Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist most well known for his literary works such as ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘Kidnapped.’ Although bedridden during the writing and publishing of these novels, Stevenson’s works are celebrated by critics and readers through the passage of time. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a means of showcasing that good and evil coexist in people and neither side can be avoided nor destroyed and in doing so, he shows that the struggle between the two sides is exemplified through all human behaviors. This novel was written and released in 1885 during the second Industrial Revolution in Bournemouth, England, a newly established and industrialized city. Stevenson set Jekyll and Hyde in his hometown Edinburgh, Scotland in the Late Victorian era, for the reason that he was familiar with the area, which made for a great deal of themes throughout the story.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s inspiration came to him in a vivid and strange fever dream during the time that he was suffering from Tuberculosis. After being awoken from his sleep by his wife, he pieced together the parts he remembered, and took inspiration for characters from the people around him. Dr Jekyll’s character was inspired by “An infamous city councilor turned burglar from his hometown,“ (Melissa) named William Brodie. Additionally, he was rumored to be regularly doing cocaine to treat his illness in his lungs, putting him in what most would call a drug induced frenzy that assisted him in writing the novel. As he found his characters in the people around him, the story developed, and he would let his wife fanny review his drafts. If either of the two disliked the draft, it was burned, so only the second draft is known of today.
During the writing of this book, doctors of the era were delving into the idea of humans having what was known at the time as a ‘Double Brain,’ and how the two sides represented good and evil in people. Although there is no legitimate proof, it can be suspected that Stevenson “May have read several scientific articles about this condition.” (Edwards). Furthermore, his possible research is exemplified in his novel, as several quotes can be shown to be more scholarly in nature, rather than based off of a dream, as most may expect. For example, in his confessions, Jekyll says “That part of me which I had the power of projecting, had lately been much exercised and nourished; it had seemed to me of late as though the body of Edward Hyde had grown in stature.”(84). The hypothetical ‘growth’ of Hyde in Jekyll subconscious could potentially be connected to the research on human and the two sides of the brain, but it is still not proven to this day. Whether it was Stevenson not wanting to admit his inspiration from others, or just the simple fact that the knowledge in the novel was all his own, the idea of both good and evil coexisting in people sparked a conversation in the Victorian era.
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The Victorian Era, stretching from the mid-early 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century during the period of Queen Victoria’s ruling over the United Kingdom, was known for its art, political movements, and literature. Victorian era literature was a result of the melding of scientific and gothic themes, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a perfect example of the mixture of the two. Gothic tales were known to be “centred on larger-than-life characters such as Edward Hyde,”(Characteristics) whereas the focus on science and the real world gave the people of this era “A mission to describe and classify the entire natural world.”(Characteristics)
The mix of these themes is shown through the character of Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll’s transformation into his evil counterpart and the focus on the brain, psychological matters, and good and evil in people. Stevensons meddling of the two themes along with a multitude of others can be seen as genius by some and not by others. Due to its scientific ideas, readers would assume the book is science fiction, but after diving deeper, the theme of human nature is introduced, which can be classified as non-fiction in some readers eyes. Nonetheless, interpretation is left in the reader’s hands, and the complex yet understandable themes in the novel portray a near perfect example of Victorian era literature.
The ideas that Stevenson both grew up with and experienced during the writing of Jekyll and Hyde had a large impact on the storyline and setting of the book, one of which being a strong sense of social hierarchy. The social classes shown in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde introduces structure to the story. Certain social classes in the Victorian Era tended to act certain ways in the novel, more superior classes were held to higher standards than others, whereas lower classes were held to lower ones. It is shown in the novel that “The acceptance towards certain ideas and actions are chosen carefully due to social class placement.”
The clear difference between the structure of Jekyll and Hyde’s life induces a conflict within the people in Jekyll’s social class due to the strict conformity to ideals within the upper classes. Even with the subtle separation of the two sides of Edinburgh and the fact that Hyde lives on one and Jekyll lives on the other separates and distinguishes the two characters and their social classes furthermore. This idea of conformity is present throughout the story in all characters, and creates suspense as Jekyll’s experiments begin to break away from the strong ideals and structure of the class he belongs to.
A theme of duality is presented clearly throughout the novel with the existence of the hostile and corrupt Hyde and respectable Jekyll. In his experiment, Jekyll separates his idea of the two sides to every human, good and evil, and in doing so creates Hyde, his malevolent counterpart. Stevenson uses this separation, and the atrocious results of it, as a symbol to portray that good and evil have to coexist and remain side by side, balancing out each other, rather than detached. The novel proves that “By separating the good, Dr. Jekyll, and the bad, Mr. Hyde, we are able to see that humans have both and one without the other can sometimes be overpowering.”(Andrea) When Jekyll obtains just the good part of human nature, he is constantly worrying about the mistakes he makes and it takes a toll on his well being, whereas Hyde sees no issues in the chaos he creates. The message that is clearly sent by stevenson is that good and evil exist in all people, neither side can be avoided, and the acceptance of both sides resolves conflict in one’s mind and life.
An often overlooked theme in Stevenson’s novel is defamiliarization, represented through Mr. Utterson’s involvement in Dr Jekyll’s affairs. It is said that “as soon as [Utterson] starts to involve himself with discovering Hyde, he changes.”(Edwards) Due to his place in the higher level social class, he is held to high expectations regarding what and who he engages with. Utterson breaking out of his comfort zone and taking this risks makes him uncomfortable but still curious as to what is going on in Jekyll’s life. This theme is also seen in the people of Edinburgh as they watch the unfamiliar actions of Hyde in the upper class area of the town, and as they learn more of the truth. As time goes on and technology evolves, change is an unfamiliar feeling that is inevitable as ideas and people evolve. Stevenson’s subtle portrayal of this theme is an excellent method of showing the constant changing of societies as time goes on.
At the time of its writing, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was not as popular and appreciated in its complexity and deeper meanings like it is today. It has made a large impact in history in a way that opened peoples eyes to the duality of humans and human nature throughout time. Before the release of the book people may have thought that good and bad people could be separated into two groups, when in reality, and proven by Stevenson, it was never nor will it ever be true. He created the idea of two personalities, inspiring many artists and authors to this day. This newfound idea of both good and evil exist in people furthermore strengthened the interest amongst doctors in the two sides of the brain and their contributions to someone’s personality. Overall, this new point of view pushed people to learn more about psychological matters in humans and sparked ideas in creative minds.
The cultural impact of Stevenson’s novel, specifically in pop-culture, was widespread and still has effects to this day. Starting in 1887 with the first live action interpretation of Jekyll and Hyde, play and movie makers have been inspired by the idea of dualism in humans, and used it to create iconic characters that have been well known throughout time. Characters such as The Incredible Hulk, The Mask, Venom, and other pop-culture icons can trace their roots to a mysterious story set in the small town of Edinburgh, Scotland. Furthermore, there are at least 30 movie adaptions of the novel, the first one made in 1908. The novel has also been interpreted into a child’s story to teach children about honesty and flaws. No matter the interpretation or adaption, the story remains iconic and an inspiration to storytellers and artists alike.
Conclusion
In conclusion, since birth Robert Louis Stevenson has known of life in Edinburgh, Scotland during the Victorian Era, and his experience both in Scotland and during his travels contributed, in some way, to the classic and iconic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This complex and symbolic novel has had a long term impact on history and pop-culture alike, provoking creativity in brilliant minds.
Stevenson’s use of themes such as dualism, defamiliarization, conformity, hierarchy, and good and evil create a gothic atmosphere that movie producers and book writers strive for to this day. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was used as a means of showcasing the intermixing of good and evil in people is inevitable and neither side can be bypassed or ignored. Throughout the novel, Jekyll and Hyde’s actions show how the struggle between the two sides is depicted by way of all human behaviors.
