nature of his looks is emphasised by how unexpected his actions were since "it did not seem as if the subject of his address were of great importance" highlighting the fact that Hyde looked as if he was not dangerous but his inner unseen personality is what is really dangerous.

Hyde's sudden outburst and his lack of humanity is emphasised by the perception the maid received from how she thought he was "only inquiring his way", but we soon learn Hyde had darker intentions and his sudden deadly outburst highlights the motiveless nature of the act making him seem like a butcher with abhuman characteristics accentuating his unpredictable personality. His lack of thought and reasoning presents him clearly as a ruthless and uncaring character who goes out mercilessly to attack or kill anyone, demonstrating Hyde's lack of morality.

The maid is also presented by Stevenson to romanticise the character of Carew as an "innocent and old-world kindness of disposition" which further highlights the moral deprivity of the deadly act. If Carew had also been presented as an evil or bad natured character the immorality of Hyde's act would have not been so severe but since we learn that Carew was a good man we are more shocked and horrified by the horrific act, further emphasising how different and evil Hyde was compared to the rest of Victorian society.

Hyde is throughout the extract presented as an uncontrolled and unpredictable person with very little control over his