BOOK REVIEW: DR. JEKYLL AND MRS.
SCHWARTZ
By Robert Louis Stevenson
(Reworked from a 2015 post.)
(Ed.
Note: It is our understanding that the author wrote a later book roughly based
on this same story with some minor character changes and titled it “Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde”. We regret we have been unable to locate a copy.)
Mr.
Gabriel Utterson is an attorney and a close friend of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a mad
scientist. While taking a walk with Mr. Enfield, he hears some strange stories
about Dr. Jekyll and becomes concerned for his friend. He goes to his
study and takes out Dr. Jekyll's will. It states that upon the death or
disappearance of Dr. Jekyll, a certain Mrs. Bella Schwartz is to inherit the estate.
He is convinced there is something amiss with the will and goes to Dr. Jekyll
to inquire about it. Dr. Jekyll tells Mr. Utterson that there is nothing wrong,
and to Mr. Utterson's displeasure, refuses to discuss his connection with Mrs.
Schwartz.
Almost a
year later, a maid looking out her window sees a woman trying to drag another
woman into Dr. Jekyll’s house. She is heard to say, "Come in.
You'll meet Dr. Jekyll, have a piece of cake and a nice glass of
tea!" The maid
recognizes the insistent woman as Mrs. Schwartz. Mr. Utterson accompanies
a police inspector to Mrs. Schwartz's residence. It is sparkling clean
but she is nowhere to be found. Fearing for Dr. Jekyll's safety, Mr.
Utterson confronts him once again about his connection with Mrs. Schwartz.
Dr. Jekyll swears that he will have nothing to do with Mrs. Schwartz ever
again. He even presents a letter signed by Mrs. Schwartz that states Dr.
Jekyll is a nice boy and that he has nothing to fear.
Time
passes and to Mr. Utterson's relief, Dr. Jekyll returns to his former self,
hosting parties and helping out with many charities. Then suddenly, Dr.
Jekyll begins to gain weight and refuses to see people. Mysteriously, Dr.
Lanyon, a close friend to both Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll, becomes deathly ill
after eating a poisoned matzoh ball in some chicken soup. When Mr.
Utterson visits him, Dr. Lanyon refuses to talk about Dr. Jekyll. He
gives Mr. Utterson a letter that must be opened only upon his death. A
week later, Dr. Lanyon passes away.
While Mr.
Utterson and Mr. Enfield are taking another walk, they come across Dr. Jekyll
looking out his window. As they talk to him, they witness a horrifying
transformation in the doctor's appearance as he turns into a Jewish mother,
waves at them and throws a kiss. This demeanor leaves them stunned and
speechless.
One
night, Dr. Jekyll’s butler, Poole, requests Mr. Utterson's help. It seems
Dr. Jekyll has locked himself in his laboratory. When Poole and Mr.
Utterson approach the door, they hear Mrs. Schwartz say, “Dr. Jekyll isn’t
here. Don’t come in, I just waxed the floor!” They hear a
gunshot. Thinking that there has been foul play, Poole and Mr. Utterson
force their way inside. On the floor, they see Mrs. Schwartz, lying in a pool
of blood and wearing Dr. Jekyll's clothes. She says, “It’s just a fatal wound. I'll put on a Band-Aid. I’ll be fine!” And she dies. Inside, they find a letter written by
Dr. Jekyll.
Mr.
Utterson reads Dr. Lanyon's letter and finds out that Dr. Jekyll was having
problems with some unexpected effects of the drug. At various times of
the day, Dr. Jekyll would turn into Mrs. Schwartz and go into a domestic
frenzy. He/she would wash everything in sight, clean the closets and cook brisket and
chicken soup by the gallon. During one of those unexpected changes, Dr.
Jekyll, who was embodied by Mrs. Schwartz, requested Dr. Lanyon's help in
acquiring the ingredients needed for the soup because he could not show
himself. In Dr. Lanyon's presence, Mrs. Schwartz transformed herself into
Dr. Jekyll. The shock from this event was the real cause of Dr. Lanyon's
illness and eventual death.
Finally, Mr. Utterson reads Dr. Jekyll's own
confession. Dr. Jekyll's initial reason for developing the drug was to
test his theory that man has a dual nature. He was successful in
separating the clean and slovenly sides of himself. As Mrs. Schwartz, Dr.
Jekyll lived the exhausting life of his Jewish mother side. Once, he said
he heard himself say, “You couldn’t pick up your own dirty socks?” But
the effects of the drug became unpredictable. Discovering that he cannot
get hold of kosher salt, Dr. Jekyll realized that he could no
longer continue in this double life. In the laboratory, unsuccessful at
recreating the drug, Dr. Jekyll killed himself before Poole and Mr. Utterson
could break in. Dr. Jekyll wrote the confession with the knowledge that
if the Mrs. Schwartz character won over his nature, there would be
no turning back and he would be doomed to cook brisket forever.
I'm not weird; I'm a limited edition----fishducky

Speaking of books, I'm in another anthology:
Poignant...Humorous...Brutally Honest!
A collection of personal reflections guaranteed to keep you inspired and entertained on
A collection of personal reflections guaranteed to keep you inspired and entertained on
that journey we all travel together: The Journey of Aging
It will be available April 4th on Amazon
or you can preorder now. Price $4.99 for Kindle edition.
---------------------------------------------
My blogger buddy Elisa has a new book out today.
She sent me an advance copy & I couldn't put it down.
Reading it made me feel like we were having coffee & she was telling me her story.
I loved it & so will you!!
