Analysis Of Jekyll And Hyde Duality In Stevenson’s Novel

Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (novel) is undoubtedly a book about duality. While the obvious example of Jekyll & Hyde’s duality is the main one, there are many other oppositions. They include dark and light, private and public, animal & man, and private and publicly. This all helps to reinforce and enhance the sense of duality throughout the novella. This essay will discuss how these dualities interact with the story’s themes and message.

Through the entire story, we are repeatedly reminded of the importance of light and darkness. It is a common theme in all types of novels, but it is particularly important in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because there are characters that the reader can imprint darkness and light. Hyde is frequently described as dark. Enfield tells Enfield about Hyde’s first appearance, and Hyde describes Enfield as having a “black-sneering coolness”. On the previous page, the doctor is described as having “no particular hue”. The doctor describes Hyde as “sick” and “white” when he looks at him. Jekyll’s changes in behavior after the murders of Carew and Carew are also described. Hyde’s face appears to be “sickly white” after Jekyll looks at him. The message is described in darkly mysterious terms. A portion of it is shared with Utterson. Jekyll demands Utterson let him go “his own dark way”. He suggests that Utterson “lightens his destiny” by granting his wish to be isolated. You will find many more examples in the text. Hyde almost always is associated with darkness. Hyde’s description of him is not in “light” terms. Utterson is first to meet him and is described as being “pale, dwarfish”. Hyde’s temperament is reflected in characters’ assessments. Utterson compares Hyde with Jekyll who, according Utterson’s worst secrets, are “like sunlight”.

This applies to both the setting and place description. Stevenson writes of a “haggard beam of sunlight that would look between the swirling wreaths” and streetlamps lighting up a scene using “a regular pattern in light and shadow”. It is common to see the close relationship between light and dark throughout the story. Stevenson rarely mentions the term “dark” without mentioning ‘light’ in the text. The novella also addresses the juxtaposition of light and darkness several times. People who look at Hyde or think about him are often described as being white or pale.

Enfield’s tale includes Enfield as the doctor. Jekyll’s reaction during their conversation about Hyde is similar to Utterson’s mention. Jekyll says that Hyde’s name was mentioned by Utterson. Lanyon’s reaction to seeing Hyde turn into Jekyll is similar. The effect of Hyde’s transformation into Jekyll is to make characters’ goodness more apparent. It is similar to how a lighter patch will appear lighter next to a darker one. The intertwining of these two concepts makes a point about the overall duality between Jekyll (evil) man and Hyde (virtuous). This is true of light and dark; there is no darkness where there is light. Therefore, despite their opposing views, they are the same coin.

The public-private pairing is another possible application of the analogy. Public and private were often very different in Victorian society. This was because of the strict distinction between lower and higher classes and Victorian society’s puritanical bent. Utterson is the first person to be mentioned as having curtailed their desires due to concerns over propriety. He is reported to have drank gin to “mortify his taste for vintages”. On the same page, it is stated that he enjoys theatre but has never been to a concert in twenty years. Utterson doesn’t exactly ‘let loose’ at home. These details suggest that his private needs are so strong that they must be controlled. Utterson is seen reading “some dry divinity”, which he apparently does for the same purpose as drinking gin. Utterson’s views are quite open about this matter. At one point, he describes himself as a man “to whom fanciful was immodest”.

While the conflict between Jekyll’s public and private lives is much more explosive than Uttersons, these details provide a link between the men. The novella’s main theme is the gulf between Jekyll and his private and public selves. Much of the material surrounding him illustrates this. Stevenson uses windows to highlight this. A window is a gateway which allows you to see the private in a public setting and vice versa. The beginning of the novella describes Hyde’s house as “show[ing]] no windows”, emphasizing its inability to allow the reader and characters to see what is going on inside. Additionally, the block at Jekyll’s end is described as a “dingy windowless” structure.

Utterson, Enfield, and Jekyll find Jekyll at a window. This reinforces their effect. They almost see him transform into Hyde or his private selves, as evidenced by the haste with the window being shut. It is the first time Jekyll is ever seen through or near a window. This also marks the end of the story’s chronology. The haste with which he shuts the window suggests that Jekyll will soon be exposed and illuminated. The story frequently mentions eyes. Characters in the story often judge others by their eyes.

This is why eyes can be thought of as windows that allow access to private information. This is the beginning of the novella’s first paragraph. Utterson sees “something eminently Human beaconing out of his eye” which prompts the reader trust him and to identify with him. Utterson had mentioned Hyde, which led to Jekyll noticing a “blackness” around his eyes. This is in keeping with Hyde as being dark. Utterson uses Lanyon’s illness to judge his health and character. Jekyll’s complete statement of the case reveals this more. When he writes about Hyde’s closeness to him, he says it is “closer than a spouse, closer than an eye”.

In the story, there is a significant dichotomy between man and animal. Hyde’s movements and speech are frequently described as animalistic. Hyde’s encounters with Utterson are the first to show these parallels. When Utterson calls Hyde by his name, Hyde shrinks back and takes a deep breath. He “snarl[s] out loud into a wild laugh” (p.17). Utterson says that Hyde is “hardly human” at the same time. In the story, the similarities are more evident. Hyde attacks Carew, Poole sees him in his mask and moves “like a monkey”. Hyde also screams at Utterson as he attempts to open the cabinet’s door.

Hyde’s behavior is described by several animalistic words throughout the story. These points are crucial because of two factors. First, Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published recently. Second, Victorian society would be as image-conscious as possible and strict as Victorian society. Third, the idea that humans might descend from animals would be disgraceful. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde may, at least partially, communicate that humankind has two sides to it. Victorians would have considered them to be opposites. This interpretation, however, does not accurately reflect the story. Patricia Ferrer Medina writes in Wild Humans that Hyde’s brutality is evident, but his behavior is surprisingly civil. He calls himself a gentleman (Ferrer Medina 2007 p.11). The story shows Mr. Hyde to have the ability to refinement several times. After meeting Utterson the first time, Hyde agrees to do a favor and gives Utterson his address. It’s a social goodie that is far from animalistic.

His meeting with Lanyon is the same. He’s shown to be capable in maintaining a certain amount of decorum. Hyde is an animal, as his name is a homophone for “hide”, which means that he is an animal. His character is inconsistent with this idea. Although he can elicit very negative reactions from others, it’s not always because of his behavior. This comment is, in my opinion, a commentary on the fact that animals don’t necessarily have to behave like animals all of the time to be considered as such. In fact, Darwin’s paper suggested that humans could also be animals.

Jekyll’s statement “man is not really one, yet truly two” is perhaps most insightful comment on the issue. It can easily be taken as meaning that humans are both cultured and have an animalistic dark side that is a remnant from our evolutionary past. Jekyll mentions “the thorough primitive duality of men”, which could refer to humanity’s animal past. It also mirrors the term ‘primitive, as they both have the same root words. Jekyll’s assertion that Hyde looked in the mirror at him is evidence of this interpretation. Patricia Ferrer Medina writes in Wild Humans that Hyde’s stature is smaller than Jekyll’s. The doctor explained that Hyde had been less active in his evil than his positive side. This led to his evil side being “less robust and more developed” when he was allowed free rein. This is due to Stevenson’s evolutionary influence. It was an influence that placed man and animal on the same spectrum.

These dualities are connected in interesting ways. The window represents both public and private. But it also symbolizes light and dark. The dualities are also related because the dark can often be used as a shield to private affairs and keep them from the public. One irony about the text’s title is that Hyde’s doors are broken by Utterson. However, Utterson finds Hyde dead in a warm, well-lit room. Given his character in the novella, Hyde is a figure that represents malice, brutishness or animality. One would expect him to be primarily located in the darkness. Jekyll’s private lives (i.e. Mr. Hyde’s private life (i.e.

Jekyll makes use of the concepts of public, private, and moral responsibility to escape from any responsibility. Jekyll writes that he was able to distance himself from Hyde’s actions in his last letter. Jekyll did not get worse. He was able to regain his good qualities, seemingly unimpaired. Jekyll believes that one shouldn’t reflect on oneself in public. Ronald Thomas wrote this in In The Company of Strangers:

“Jekylls consistent abstention from himself in his own writings corresponds with his purpose when creating Hyde. In the hopeless confusion with how the first-person and third-person nouns are used, Jekyll concludes his statement with a reference to Jekyll or Hyde as “them.”

Jekyll cannot identify with any of these parts by seperating the private and public parts at the end.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll, Mr Hyde has many dualities. While these are just three examples, they are often interwoven and self-reinforcing in such ways that they give the text an extraordinary depth. Both intrinsically and extrinsic. Because of the many oppositions, the novella has a lot of ambiguity. They are often mixed and matched. It also, perhaps most importantly, underlines the central theme. Jekyll stated that “man isn’t truly one, but really two”.

In-text citations

Edley, N., & Wetherell, M. (2001). Jekyll and Hyde. Men’s conceptions of feminism and women. Feminism & Psychology, 11(4), 439-457. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0959353501011004002)

Doane, J., & Hodges, D. (1989, October). Demonic Disorders of Sexual Identity: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’s Strange Case. IN NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 63-74). Duke University Press is a publisher. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1345579)

Rose, B. A. (1996). Jekyll and Hyde adapted: Dramatizations in Cultural Anxiety. 66). The Greenwood Publishing Group provides a range of materials in the publishing industry. (https://www.worldcat.org/title/jekyll-and-hyde-adapted-dramatizations-of-cultural-anxiety/oclc/32921958)

Becchio, C., Sartori, L., Bulgheroni, M., & Castiello, U. (2008). The case Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde: A kinematic investigation on social intent. Consciousness & cognition, 17(3): 557-564. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810007000207)

Lacey, N. (2010). Psychologizing Jekyll, and demonizing Hyde: A strange case of criminal liability. Criminal Law & Philosophy, 4, 109–133. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11572-010-9091-8)