"'If he be Mr. Hyde' he had thought, 'I shall be Mr. Seek.'" - Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson.
Knowing Mr Hyde to be a dangerous man, and suspecting him of antagonising his client, Dr Jekyll, lawyer Gabriel Utterson takes advantage of the homophonic nature of Hyde's name while attempting to track him down.
The line helps to establish the characterisation of Utterson. He is concerned about his friend and client, and qualities of loyalty and devotion in this relationship, as well as Utterson's own curiosity, are picked out by his determination to find Jekyll's potential antagonist. This dedication will take the lawyer through the entire novel, only stopping once the mystery of Mr Hyde is solved.
As well as being important qualities for our main character, and thus plot-driver, to have, they also add to a sense of unease - the reader, experiencing the events through Utterson's perspective, will be highly concerned for his safety throughout, especially as Hyde's violent reputation grows. Curiosity killed the cat, after all*.
The cheerful nature of this pun, relating to the childhood game "hide and seek", at first seems to be at odds with the general tone of the novel, a tone of darkness, danger and mystery**. However, as the narrative moves forward, this line takes on and elevates some of the most disturbing qualities of the narrative.
The linking of the name "Hyde" to the verb "hide" emphasises the elusive nature of Mr Hyde. Utterson never actually "meets" Hyde until after his death, only hearing about his violent actions through third parties. By only using Utterson's point of view for the majority of the narrative, Stevenson sharpens the sense of uncertainty around Hyde's identity, and ensures the reader feels it too.
On the subject of identity, this pun also foreshadows the key feature of the Jekyll and Hyde dichotomy. Much as we shall find out Dr Jekyll takes on the identity of Mr Hyde, in a less serious way Mr Utterson "becomes" Mr Seek***. Indeed, this short pun is full of instances of duality: Hyde/Seek, Hyde/Hide, Hide/Seek, Seek/Utterson, and of course Hyde versus Utterson.
The gamification the pun entails swiftly turns sinister. "Hide and seek", although a children's game, is a game of tension, for both the hider and the seeker. The hider must remain passive and quiet, hoping he is not found, while the seeker cannot know where his hiders might be. Both roles are put in positions of vulnerability - the hider is being sought, while the seeker is easily snuck up on. Here at the beginning Utterson places himself in the role of "Mr. Seek", yet as the book progresses there is an increasing sense of role reversal, as Hyde gives the impression of haunting the streets, preying upon innocent people. By putting himself in direct competition with Hyde in this metaphor, the reader waits with baited breath for Hyde to take Utterson as his next victim.
*(but satisfaction brought it back!)
**This can also speak to Utterson's character - a sense of optimism perhaps?
***And perhaps this is used by Stevenson as a way of aligning the characters of Jekyll and Utterson in order to highlight the closeness of their relationship.
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