Captulo 1: "Historia de la Puerta"

En una sociedad as, es significativo que Utterson, tan respetable a s mismo, es conocido
por su voluntad de seguir siendo amigos con gente cuyas reputaciones han sido daados
o en ruinas. Este aspecto de su personalidad sugiere no slo un sentido de la caridad,
pero tambin insina que Utterson est intrigado, de alguna manera, por el lado ms
oscuro de la cara del mundo que los verdaderamente respetable, como Enfield, evitar
cuidadosamente. Es esta curiosidad por parte de Utterson que le lleva a investigar la figura
peculiar de Mr. Hyde en lugar de evitar mirar hacia cuestiones que puedan tocar el
escndalo.
Sin embargo, mientras Utterson puede interesarse en los asuntos que la buena sociedad
le gustara pasar por alto, sigue siendo un racionalista firmes y un hombre
fundamentalmente sin imaginacin y sin un hueso supersticiosa en su cuerpo. Uno de los
temas centrales de la novela es el choque entre el racionalismo victoriana y lo
sobrenatural, y Utterson emerge como la encarnacin de esta racionalidad, siempre
buscando la explicacin lgica para eventos y despedir deliberadamente vuelos
sobrenaturales de fantasa. Enfield se acerca al mundo de la misma manera, sirviendo
como otro representante del enfoque de sentido comn. Al permitir que estos hombres y
sus perspectivas victorianas para dominar el punto de vista de la novela, Stevenson
demuestra en mejores condiciones para dramatizar la oposicin entre el racionalismo que
representan y la temtica fantstica que viene bajo escrutinio en este enfoque. Sin
embargo, aunque este mtodo contribuye mucho al efecto global de la historia, sino que
tambin presenta un desafo para Stevenson. El autor debe luchar para transmitirnos una
sensacin de temor metafsico rodea Hyde, as como l se sita el punto de vista de su
novela con hombres que nunca se sienten esas emociones a s mismos.
En el primer captulo, Stevenson supera este reto, poniendo de relieve la incapacidad de
sus personajes para expresar y llegar a un acuerdo con los acontecimientos que han
presenciado. "Hay algo de malo en apariencia [de Hyde]", dice Enfield. "Nunca vi a un
hombre que lo disgustaba, y sin embargo, escasa s por qu. l debe ser deformado en
algn lugar; l da una fuerte sensacin de deformidad, aunque no poda especificar el
punto "En otras palabras, la fealdad de Hyde no es fsica, sino metafsica.; que atribuye a
su alma ms que su cuerpo. Enfield y, ms tarde, Utterson, cuyas mentes no son
adecuados para la metafsica, puede sentir extraeza de Hyde, pero no puede
describirlo. Sus imaginaciones limitadas ellos fallan cuando se acercan a la misteriosa e
inexplicable; como enfrentamientos racionales con irracional, el idioma se rompe.

Chapter 1: Story of the Door

In such a society, it is significant that Utterson, so respectable himself, is known for his
willingness to remain friends with people whose reputations have been damaged, or ruined.
This aspect of his personality suggests not only a sense of charity, but also hints that
Utterson is intrigued, in some way, by the darker side of the worldthe side that the truly
respectable, like Enfield, carefully avoid. It is this curiosity on Uttersons part that leads him
to investigate the peculiar figure of Mr. Hyde rather than avoid looking into matters that
could touch on scandal.
However, while Utterson may take an interest in affairs that polite society would like to
ignore, he remains a steadfast rationalist and a fundamentally unimaginative man without a
superstitious bone in his body. One of the central themes of the novel is the clash between
Victorian rationalism and the supernatural, and Utterson emerges as the embodiment of
this rationality, always searching out the logical explanation for events and deliberately
dismissing supernatural flights of fancy. Enfield approaches the world in much the same
way, serving as another representative of the commonsense approach. By allowing these
men and their Victorian perspectives to dominate the novels point of view, Stevenson
proves better able to dramatize the opposition between the rationalism that they represent
and the fantastical subject matter that comes under scrutiny in this focus. However, while
this method contributes much to the storys overall effect, it also presents a challenge for
Stevenson. The author must struggle to convey to us a sense of metaphysical dread
surrounding Hyde, even as he situates his novels viewpoint with men who never feel such
emotions themselves.
In the opening chapter, Stevenson overcomes this challenge by highlighting his characters
inability to express and come to terms with the events that they have witnessed. There is
something wrong with [Hydes] appearance, Enfield says. 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 couldnt specify the point. In other words, Hydes ugliness is not
physical but metaphysical; it attaches to his soul more than to his body. Enfield and, later,
Utterson, whose minds are not suited to the metaphysical, can sense Hydes uncanniness
but cannot describe it. Their limited imaginations fail them as they approach the eerie and
inexplicable; as rational clashes with irrational, language breaks down.