Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde focuses on Henry Jekyll, a doctor who feels conflicted by his desire to follow the norms of his social era and his supposedly disgraceful urges. This results in Jekyll attempting to separate the shameful part of himself so that he may meet the standards of his stringent moral code. This endeavor to remove his base characteristics results in the manifestation of Mr. Edward Hyde, the representation of Jekyll’s contemptible nature. In the novella, Stevenson employs Utterson, Jekyll, and Hyde to depict man’s duality as well as the self-oppression of characteristics that were typically vilified during the 19th century.

Utterson, one of the major characters, lends his unique perspective and simultaneously acts as an example of man’s inner duality. In the description of Utterson’s character in the exposition of the novel, Stevenson employs diction that portrays him in an extremely reserved manner. Yet, through his “rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile,” and “cold” demeanor, Utterson is still perceived as “somehow lovable” (Stevenson 5). This simple juxtaposition of his personality and physical characteristics introduces the theme of man being divided into two distinct elements. This conflicting image of Utterson drastically develops as the audience discovers that “At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye; something indeed which never found its way into his talk” (Stevenson 5). In this passage, the text portrays Utterson as typically nonhuman, but his indulgence in piquant wines cajoles a hidden aspect of his personality into existence. Furthermore, Utterson “was austere with himself, dr...

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...ent, Jekyll acknowledges that he has “been made to learn that the doom and burthen of our life is bound forever on man’s shoulders, and when the attempt is made to cast it off, it but returns upon us with more unfamiliar and more awful pressure” (Stevenson 53). He experiences this through his jaunts as Hyde, especially as the conflicts escalate in severity. Eventually, Jekyll’s quest to separate the pure and shameful parts of himself leads to the murder of Carew along with the deaths of Dr. Hastie Lanyon, a man who observes the transformation. Hyde's successful attempt to execute Carew originally began as a kind gift to Jekyll from Utterson. During the murder, the cane shatters into two pieces and this symbolizes Jekyll’s fractured state of being.

Works Cited

Stevenson, Robert. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.