Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

What impression does the reader get of Mr. Hyde from Enfield's story?

Chapter 1

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The first chapter reveals the true evil of Hyde's character and foreshadows future criminal acts. Enfield refers to Hyde as "really like Satan." A few lines later, Hyde remarks "No gentleman but wishes to avoid a scene." Hyde's assertion that he is a gentleman, especially after effectively trampling a young girl and leaving her in the street, is highly ironic. In fact, with this comment, Stevenson is referencing Percy Bysshe Shelley's Peter Bell the Third statement: "The devil is a gentleman."

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