Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Analysis

8/2/2019 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Analysis

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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Analysis

SUMMARY

The story is about a brilliant scientist, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who after ten years of devious research

discovered a drug which he tested on himself and enabled him to have a split personality as Dr.

Jekyll who was his good self and Mr. Edward Hyde as his evil self. The only person who knew

of his discovery was Dr Lanyon who later died as he could not bear keeping the ugly secret.

Although, his experiment was a success but trouble was in store for him when Hyde became too

powerful for him to control. His secret was revealed to Mr. Utterson, his lawyer, after he killed

himself in his laboratory.

THEMESGood versus evil

Good vs. evil is basically the novels biggest theme. More specifically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

is easily viewed as an allegory about the good and evil that exist in all men and about our

struggle with these two sides of the human personality. In this book, then, the battle between

good and evil rages within the individual. The question is which is superior. Since Hyde seems to

be taking over, one could argue that evil is stronger than good. However, Hyde does end up dead

at the end of the story, perhaps suggesting a weakness or failure of evil. The big question, of

course, is whether or not good can be separated from evil, or whether the two are forever

intertwined.

Friendship and loyalty

Friendship in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serves to drive the plot forward. Aside from human

curiosity, Mr. Utterson is compelled to uncover the mystery of the evil man because of his

friendship with Dr. Jekyll. In trying to unravel the secret, his many friendships deliver crucial

pieces of information. In this sense, friendship acts as both a motivator and an enabler. As for the

friendship between Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll, it is certainly not as unconditional as the loyalty

Mr. Utterson bears for Dr. Jekyll. Instead, it is fraught with competition, anger, and eventually an

irreconcilable quarrel. We see that friendships can be ruined by differences of opinion.

Appearances

Appearances figure in the novel both figuratively and literally. Dr. Jekyll definitely wants to

keep up a well-respected facade, even though he has a lot of unsavory tendencies. In a literal

sense, the appearances of buildings in the novel reflect the character of the buildings inhabitants.

Dr. Jekyll has a comfortable and well-appointed house but Mr. Hyde spends most of his time in


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the dingy windowless structure of the doctors laboratory. Other disreputable quarters of

London are described as well, the stomping ground of Mr. Hyde.

Lies and deceit (Hypocrisy)

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the plot is frequently driven forward by secrecy and deception; Mr.

Utterson does not know the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and he wants to find out.

Also, by omitting the scenes of Mr. Hydes supposedly treacherousness, Stevenson allows our

imaginations to run to wild and eerie places.

The duality of human nature

Man by nature has good and bad sides. Man is always struggling with these forces to create a

balance. If one is stronger than the other, the stronger will overcome the weaker side. Dr Jekyllrealizes the existence of both sides in a person thus separate the two sides which ultimately leads

him to a tragic end. It is unwise for him to temper with nature.

Repression

Repression is indisputably a cause of troubles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The repression here is that of

Victorian England: no sexual appetites, no violence, and no great expressions of emotion, at least in the

public sphere. Everything is sober and dignified, and you are really not supposed to be happy. The

more Dr. Jekylls forbidden appetites are repressed, the more he desires the life of Mr. Hyde, and the

stronger Mr. Hyde grows. This is clearly demonstrated after Dr. Jekylls two- month hiatus from

donning the visage of Mr. Hyde; Dr. Jekyll finds that the pull to evil has been magnified after months

of repression.

Science

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, science becomes a cover and justification for supernatural activities.

Dr. Jekyll supposedly derives his potion in some sort of scientific manner as opposed to finding a

magical amulet or something that releases evil as you might find in other stories. Dr. Jekylls

brand of science, however, turns towards the transcendental (supernatural) while Dr. Lanyon

prefers a more traditional set of scientific notions. This disagreement causes an irreparable rift in

their relationship, especially after Dr. Lanyon witnesses Dr. Jekylls transformation with his own

eyes.

Curiosity

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, curiosity drives the characters to seek knowledge. This curiosity is

either suppressed or fulfilled in each character. Curiosity lacks any negative connotation; instead,

characters who do not actively seek to unravel the Jekyll and Hyde mystery may be viewed as


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passive or weak. Finally, the characters curiosities are, to some degree, transferred over to the

reader; we seek to solve the puzzle along with Mr. Utterson.

Violence

This novel details two crimes of violence against innocent and helpless citizens: first, a little girl,

and second, an elderly man. The violence in the novel centers on Mr. Hyde, and raises the

question as to whether or not violence is an inherent part of mans nature.

Crime and punishment

Mr. Hyde committed various atrocities in London which included deliberately trampling on a

little girl and later murdering Sir Danvers Carew. At first, he was able to evade the law by

transforming back to Dr. Jekyll. Nevertheless, after his brutality towards Sir Danvers waswitness by Dr. Jekylls female servant, who could identify him, Mr. Hyde decided to commit

suicide rather than face the law. Thus, his punishment was death by his own hand.

Religion

God and Satan figure prominently in this text, as well as many general references to religion and works

of charity. As part of their intellectual lives, the men in the novel discuss various religious works. One

sign of Mr. Hydes wickedness, for example, is his defacing Dr. Jekylls favorite religious work. Mr.

Hyde is also frequently likened to Satan.

Women and femininity

Most female characters in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are passive and weak. The first female we see

is a young girl mowed over by Mr. Hyde. Although she is not much the worse, more

frightened, she still kicks up an incredible fuss and a large group of people come to her aid. The

next woman we see is via a maids narrative of Sir Carews murder. After witnessing the murder,

she faints, awakening long after the murderer is gone. She is a passive spectator. There is much

speculation as to the reasons for the absence of females in the story; one particularly compelling

argument is that women function as moral bedrocks in most Victorian novels. They are supposed

to be beacons of good moral influence. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde therefore, women may have

unnecessarily complicated the story.

PLOT

Introduction

The scene of Mr Hyde trampling a little girl on a street in London is seen by Richard Enfield andthe incident is told to Mr Utterson.

Conflict


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Hyde kills Sir Danvers Carew. Later, Hyde is nowhere to be found. The mystery is deepenedwhen Mr. Guest finds similarities between Jekyll and Hydes handwriting.

Climax

Poole and Utterson break down the laboratory door and discover Hydes body.

Resolution

Dr Lanyons letter to Utterson reveals the truth.

Ending

The full statement and confession of Jekyll.

CHARACTERS

1. Dr Jekyll Intelligent: creates a potion to transform himself into a wicked person.

Secretive: leads a double life and has many secrets even his friends do not know of.

Respectable: a respectable gentleman with impeccable social status.

Risk-taker/Daring: tries the new potion on himself despite not knowing of its side-effect

would be.

Remorseful: regrets over the evil deed that he has done.

Hypocritical: wants to be respected in the society but still wants to do wicked things in

secret.

Careful: carries out his preparations with great care until his death

2. Mr Hyde

Evil, wicked, violent and ruthless: tramples a little girl without feeling of guilt. He kills

when people anger him. He kills Sir Danver Carew and strikes a woman who offers him a

box of matches.

Rude: speaks rudely to Enfield, Dr. Grant and Mr. Utterson

Cowardly: agrees to pay compensation to the little girl after confronted by Enfield.

3. Mr Utterson

Trustworthy & Reliable: sticks to his professional code of honour by not betraying his Clients

trust. Determined: determines to protect Jekyll whom he thought is being blackmailed by Hyde.

Brave/Courageous: dares to find out the relationship of Jekyll and Hyde. He tears down the

laboratory door when sensing Jekyll must have been in danger.

Concerned and caring: always worries about Jekylls safety and has been trying to safe Jekyll

from Hyde.

Loyal: shows lots of concerns over Jekyll after he learns about the unpleasantness of Hyde. He

tries in every mean to help Jekyll. He does not reveal about the truth about Hyde is actually

Jekyll after Jekylls death to protect his friends reputation.

Patient & Persistent: waits many days for Hyde to appear so he can talk to him.

Calm/Steady, Practical & Sensible: does not make rash and hasty decision. He checks all the

evidence before making conclusion. Compassionate: feels sorry for Jekyll and is not judgmental over Jekylls death.


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Well organised and conventional: Keeps to his routine. He goes for Sunday walks with his

nephew, Enfield.

4. Dr Lanyon

Loyal & Trustworthy/Dependable: helps Jekyll by obtaining the drugs he needed. He keeps

Jekylls secret as requested.

Weak: his health worsen because he can no longer carry the burden of Jekylls secret. He dies.

5. Poole

Loyal: serves Jekyll for 20 years.

Dutiful: obeys Jekylls orders although disagree of his masters action.

Observant & Alert: notices the strange events in the household and able to describe the things

he sees in Jekylls laboratory and the strange behaviour of his master in detail to Utterson.

6. Richard Enfield

Brave & Courageous: dare to confront Hyde on the little girls trampling incident.

Fair & Just: insists that Hyde pay compensation to the little girls family.

Responsible: makes sure that the little girls family receives the compensation from Hyde

7. Mr. Guest

Trustworthy: able to keep secrets as ordered by Mr Utterson.

Observant: notices the similarity between Jekyll and Hydes handwriting

SETTING

Location:

1.On the street of London.

2.Dr. Jekylls house

3.Mr. Hydes house in Soho

4.Dr. Lanyons house on Cavendish Square

5.Mr Uttersons house and office.

Time: 19th century during the Victorian age.

Social Setting: Rich and educated upper class (the scientist, doctors and lawyers) and the

lower working class ( the servants, housekeeper and clerks).

POINT OF VIEW

1st persons point of view:

In Chapter 12, Dr. Lanyons letter revealed Dr Jekylls secret.

In Chapter 13, Dr. Jekylls statement revealed the whole truth.

3rd persons point of view:

The author uses Mr Utterson as his narrator where he is all-knowing. The author knowseverything about the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in this story. It is used


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throughoutChapter 1 -11.

LANGUAGE & STYLESimiles

a. as quiet as the grave (p.7)

b. as empty as a church (p.8)

c. like the devil himself (p.16)

d. a voice like a dogs snarl (p.19)

e. like a flock of frightened sheep. (p.73)

Metaphors

a. with the speed of an angry cat (p.9)

b. light on his feet (p.9)

c. The air was full of hate! (p.14)

Imagery

a. rain blow after blow upon him (p.10)

b. exploded in anger (p.16)

Personification

a. a blind forehead of dirty wall (p.18)

b. a sleeping city (p.31)

Flashback

Chapter 9: Utterson reads the statement/letter from Dr. Langon who describes what he has

encountered from Dr. Jekyll

b. Chapter 10: Utterson reads the letter from Dr. Jekyll after his death. The letter describes thedoctor.

MORAL VALUE

Be loyal and faithful

True friendship should be valued

Be morally upright

Show kindness and concern

Be helpful

Be trustworthy

Believe in hope or have confident

Be courageous

Be repentant/Should not play with Gods creation.

Do not dabble with the unknown

Control ones negative side

Perseverence

Put personal and integrity and honour first


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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Analysis