i cant lie, it gets to a point where recontexting (esp through infantilization or helplessness) the actions of book hyde in fandom goes from annoying to weirdly unsettling.
look, i think youre perfectly free to reinterpret a character from a book published over a century ago in a way that resonates with you or fits in an au you create. Mr Hyde The Character is public domain but i see issues projecting excuses onto Book Edward Hyde as if his introduction did not involve acts of violent aggression towards a child. that literally shows you what youre in for with his character.
i remember seeing a post in the tags that went along the lines of "he smacks a lady trying to sell him something but thats not on the same level as the murder" like sorry but somehow i dont think if someone punched you when you were just doing your job you would think "at least he didnt kill someone" same thing with the child: "he only bumped into her" LOOK UP THE DEFINITION OF TRAMPLING. LOOK IT UP NOW. why are we taking away his accountability by casually blaming his victims for simply being in his way?
why do we recontextualize his actions by reinforcing real world habits of excusing harmful behavior through narratives of helplessness, innocence, or immaturity? why read a book about a man taking advantage of his experiment to be cold and cruel and not...engage with that? a lot of takes essentially are "okay he did this, but we didnt hear him out. what if hes the victim here? we didnt get his perspective." book hyde will never be The Sad Little Creature trapped within jekyll. theyre the same guy. jekyll likes being hyde. hyde only becomes an excuse laced with metaphors when hes cornered. you want to hear hyde out and get his perspective? its in chapter 10.
cannot stress this enough; i love this horrible bastard. give me all the horrible hydes! i love when hyde is complex and layered and uncomfortable to talk about <3 this is me venting out my frustrations but i do implore folks to maybe think twice before going "what if hyde was five years old and didnt know what he was doing also what if we blame his victims" for 500th time.