A New Monster in Town In Robert Louis Stevenson's nineteenth-century novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mr. Hyde has all the makings of a monster. What makes a monster? According to the free dictionary dot com, a monster is a person of unnatural ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty. Mr. Hyde is an evil looking man and has the character to match his appearance. Originally created by Jekyll, Hyde leaves a trail of devastation wherever he goes. “Monster Culture” is an article written by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. In his article he writes that monsters provide an understanding of the culture in which they were created. Mr. Hyde is similar to the monsters Cohen references in his article. Mr. Hyde is a monster because he is difficult to classify, he is different and devoid of human characteristics, and because he has no respect for the law or moral codes of society. These characteristics and his physical strength prove that Mr. Hyde is a monster of the worst kind. Anyone who watches Mr. Hyde has difficulty placing him in a category. In Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Enfield states: “He was not like a man; he was like a damn behemoth” (Stevenson 40). This quote shows that Enfield struggles to find the words to describe Hyde. He finally decides to call Hyde a colossus. To put it bluntly, a behemoth is an overwhelming force that crushes everything in its path. This term makes Hyde seem uncontrollable and vicious. Enfield's inability to describe Hyde shows that it is very difficult to classify him. In “Monster Culture” Cohen himself writes: “This refusal to participate in the classificatory order of things applies to monsters in general: they are disturbing hybrids whose appearance is inconsistent… middle of the paper… and creates an enormous anxiety for the respectable people of his Victorian society. Hyde fits the definition of the word monster not because of his appearance but because of his behavior. Mr. Hyde is a monster because he is difficult to classify, lacks human characteristics, and feels above the law. He uses his physical strength to hurt others. This is why Hyde is a monster of the worst kind. To conclude, Mr. Hyde is certainly a monster. Works Cited Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. “Monster Culture (seven theses).” Monster Theory: Reading the Culture.Ed. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. London: University of Minnesota P, 1996. 3-25. Print.The free dictionary. 2010. Falex, Inc. June 10. 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1886. Introduction Vladamir Nalokaov.Afterword Don Chaon. New York: Seal, 2003.