The Climaxs of the Novel

In my opinion, there were two climaxes that took place. While reading, it was very enjoyable to have something amazing happen, and then when you thought it was over, another climax happened right away. As a reader, I thought that this technique was very cool and different. I haven’t read very many books where there is more than one moment that makes you surprised more than once.

The first climax happens when Mr. Utterson breaks down the door to Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory. When he enters the lab, he finds Mr. Hyde’s dead, limp body lying on the floor. I had already pieced together most of the story and this was the confirming point as to who Mr. Hyde was. It was a great way to finish up the loose ties of the story, even though this wasn’t the complete end to the novel. I wasn’t exactly shocked that he found the body; I was more appreciative that all his hard work had paid off.

The second climax for me was when Mr. Utterson went home and read the letters. The first was Dr. Jekyll telling his story about how he had experimented and they eventually went wrong and transformed into his evil alter ego. The other letter described Dr. Lanyon’s experiences when he witnessed the amazing transformation of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde. The letter is written very well and makes a great addition into the novel.