Critical Analysis of “The Body Snatcher” Written by Robert Louis Stevenson

“The Body Snatcher”, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, tracks the life of the character Fettes from his mental manipulation from his two mentors, and a buildup of internal guilt as a young student. From this and a use of different literary devices, I was able to draw the conclusion as to why he behaves the way he does and what we are left with, a shattered fraction of a man, broken, and in shambles.

As the reader, the theme I got from this short story was to look at life through your own lenses. As humans, we give advice left and right, judging someone else’s situation in proportion to what we would do in their shoes. However, what we may not always realize is that there is bias within an opinion. As much as we would love to see life from a completely different point of view, our subconscious viewpoint always tends to mix with the suggestions we are giving someone else. Now speaking vice versa, when we are given advice from someone else, we must be able to come to the conclusion as to what is the best option for us. In the long run, we would be more efficient at living with our own bad decisions because at a point in time, they were the best choices for us. On the other hand, if we were to be swayed into doing something by another person and that decision doesn’t pay off in the long run, it would eat you from the inside out knowing that the choice you made wasn’t really yours.

A prime example of the mental manipulation that Fettes experienced would be the worst kind of manipulation that there is. This manipulation comes from someone you know, you trust, or you may even look up to/idolize in a certain aspect. I consider this pain the worst because you would never expect the person to do such a thing, but when it happens it hurts deep inside. In this case, the fact that he was persuaded to keep quiet about the dead bodies that he knew ate Fettes alive from the inside out. Here Fettes was, a fairly educated student now made to look like a lost and unguided little boy following someone else’s orders, only a pawn in Mr.K and Dr. Macfarlane’s plan. Completely disillusioned, for years this feeling of abandonment stuck with Fettes. The narrator slightly hints at not only the mental toll, but also the physical toll it has taken on him, stating “He’s not a young man, to be sure, and his hair is white; but he looks younger than you.’ He is older, though; years older” (Stevenson, pg. 2). Also following this quote was Fettes describing Dr. Macfarlane as having an easy conscience and a good digestion. This ties directly back into the theme, this good digestion that Fettes describes is the willingness of Macfarlane to live with his decision because at the end of the day, his reputation is intact, and he wasn’t majorly affected by anything. On the other hand, Fettes struggles to live with himself and its clearly showing from the inside out. He looks older than Macfarlane who is actually years older than him because he has had a bigger burden to carry all of these years unlike Macfarlane.

The other topic I wanted to cover was how guilt changed Fettes and led to him becoming the man he was when we were introduced to in the beginning of the story. The verdict that I came to was that the guilt of not speaking up for what he knew was right drove him into picking up the liquor bottle and becoming what seems to be an alcoholic. I think of the alcoholics that I know and none of them have just picked up a bottle for no specific reason. Fettes struggling to come to terms with himself and the decision he was persuaded to make would be a perfect reason for a man to form such a habit as this one. Not only does Robert Louis Stevenson exemplify guilt through Fettes’ newly formed habit of drinking, he also physically personifies it as Gray’s returned, dead body. In this specific part of the story, Gray is a representation of the injustice that the victims of Mr. K and Macfarlane faced due to Fettes’ incapability to speak out. This truly puts the cap on all the traumatic experiences that he has been through and makes sure that it will follow him and haunt him for the rest of his life. He references Grays body in fright as he asks Macfarlane about it saying, “Have you seen it again?” (Stevenson, 5)

In conclusion, this short story has taught me about the effects that guilt can have on an average human and how it can change your behavior and even some habits. It has also taught me about the importance of being able to make your own important decisions and if advice is taken, then to recognize the biased opinions that come with it.

Critical Analysis of The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Written by Scottish Novelist Robert Louis Stevenson

The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written by Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson and was set within the 19th century during the Victorian-era London, where expectations are excessive and reputations are valued. This novella explores the dual traits of a Victorian man, and his link with an alternative personality, and how he needs an exit from Hyde, the evil mysterious side of Dr. Jekyll that he cannot part with. Aware of the evil side, he explores, to be freed from it through scientific experiments. This book has the idea of setting apart the two personalities in one character, meaning there are two sides to every person, a good side constantly in battle with an evil side. Dr. Jekyll thinks that if these two personalities can be separated then the world will be refined from suffering, therefore he begins a series of experiments to separate the two sides of himself.

Yes I believe Stevenson has unquestionably incorporated numerous moral lessons, of the rights and wrongs throughout the book teaching solid life lessons in the dark and gritty events of this novella.

​People have dual natures, and evil exists, sure everyone on this earth endures a small portion of evil throughout their life. Because evil is subjective, supposing you could say we’re all capable of evil things. Anyone can become very good or very evil, however in all matters said and performed, we are all just doing what we compulsively ought to during the moment. It is shown throughout chapters 10, pages 74, and 88, that Jekyll has experienced dual events. Expressed on chapter 10 page 74 he reveals that man is not truly one, but truly two. Jekyll has displayed that he through all people have both a good and a bad side. Stevenson uses the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to express his beliefs concerning human duality by introducing them as two contrasting characters“I was no more myself when I laid aside restraint and plunged in shame, then when I laboured, in the eye of day, at the furtherance of knowledge or the relief of sorrow and suffering.” In this quote, it is defined how good, and evil exist in equal parts in Dr Jekyll. (chapter 10 page 88). The relationship among Jekyll as good and Hyde as evil grows more complex, as evil hides behind good and obscures matters further.

Scientists bring more than just a toolbox of strategies to their work, and must also make complex decisions about which problems to pursue. They need to be aware of their work and how it can have a great impact on society, similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They need to understand how dangerous any science potion can be, and be safe rather than dangerously testing or creating dangerous mixtures. Dr. Jekyll Is a Hands-On, Reputable Scientist. “And now, you who have so long been bound to narrowest and material views”, “you who have denied the virtue of transcendental medicine, you who have derided your superiors — behold!”In this quotation, Dr. Jekyll transformed into Mr. Hyde is speaking to Dr. Lanyon and is uncovering the nature of his experiment to him. Furthermore, in the quote on chapter 10 page 76 showing Dr. Jekyll’s unnatural potion results in pure evil, rather than pure good. you will learn from Poole how I have had London ransacked; it was in vain, and I am now persuaded that my first supply was impure and that it was that unknown impurity which lent efficacy to the drought. Stevenson has included moral lessons towards learning to reign in curiosity, rather than allowing it to go too far; where it underestimated reveals in Jekyll showing immoral acts of Hyde.

Secrecy is the habit of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, which has been proven throughout this novella, secrets can cause problems and can get you into trouble. Secret keeping is a crucial characteristic that can cause terrible mistakes to occur, “he mostly comes and goes by the laboratory.”In this quote, it describes how more reserved and quiet, he is being, prompting he doesn’t want to be seen or suspected. (chapter 10 page 86 quotes) “I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming drought… My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.” Meaning repressing Mr. Hyde merely makes him stronger and angrier when he is at last discharged. A life of secrecy can only lead to an undesirable consequence.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a narrative about the complexities of science and the duplicity of human nature. Dr. Jekyll is a kind, well-respected, and intelligent scientist who interferes with the darker aspect of science, as he desires to bring out his ‘second’ nature. The novella explores themes of supernaturalism, the duality of self, and the importance and consequences of public opinion. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a riveting story of how one man reveals, through scientific experiments, the dual nature inside himself. In conclusion, this book I think shows two types of duality in human nature, duality in one-self and two separate beings. Stevenson, I believe clearly hides his message of duality in human nature well, as the reader must read between the lines to find the underlying message. There are many moral lessons offered in the text, illustrating the risks of secrecy and lies whilst revealing the importance of trust, truth, and loyalty in intimate friendships.

Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson: Comparative Analysis

Both Conan Doyle and Stevenson were similarly born and raised in Edinburgh, nine years apart but this is where the similarities end. Conan Doyle was born May 2nd, 1859, to a working class, Irish family and as such would have experienced a modicum of financial hardship. His father was an alcoholic who was institutionalised in 1885 and subsequently died. A generous uncle offered to pay for Conan Doyle to be schooled in England and he was shipped off to continue his studies and he eventually went on to study medicine at Edinburgh University where he qualified as a doctor. While living away from home and once he became a practising doctor, Conan Doyle would have been aware of both sides of the social divide and that prosperity and respectability could co-exist alongside poverty and crime.

Stevenson was born November 13th, 1850, to an upper-middle class family and enjoyed a privileged upbringing. His father was the leading lighthouse engineer of his time and his mother hailed from a family that boasted lawyers and clergymen as is members. As a sickly child, Stevenson rarely completed a full term at school and was looked after by his devout Presbyterian nurse, Alison Cunningham (1822-1913) whom was affectionately known as ‘Cummy’. She would read aloud from her Bible to her small charge preferring morality over fiction. Stevenson as a child would have experienced material and physical security and comfort but that could have felt psychologically stifling, unlike Wordsworth and Shelley who may not have had all of that but would have experienced a natural childhood environment.

A hybrid novel is one that mixes themes and elements from two different genres. This type of novel can open up opportunities to debates and stimulating discussions.

The Sign of Four is seen as a hybrid novel as it mixes Detective fiction, which is a predominantly new genre of writing, and Gothic writing. Detective fiction was very much a development of the Victorian era where typically, a single case (murder, theft or both) was solved by the lead character in the story. It is based on the solution of the crime and would use narrative to unravel the case but in turn would force the reader to engage with the text. The earliest detective fiction was ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’ written by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) who was a Gothic short story writer and poet, also a hero of Conan Doyle’s. This was followed up with ‘The Mystery of Marie Roget’ (1843) and ‘The Purloined Letter’ (1844). The lead character, Dupin was merely a cipher to explain the plot where as Holmes was instrumental in solving the mysteries he was presented with.

Usually gothic literature is defined as writing that would use dark and picturesque scenery, using startling and melodramatic devices creating an overall atmosphere of exoticism, mystery, fear, and dread. As seen in Wuthering Heights, a gothic novel or story will often revolve around a large, ancient house that hides a terrible secret and we get this in ‘The Sign of Four’ with Pondicherry Lodge, the home of the deceased Major Sholto. Our first look of Pondicherry Lodge is one that is not very welcoming. ‘…a very high stone wall topped with broken glass. A single narrow iron-clamped door formed the only means of entrance’ (pg. 77) and it’s not until they move through the gate, do we get a real feel for the house ‘Inside, a gravel path wound through the desolate grounds to huge clump of a house, square and prosaic, all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. The vast size of the building, with its gloom and its deathly silence, struck a chill to the heart’ (pg. 78)

We also have an element of the supernatural, another part of the Gothic genre, in the character Tonga. Although a native of the Andaman Islands, the descriptions make him appear only just human ‘They are naturally hideous, having large, misshapen heads, small fierce eyes, and distorted features. Their feet and hands, however, are remarkably small.’ (pg. 109) This imbues a strong sense of the uncanny which is another part of the Gothic genre. Also, the use of blow darts as in instrument of death would make him appear alien to the readers in Victorian England.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote ‘The Beach of Falesa’ after his emigration to Samoa in 1889 and based on his own experiences and impressions. This novella was also classed as a hybrid text, it is too short to be classed as a novel but too long to be classed as a short story. It also mixes realism with more romantic and poetic modes and gives a central place to the supernatural which are all part of the Gothic genre. We, as readers, could assume that the opening paragraph would have been Stevenson’s first impressions of a Pacific Island. ‘To the east, and right amidships of the dawn, which was all pink, the daystar sparkled like a diamond. The land breeze blew in our faces, and smelt of wild lime and vanilla; other things besides, but these were the most plain;’ (pg. 2). The language used here is poetic and descriptive, engaging all of the senses and told to us by John Wiltshire, the central character with the strong use of visual imagery conveys the beauty of the natural world.

Stevenson’s novella was seen as highly controversial at the time and not one that the Victorian readers should be exposed to. This is due to the tricking of Uma into marriage with Wiltshire and he was asked to remove all traces of this before it was serialised in the Illustrated London News. He refused to do this so the editor took it into his own hands and removed all traces from the chapter before publication, however before it was published in book form, it was reinstated.

As in The Sign of Four, the supernatural had a place in the text, albeit something that has been ‘manufactured’ by Case to keep the locals in check but this was discovered by Wiltshire ‘Well, Mr Case,’ Said I, ‘you’ve frightened me once, but I defy you to frighten me again,’ I says’ (pg. 53)

All of what is in Stevenson’s text would have been completely foreign to the readers back home on Victorian England and something that Stevenson would have been aware of. He wrote to Sidney Colvin (1845-1927), close friend and literary advisor ‘It is the first realistic South Sea story; I mean with real South Sea character and details of life, he declared, adding to his intended reader that ‘you will know more about the South Seas after you have read my little tale than if you had read a library’ (Romantics and Victorians, Chapter 8, Robert Louis Stevenson, ‘The Beach of Falesa’ pg. 285)

Both Conan Doyle and Stevenson had both of these texts serialised in magazines, The Sign of Four in February 1890 in the Philadelphia Literary Journal, Lippincotts Monthly Magazine, and later in The Strand Magazine, which all boasted a high amount of distributed copies. This ensured that Conan Doyle continued to write Holmes and Watson adventures.

The Beach of Falesa was serialised in The Illustrated London News over a six period in July and August 1892 using the working title of Uma; The Beach of Falesa – narrative of a South Sea trader. As previously mentioned, the editor of the magazine found the tricking of Uma extremely distasteful and demanded that it was edited out of the serialisation, Stevenson refused so the editor took it into his own hands and removed it before publication.

The sterilisation of stories were another way that the Victorian readers discovered a new world beyond their own living rooms. These foreign countries were alien to people in that era where travel was restricted to the extremely wealthy so the authors that had an experience of these places, gave the readers a better understanding of them and at the same time allowed their own minds to wander and imagine what it would be like to travel to these far off lands.

The Importance of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’

‘Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind’ is a well-known quote from Albert Einstein. Gothic literature is defined as a style of writing that utilizes a dark and picturesque setting, astonishing and melodramatic narrative devices while also having an atmosphere that is full of mystery, exoticism, fear and dread. In this essay I will discuss the importance of ‘The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde’, written by the Robert Louis-Stevenson in 1886. In Victorian England religion and science were prevalent as people changed there thinking from superstition to logic, Louis-Stevenson used the novel to warn his audience of their primitive, animal-like needs. Religion and science however are still relevant in shaping today’s society because it allows us to answer the greatest mysteries on earth.

In the Victorian era religion was important to various communities and individuals. Numerous people had the belief that God created the universe and he was the creator and therefore the principles and the world of the bible had to be followed. Due to the society’s interest in religion, the people were afraid of scientific developments are had many fears of what it would do to mankind. Old religious beliefs were being questioned to the process being made in science and technology. During the Victorian era, the people of England were very religious. The Victorian era suffered from the time when Christianity was being questioned. Changes brought about were by the industrial revolution and the new scientific ideologies were emerging and played major role in challenging the old religious beliefs. The main person that shook the religious beliefs was Charles Darwin, the Victorian era naturalist. Darwin’s book ‘Origin of the Species’ had broached the theory that mankind were made like any other species and were not separate creatures as was a common belief. Darwin went on to say that man evolved through the process of natural selection. This expedition of Darwin had resulted in the shifting of an ordinary person from religion to more simple things. Darwin’s book made the people change their approach towards religion. It was then that people were slowly withdrawing from traditional religious ideologies.

During the Victorian era, the people that were religious believed in the devil. People believed that others would harness the devils power when they would commit crimes. Evil, devilish and a criminal mastermind are the three words that describe Hyde. This quote ‘I never saw a circle of such hateful faces; and there was the man in the middle, with a kind of black sneering coolness—frightened to, I could see that—but carrying it off, sir, really like Satan’ (Stevenson, R. 1886), indicates that before anyone knew Hyde’s name, he was seen as Satan.

Jekyll had invented the potion to allow himself to express his urges without the feeling of guilt and without any consequences, we could almost say Hyde was his disguise. Je meaning I in French makes Jekyll’s name ‘I kill’, we can approach this as him wanting to kill the other side of him but hide it at the same time. The main setting of the novel is the lab, the setting is deserted and strange and more gothic then being a place of science. This setting in the novel slightly hints at the insufficiency or obsolescence of science. Jekyll’s goal frightened fellow scientist and friend, Lanyon. After the discovery of what Jekyll was planning to do, Lanyon died in shock. ”O God!’ I screamed, and ‘O God!’ again and again; for there before my eyes—pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death—there stood Henry Jekyll!’ (Stevenson, R. 1886).

The story of Jekyll and Hyde uses a lot of metaphor, described as a contrast of different ideas or objects. Stevenson frequently uses metaphor to make the explanation more vivid. For example, Jekyll’s lawyer Utterson expresses his concern for his friend by saying, ‘Poor Harry Jekyll . . . my mind misgives me he is in deep waters!’ (Stevenson, R. 1886). Jekyll is not literally drowning but in deep trouble. Later, an attack by Hyde is described as the man ‘hailing down a storm of blows’, Jekyll is not drowning literally, but in deep trouble. Later Hyde is attacked by a shark and is characterized as ‘hailing down a storm of blows’, a popular use of metaphor to explain a severe beating. Hyde is characterized, quite simply, as beyond logical description his most prominent characteristic is an unexplained aura of evil or deformity that cannot be clearly identified or attributed to any medical cause. The notion of deformity fuel the influence of the supernatural over the natural, both of the body and the mind. And after all Jekyll and Hyde’s action in the novel, a fear of insanity and the threat of a new world, of new science, of new traditions, of new disorders that conventional science and reason cannot be understood and become difficult to cope with. The allusion of Jekyll and Hyde is used to describe a person with two totally different sides to their personality. The villain in this instance is Hyde live in Jekyll, the hero. Therefore Hyde ‘hides’ in the body of the protagonist, Jekyll, keeping the character in plain sight adding to the dilemma of one trying to catch himself.

To this day religion and science both play major roles in shaping the world we live in. without science there wouldn’t be the objects we need to survive and without religion no one would have a belief. In today’s society, gothic literature has been replaced by horror stories, suspense novels and many other contemporary ways that emphasize shock, sensation and mystery. Gothic literature fostered a growing interest in the true medievalism way of writing. Numerous writers saw the medieval life as an offer to ideal nobility and harmony. Gothic literature consists of many elements to set the reader in a scene. Stevenson’s hope with this novel and like any other gothic writers was to warn people about the terror there is throughout the world. Throughout the years gothic literature has been a significant source of inspiration to other authors and film directors, it is only continuing to grow as a source of inspiration and is appropriated by popular culture in many new ways. This may include the growing popularity of graphic horror novels as well as people dressing up on occasions such as Halloween to just scare people. “The notion of haunted or ghoulish clowns has exploded lately in popular culture and become a mainstay of social media”, Franz J. Potter, professor in gothic studies, but it all has its links in gothic literature, also mentioning: ‘We’ve taken the genre a step further, adapting the tried and true themes from gothic literature and applying them to new settings and situations. Creepy clowns are another example of our fascination with things that stalk us from the shadows that is both terrify and thrilling. Ultimately they remind us that monsters could be real, and are still among us” (National University, 2019). At one point gothic literature was one of the most popular genres of text, stories were full of vampires, ghosts, haunted houses an these days modern horror in film and fiction represent some of the biggest box office hits. Many authors, film producers and even song writers for example country band ‘Zac Brown Band’ produced and album called Jekyll and Hyde in the attempt to show something different to the audience.

The Duality of the Human Mind

In ‘The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde’, the audience is introduced to a situation that at first seems very peculiar and fictitious. Upon later examination however it becomes abundantly obvious that the author is utilizing his position as a writer to bring attention to the double nature of humanity, by referencing the duality of every component within the story. The dual nature of the Victorian man, and of society in general, is investigated as the author ties in the notion that this was an era of hypocrisy and sanctimony. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serve as two opposing characters, alter egos of the very same man. They stand to represent the contrasting thoughts, beliefs, desires, and actions among individuals when they are in private compared to when they are in public. One side of his mind will lead him towards a prosperous life of success, but he will be devoid of the animalistic tendencies everyone secretly desires to embrace. Whereas the other side of his consciousness will put him on a path towards lust, violence, and debauchery. Though the choice may seem obvious to the audience, the idea that is conveyed here shows that when given a choice between what we want and what we know we should do, we may not always choose what would be considered the right course of action. Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde’ utilizes symbolism, allegory, and multiple different variations of interpretation to show in a number of differing ways the dichotomy that exists within each human being.

The starring monster of the narrative emerges from a deeply concerning place, the darkly evil and insane side of the human mind. Within the story, Dr. Jekyll is a highly commended member of society, that is working on various experiments to free himself of his own “bestial” and “ape-like” other self, the hidden part of his psyche: Mr. Hyde (Stevenson). It is through this work that Stevenson so accurately portrayed the dual nature of more than just one man, but of our whole society as well. During the story honesty is immediately contrasted with deceit, recklessness with moderation, and purity with shame. This expression of a dual nature even exists within London as its rather admirable streets are represented alongside areas in which brutality, violence, and poverty are well known.

When looking from the surface, Dr. Jekyll is by definition a good man. He is well respected in his position, and no one has any reason to think poorly of him. Contrastingly, Mr. Hyde is pure evil. He is a careless and cruel murderer, more than willing to even kill a little girl merely because she was in his way. On a much deeper level though, the contrast is not simply an argument between good and evil, but rather between progression and regression. The description of Mr. Hyde’s physical attributes causes an ascension of disgust among readers as he is described to be “hardly human” (Stevenson). As put by Mr. Enfield, “There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable” (Stevenson). What Stevenson does in the novel to make Hyde’s appearance so detestable is create the unconscious reminder that he is a degenerated version of the current man. His presence serves as a subconscious notice to all that he comes across, that he is a distant unevolved relative of what man once was.

When Stevensons’ novel was written, Charles Darwin had relatively recently released a book, ‘The Descent of Man’, which had discussed his theory of evolution, and natural selection. Hyde, as previously mentioned, obviously represents the very primitive, unclassy, uncivilized and barbaric root off of which man evolved. By continually using “ape-like” as a description for Hyde, an emphasis is placed on the fact that he is an underdeveloped barbarian when compared to Dr. Jekyll, an admirable doctor and member of society. This correlates with the idea of devolution, and capitalizes on the fears that Victorian people had of degeneracy of humanity. When Dr. Jekyll states that he “bore the stamp, of lower elements in my soul”, Stevenson is calling on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and the notion that every man carries with him an undeniable and undiscarable piece of his earlier ancestors, or more aptly put “the indelible stamp of his lowly origin” (Darwin).

This duality exists on many levels in the story, as we can even see through Dr. Jekyll’s house. When Dr. Jekyll enters through the front, the house presents a “great air of wealth and comfort” (Stevenson). However, when Mr. Hyde enters, the building is described as displaying an air of “prolonged and sordid negligence” (Stevenson). Though both of them entered into the same house, they entered on different sides. The respectable front of the home, and the beat-up backside of the home both act as sides to the very same property. Stevenson is showing not only that the reputable and disreputable very often exist within worryingly nearby closeness, but that a decent and proper front does not always show the truth. A presentable and well respected facade can hide a great deal of issues and secrets that exists beneath the surface (Kreitzer 1992).

Building off the idea that appearances can be widely deceiving, we see Mr. Enfield, a man that appears to be honest and proper, first encountering Hyde when he is “coming home from some place at the end of the world, about three o’clock of a black winter morning” (Stevenson). We are never given specifics as to where Mr. Enfield was, or what he had been doing, but the insinuation is that his activities at that early hour of the morning are not innocent. In each instance during the novel in which individuals or happenings may at first seem harmless, pure or sincere, there is always something shady and menacing hiding beneath the surface as the audience goes to look for a more clear view and solid understanding.

Through use of differing physical descriptions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to emphasize the evolution theory and the work of Darwin, Stevenson also creates very contradicting personalities between these two which allows for the audience to take a look at the more modern debates of morals and multiplicity within the human mind. Stevenson accurately splits Dr. Jekyll’s mind into two regions: the strong moral man that always tries to do what is best and usually is quite successful in life, despite having to suppress his urges that are wrong by societal standards; and the amoral man that acts out in cruelty and rage with no sense of what is wrong or right in a sad attempt to satisfy his animalistic impulses. Through creating this dichotomy of characters, two men existing within one body, Stevenson is delving into a dramatized and much more extreme battle that every human being faces. As stated by Dr. Jekyll, “I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both” (Stevenson). By way of Hyde, the once respected and admired Dr. Jekyll is liberated from the moderations that society forced on him as he states “my devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” (Stevenson). In the end of the novel, Jekyll admits that one day he will have no choice but to decide between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, both of which would mean great losses for him. If he were to forever embrace Mr. Hyde, he would be giving up all his hard work and honest goals to be ‘forever despised and friendless’ (Stevenson). However if he chose to live life as Dr. Jekyll he would be losing all of the physical, animalistic, and scandalous behavior that he can enjoy as Hyde. Through the line “the terms of this debate are as old and commonplace as man” (Stevenson), it is implied that even with this odd scenario Jekyll is in, every human can relate to what he is facing. It is in our very nature to struggle between what we know we should do, and what we want to do (Singh & Chakrabarti 2008).

This classic novella can not take on any one definitive meaning, as the allegory and symbolism point this story in all sorts of varying directions. What makes this novella applicable in the lives of so many is the fact that these symbols can point the audience in multiple different directions all at the same time. It has a rather multifaceted element about it, which allows for many relevant and accurate interpretations of the piece. By looking at the novel through a Darwinian lens, we can also touch on the darker side of a man’s primal urges (violence, rape, murder, etc.). This has the narrative take on a kind of psychoanalytic meaning, as the primal inclination towards sexual desires and lustful actions take on a forefront. From this perspective, the scene in which the girl is trampled takes on a whole new level of meaning as it is very specifically a girl that is trampled, instead of a boy. This symbolizes the animalistic tendencies Hyde has, and his deep desire to conquer anyone of the opposite sex (Singh & Chakrabarti 2008).

The story of Jekyll and Hyde can also be interpreted in the perspective of sexuality at the time, with a complete lack of women present within the novel (with the exception of the maid, the hag, and the trampled girl). Certain audiences suggest that there is an element of blackmail for homosexual acts within the story. The story even mentions the “Black Mail House” (Stevenson) as Mr. Enfield is describing Mr. Hyde’s house. The novel serves as an allegory for the duplicitous lives led by homosexual Victorian era men that had to conceal their prohibited excursions (Sanna 2012). Due to the era in which he was writing, Stevenson could not directly reference homosexuality and had to instead stick to subtle hints. The behavior of Sir Danvers Carew can even be interpreted as a moment of homosexuality within the noveal after he “accosted” Hyde “with a very pretty manner” (Stevenson). In this tale of duality, no person is exactly what they claim to be.

As briefly mentioned, this story can also be seen from a psychoanalytic perspective. In sticking with Frued’s terms, Jekyll would be the ego, and Hyde the id. The ego is the self, whereas the id is the primitive desires found in the unconscious mind (sexual urges, violent acts, desire to kill, etc.). In many instances Hyde is described as almost childlike, perhaps representing a deep desire within each human to go back to a much simpler time, a time without accountability and maturity. Stevenson is emphasizing the fact that each human desires at some point in their life to be young again, and to live freely and act in any desired way (Singh & Chakrabarti 2008). Also of note is the fact that dreams play a rather important part in this story as Jekyll states that he “received Lanyon’s condemnation partly in a dream; it was partly in a dream that I came home to my own house and got into bed” (Stevenson).

It is even possible to see the novel strictly through the idea of hypocrisy as the main theme. By showing the dichotomy of Jekyll’s personality, Stevenson is accurately portraying the polarity of a Victorian society, showing that while fostering internal desires towards violence, lust, and any other pleasures, you must wrap these urges and keep them controlled while posing as a polite and well mannered member of society among your peers. Each character within this story is hiding their true feelings, thoughts and wants from everyone around them. Even Inspector Newcomen, someone that holds a position in which you would expect professionalism and morality, gets excited at learning that someone has been murdered. The line reads“‘the next moment his eye lighted up with professional ambition” (Stevenson), showing the audience that he could hardly hide how happy he was to hear this news. Similarly, the woman that answers Hyde’s door has a face that is evil and “smoothed by hypocrisy; but her manners were excellent” (Stevenson). The commonality here is that everyone is hiding their true nature. They all live as hypocrites completely accepting their desires despite their efforts to conceal them from the public.

Works Cited

  1. Antonio Sanna. “Silent Homosexuality in Oscar Wilde’s Teleny and The Picture of Dorian Gray and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.” Law and Literature, vol. 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 21–39. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/lal.2012.24.1.21.
  2. Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man. Watts, 1946.
  3. Kreitzer, Larry. “R. L. STEVENSON’S ‘STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR.HYDE’ AND ROMANS 7: 14—25: IMAGES OF THE MORAL DUALITY OF HUMAN NATURE.” Literature and Theology, vol. 6, no. 2, 1992, pp. 125–144. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23924484.
  4. Singh, Shubh M, and Subho Chakrabarti. “A study in dualism: The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Indian journal of psychiatry vol. 50,3 (2008): 221-3. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.43624
  5. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. Gutenberg, 2008.

Anxious Society in ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson

In the late 19th century a clear shift occurs in Europe from a content society who though it had everything figured out to an anxious one, where everything could be questioned and argued. It is important to understand these changes of the modern times because they played a big part to cause World War I. European society faced many intellectual, scientific, and cultural challenges that came with the 2nd industrial revolution, which empowered science and made some people question the bible which was their main source of information until this point. A book that describes in a very subtle but powerful way these modern times is ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ written by Robert Louis Stevenson. In his book Stevenson addresses different changes, however, his most prominent one is the duality men felt during this period. People felt as if two personalities were inside themselves one that represented more romantic full of feelings and impulses and one totally different more modern and scientifically driven.

Stevenson makes the reader feel and perceive this duality in the modern times with the help of two well developed characters Dr. Jekyll a scientist that even though was modern and eloquent had a romantic in himself that was more metaphysical full of feelings and drives that classified him as a troglodyte. This second part of him at first is dormant but comes to life as Mr. Hyde and never goes back to be Dr. Jekyll again until he finally commits suicide. This symbolizes the anxiety society felt when choosing between these two ways of thinking: a scientific or a more conventional and religious one. Stevenson’s novel accomplishes to describe a changing society that is unsure about life. A society that has to take a side between religion and science and a society fearing to pick the wrong choice.

In many aspects European society was affected by the second industrial revolution. The new discovery of electricity played a big role in powering machines and allowed industries to prosper and become more complex. Even though many workers were under extremely bad conditions it was getting better for them. All this new advancement scared people, as Richard J. Walker states in an article titled ‘He, I say – I cannot say, I: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case’, published by Liverpool University Press: “What seems to be apparent is that Hyde speaks more about the fears and the anxieties of the fin de siècle bourgeoisie than monstrosity in general”. Even though with this new technologies the agricultural and other fields boomed between 1850 and 1870 in the late 19th century the economy stagnated adding to the anxiety and fear society felt just like Mr. Hyde.

Various Moral Themes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson’s ​’The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ ​was originally published in 1886 during the Victorian era. This was a period where almost every sphere of society was changing in some way, for better or for worse. The story is about a man who finds out a way to separate the evil parts of himself by drinking a potion he concocted in his laboratory. The book is of the third-person limited perspective of Mr. Utterson, who goes about the process of finding out that his friend Dr. Jekyll was actually the same as this evil man, Mr. Hyde. While on the surface it may seem like this is just a horror story about an entirely goodperson that turns into an entirely bad one, a closer look may reveal the underlying moral,unanswerable dilemmas that plagued Stevenson’s time as well as ours.

It seems as though Stevenson describes Dr. Jekyll as a time appropriate stereotype of what a moral, stand-up member of society looks like. He is described as large, distinguished, and obviously a doctor, well respected in Stevenson’s time as well as ours. Completing the typical arch duo would be Hyde, representing the most evil parts of human nature as well as having no redeemable qualities to speak of. Though this historically cut and dry interpretation may not have been what Stevenson intended at all, or at least not what the story has transformed into in modern times. Upon closer inspection, what once may have seemed like an obvious tale of the duality of good vs. evil, might carry a deeper, more complex connotation. A later theory that Hyde did not, in fact, represent pure evil would go on to be the basis of many stories regarding the transformation of a human into something else. The most recognizable of these Hyde inspired characters is almost certainly the ‘Hulk’, making appearances in comics, books, and movies for the better part of a century. “In contrast, though, adapted versions of Hyde have created a monster hero – a saviour whose lack of restraint serves as his strongest quality. These Hydes are still unpredictable and aggressive, but they use their volatility for good and maintain a moralistic agenda” (McCrystal 2018). The reason that ​’The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ ​might be misinterpreted so often is the constant reference of this archetypal duality, eventoday. With the instant access of social media allowing most individuals a window into near anyone else’s life, society has begun a culture of outrage. Snap judgements can be the cause of the declaration of one’s moral fiber, even if this judgement is made from three thousand miles away from behind a computer screen. There is no doubt this problem exists, but it is understandable to a degree. The idea of actual evil is so much more consequential than being decent, or ‘good’ in this context. “That is why the problem of evil is so much more compelling than the problem of good, for evil—especially one’s own—is assumed to be against the natural order of things” (Dalrymple 2004). If someone in the public eye does turn out to be the textbook definition of evil, it is pivotal that they are found out. Unfortunately, this results in as many or more false flags as actual cases of justice being served. Some like to think of the classic perception of Hyde as a false flag. Yes, he is a stark contrast to Dr. Jekyll, but as is surely known by now, contrarianism does not necessarily equal evil.

This same kind of black and white thinking is also apparent in the religious citations that occur throughout ‘​The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. “A religion that is dualistic admits not only that the universe comprises good and evil, or light and darkness, but also that though these are eternally opposed they are coeternal, coexistent, and equipotent” (Singh & Chakrabarti 2008). Various religions as old as civilization itself are notorious for having the same dualistic ideology most readers have while reading ​Jekyll and Hyde. ​ Before the reader is even properly introduced to Hyde, he is likened to Satan himself. ​’I never saw a circle of such hateful faces; and there was the man in the middle, with a kind of black sneering coolness—frightened to, I could see that—but carrying it off, sir, really like Satan’ (Stevenson 6). Another example of religion in ​Jekyll and Hyde ​is when Mr. Utterson calls Mr. Hyde a “juggernaut”. ‘Juggernaut’ is the Anglicized name for the Hindu god Jagannath, the “Lord of the Universe”. Jagannath, a form of the god Vishnu, presides over a massive temple in Puri, India alongside his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra”. It is also significant that a reverend was the one to popularize this usage of the word in the context of a violent, bloody, religious cult (Altman 2017).

Addiction is another very popular moral theme in ​’The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. ​In fact, there are those who think that the entire plot was based on a dentist Stevenson knew that turned into a violent monster when he got high on morphine. “A recent theory is that Dr. Jekyll is based on Horace Wells (1815-48), a dentist in Hartford, Connecticut, whose pioneering work with nitrous oxide anaesthesia proceeded a very unhappy end. Disappointed in establishing the priority of his discoveries to those of a former colleague, Wells moved to New York, fell increasingly prey to self-intoxication with chloroform, and was arrested for throwing vitriol on a prostitute,apparently not the first such attack he had made when thus intoxicated” (Swearingen 2014).

Many people see the transformation from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde by way of potion in its most basic interpretation, but this can easily be compared to addiction and substance abuse. Dr. Jekyll himself kept trying to stop taking the potion that turned him into Hyde, but the longest he was ever able to go without ingesting it was two months. This is even greater supported by Dr. Jekyll’s description of taking the potion, “The most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death. Then these agonies had begun to swiftly subside, and I came to myself as out of great sickness” (Stevenson 70) as well as the description when Dr. Jekyll briefly ceased consumption of the potion. “Now that the evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life had begun for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer” (Stevenson 34). When addicts are using, they really do become different people. This is describing the huge personality change one can undergo by just discontinuing their vices.

As the reader magnified this classic piece of literature, more and more is revealed. There are unapparent themes of good vs. evil, addiction, religion, and more. It is hard to know what exactly Stevenson was intending to portray when he initially wrote the story, but it has almost certainly taken on a completely different meaning than when it was first conceived. It is important that one gives this book the attention it deserves. There is so much more to obtain andappreciated than the simple and dated archetype of duality. Robert Louis Stevenson’s ​’The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ ​is a complex insight into the moral themes of the Victorian era when this classic piece of horror was written, not just a rewrite of the bored concept of the good guy winning out over the bad guy.

Works Cited

  1. Altman, Michael J. “The Origins of the Juggernaut.” ​OUPblog​, Oxford University Press, 1 Aug. 2017, blog.oup.com/2017/08/origins-juggernaut-jagannath/
  2. Dalrymple, Theodore. “Mr. Hyde & the Epidemiology of Evil.” ​The Free Library​, Sept. 2004, www.thefreelibrary.com/Mr.Hyde & the epidemiology of evil.-a0122326650.
  3. McCrystal, Erica. “Current Issue.” ​University of Toronto Quarterly​, www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/utq.87.1.234​.
  4. Singh, Shubh M, and Subho Chakrabarti. “A Study in Dualism: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” ​Indian Journal of Psychiatry​, Medknow Publications, July 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738358/​.
  5. Stevenson, Robert Louis. ​Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde & Other Stories​. Ann Arbor Media Group, LLC, 2006.
  6. Swearingen, Roger G. ​Prose Writings of Robert Louis Stevenson: a Guide​. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
  7. http://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/utq.87.1.234
  8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738358/