Robert Louis Stevenson and Victorian hypocrisy
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) explores the conflict between respectable public behaviour and hidden desires. Rather than treating this tension simply as a personal failing, the novel uses Jekyll and Hyde to examine the double nature of human identity and the risks of trying to separate its opposing parts.
Setting and narrative
The dark, mysterious London setting helps create a Gothic atmosphere. Jekyll’s house reinforces the contrast: its elegant front suggests his public respectability, while its sinister rear door is associated with Hyde’s secret life. The mystery is gradually revealed through accounts and documents: Utterson investigates, Enfield introduces the story of the door, and Lanyon’s and Jekyll’s testimony disclose the truth.
Jekyll and Hyde
- Jekyll is a respected scientist who uses a potion to bring forth Hyde, the embodiment of desires he has repressed. Hyde is described as smaller and younger, and his appearance suggests something primitive and disturbing. The opening account of Hyde trampling a girl and the subsequent payment to her family expose a society in which reputation and money can displace justice. In Jekyll’s final confession, the mirror represents his divided identity. The novel’s central warning is that releasing and trying to control a hidden self can lead to destruction.