A study of man’s duality, Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vies with his Treasure Island (1883) for his most popular work. He wrote the piece while recovering from a hemorrhage, a nightmare having inspired its plot. When his wife, Fanny, heard it in its original version as a traditional horror tale, she suggested it might be better as an allegory. After a furious rewriting of only three days, Stevenson produced his enduring tale of a man who could alter his own character, both physically and emotionally. It was published to enthusiastic reviews praising Stevenson’s capacity for sustained tension and entertaining terror, masterfully crafted.

Told through narration by Mr. Enfield, Mr. Utterson, Dr. Lanyon, Poole the butler, and Dr. Jekyll himself, the tale reveals Dr. Jekyll’s desire to separate his positive aspects from his evil ones, recognizing that human nature places both into the same body. A respected man, Dr. Jekyll develops a formula, which he drinks, releasing the odious figure, Mr. Hyde. As he continues the transformations, he finds increasingly difficult his return to his “true” self. Stevenson’s use of an unemotional tone in relaying detail helps build tension and heightens the reader’s sense of perception, increasing the horror of each moment. Hyde’s propensity to violate laws both civic and moral leads to his committing murder. Terrified that he might permanently become Mr. Hyde when his formula is gone, Dr. Jekyll commits suicide.

The body discovered belongs to Hyde, but a note written by Dr. Jekyll confirms the dual identities of one being. The note represents the first expression from the doctor’s point of view, his confession answering points previously unclear in other accounts, thus bringing the story to a unified conclusion. His obvious agony as he realizes his decline and eventually his inability to escape Hyde’s hold contrasts satisfactorily with the nonjudgmental, rational tone of the previous narrators.

Critics feel both Charles Dickens and American author Edgar Allan Poe influenced the novel, which relies on the German myth of the doppelgänger to appeal to readers’ trust in the story’s veracity. Psychoanalytic critics also see Jekyll and Hyde not as equal personalities, but Hyde as a suppressed version of Jekyll, undercutting Jekyll’s idea that separation of the two personalities may be achieved. While most praise Stevenson’s narrative skill, many find weakness in the description of the physical conversion of the physically normal Dr. Jekyll into the ugly and disgusting form of Mr. Hyde. The criticism has not hindered continued enjoyment of the tale, both in book form and in various film and stage presentations.

Bibliography
Hammond, J. R. A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion. London: Macmillan Press, 1984.

Categories: British Literature, Horror Novels, Literature, Novel Analysis

Tags: allegory in Victorian fiction, Analysis of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, character analysis of dr jekyll, character analysis of mr hyde, doppelgänger myth in literature, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Analysis, duality in literature, good vs evil in literature, gothic horror novella, gothic literature themes, identity and self in gothic fiction, influence of charles dickens on stevenson, influence of edgar allan poe on stevenson, literary themes in the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde, narrative structure in jekyll and hyde, psychoanalytic interpretation of jekyll and hyde, robert louis stevenson horror fiction, Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, symbolism in jekyll and hyde, transformation in dr jekyll and mr hyde, victorian literature horror, victorian science and morality