I finally read Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, and it certainly held up to its promises of a strange case. The story unfolds mostly through the perspective of Utterson, a lawyer and a friend of Dr. Jekyll. Utterson is quiet, reasonable and rarely upended by his emotions. He respects the law, keeps his friends’ secrets and carries a strong sense of duty. It is this that creates an inner conflict as he struggles to balance protecting Dr. Jekyll’s reputation with doing what is morally and legally right.
Dr. Jekyll isn’t much different than Utterson—at least in the eyes of society. He is a brilliant man and like Utterson, is a well-respected Victorian gentleman but unlike the lawyer, he feels restricted by societal expectations. Jekyll’s brilliant mind and desire to physically separate the good and evil halves of his dual nature tragically result in his transformation into Mr. Hyde. This alter ego represents Jekyll’s hidden, immoral side and he embodies the darker aspects of human nature. He is cruel and violent, selfish and secretive, fearless and guiltless; even appearing troglodytic, appearing like a primitive, cave-dwelling human.
“There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable.”
I am sure there are some who find the story less than in terms of strange or tragic or horrific given its narrative perspective; it is this, however—the lack of in-depth details— that make it much more fascinating and creepier given its time. Published in January 1886, when respectability and reputation were highly valued and scientific discoveries were scrutinized and often criticized, this story would likely have touched a nerve with many readers. Dr. Jekyll’s story comes right off the heels of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species in 1859. This publication shook Victorian society and was condemned due to its theory that challenged the dominant creationist worldview by proposing that all life evolved through natural processes rather than divine design. Likewise, in the late Victorian era, ideas about the mind, personality, and mental illness were often misunderstood, mistreated and feared. Even though Dr. Jekyll doesn’t inherently represent schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder, it would have likely placed significant fear where these existed in real life (must I remind you of changelings?). It was after all in the early 1800s that the number of insane asylums grew by the dozens and most, if not all were deplorable.
An interesting fact to further fuel the fear that Stevenson’s story would have created; only two years after its publication, Mary Ann Nichols, the sex worker known as “Polly,” was found murdered in Whitechapel. She was the first of a handful of victims attributed to the infamous Jack the Ripper and Ripper wasn’t the only serial killer on the block during this time.
But why do I say that the lack of inner details made this tale far creepier? It gave an allowance for anyone to be a Jekyll and Hyde. The Victorians put emphasis on control and moral superiority while still secretly relishing in the pleasures of East End, Soho, Holbeck, Blackpool, and other such places.
It was Jekyll’s gratification in the adventures and the loss of control over Hyde that made this tale so creepy. There’s something very terrifying about the idea of losing humanity and sanity, at first due to your own choices but later because of forces you can no longer control. What begins as desire, curiosity, and ambition ends in destruction.
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36
The tincture that had so far allowed Jekyll to contain Hyde’s deviant nature ultimately needs to be doubled which leaves Jekyll scrambling and searching every apothecary for the ingredients he so desperately needs only to find that his original batch must have been tainted with an unknown substance making it impossible to recreate.
In the end once Jekyll is sickened by Hyde and his delight in the man’s freedom and the only way to stop the transformation is through death.
To me, Stevenson’s writing style felt much like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Shelley’s Frankenstein, or Wilde’s Dorian Gray—dark, mysterious and poetic. Though each lends to these descriptions in their own way, Dracula is dark due to his exploration of death and the supernatural, Frankenstein because Shelley explores creation and isolation, Gray due to corruption and vanity, and Jekyll explores the darker side of human nature. Despite the differences among the pieces, it’s easy to put Stevenson’s work up beside the mother of science fiction, the father of modern vampires, and Wilde, whose writing is easily some of the most decadent work in history.
If you’ve not yet read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I implore you to give it a try…you will not regret it.
A haunting masterpiece that explores the dual nature of humanity through one of literature’s most unforgettable mysteries.
Discover “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, the legendary novella that forever transformed Gothic fiction and psychological horror. Filled with suspense, mystery, and profound philosophical insight, this enduring classic continues to captivate readers around the world.
In the heart of Victorian London, a respected physician becomes linked to a series of disturbing events surrounding the mysterious and sinister Mr. Hyde. As strange incidents unfold and hidden secrets begin to surface, the boundary between good and evil grows increasingly uncertain. Through masterful storytelling and an atmosphere of mounting suspense, Stevenson explores timeless themes of identity, morality, temptation, science, and the duality of human nature without revealing the novella’s unforgettable revelations.
