Question

Read the excerpts from chapter one of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Excerpt 1:

Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable.

Excerpt 2:

[Hyde] is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why.

Answer 1

The first excerpt describes Mr. Utterson as a man who is rugged, serious, and not very talkative, but also somehow lovable.

The second excerpt describes Mr. Hyde as a man who is difficult to describe, but whose appearance is displeasing and detestable. The speaker also mentions that they dislike Mr. Hyde, but they cannot explain why.

Therefore, the main difference between these two excerpts is that the first one describes Mr. Utterson's appearance and personality in detail, while the second one focuses on Mr. Hyde's appearance and the speaker's feelings towards him.