Conflict
The primal conflict in the novel is centralized between the two contrasting personalities of Dr Jekyll; the encounter between Hyde and Jekyll for the ultimate dominance of the doctor’s mind and body. This dominance of Hyde is first a concealed impulse within Jekyll, slowly becoming predominantly an absolute superficial impulse which eventually overthrows Jekyll “…this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul”. This unfolds a variety of assumptions for our knowledge about human nature. Hyde is said to appear like a “troglodyte,” or a pristine creature. For all one knows Hyde could possibly be the accurate nature of man, which may have been repressed however not dismantled by the inflation of civilization, societal norms and conscience. Perhaps humans don’t have two natures but indeed a primitive, uncontrolled one that dwells just barely restrained by civilization. Likewise, the novella brings to mind that when these bonds are broken, it’s impossible to restore them; Hyde will finally take Jekyll’s place, as he subsequently does manifesting without the help of Jekyll towards the end of the novel. It’s apparent that when Jekyll’s unconscious is given chance to hold sway Hyde appears, as he sleeps for instance. The Conscious is therefore needed to inhibit the beastly side to our human nature, if this seizes to work tainted things will occur. Stevenson generally believed that humans are a balance, to maintain this balance it needs effort. As gothic fiction was produced in the era, society came forth with the same ideas.
Suspense through rise of evil
Stevenson uses numerous examples of suspense, intriguing the reader by creating these characters with dual personalities. The utmost suspense is within the characters; we are captivated by their next movements. The gnarled, unsightly door symbolises Dr Jekyll’s transition to Mr Hyde and vice versa. Just as the door leads from one room to another, Dr Jekyll journeys through that door, returning as Mr Hyde. As he enters that door he enters his darker more vicious side and his surrounded by it. Mr Utterson seemed very interested in finding out who the mysterious man at the door really was “What sort of man is he to see?” this may be because he is fully aware that Dr Jekyll has a connection to that door. Similarly how people in that era found it hard to believe that good corresponds with evil is in fact why Mr Utterson delves deep into the mystery of the door as he cannot see a viable connection between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Mr Hyde is characterized as being unpleasant with slightly deformed appearances; he causes instant dislike and coldness towards him. “There is something about his appearance” this implies that although he is displeasing to the eye it’s his spirit that moves people. That existence of pure evil explains why no one knows the origins of this deep dislike, Enfield declares “I never saw a man I so disliked and yet I scarce know why” Stevenson shows that people’s balance of good and evil, shows through their appearance and behaviour. Someone like Mr Hyde is a seed of evil which is flourishing; people notice this and hate him on sight. This use of unexplainable dislike causes the reader just like Mr Utterson to want to explore deeper into the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde, creating even more suspense as we read on. Both crimes committed by Mr Hyde involve innocent victims, first being the small, female child “…trampled calmly over the child’s body”; in the second instance was a beloved old man “…broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth”. This was the turning point of the novel, the fact that Hyde inhumanely murders these harmless individuals, who have obviously done nothing to aggravate his uncontrollable rampage, or even deserve death, highlights the extreme corruption of Jekyll’s dark side unleashed. We begin to realise that Dr Jekyll’s other half is beginning to run ruthless. Moreover Mr Hyde is clearly appearing as a part of Dr Jekyll rather than a single Character.
Language and Imagery
The imagery, settings and characters can be seen as counterparts of the personalities of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in Stevenson’s novella. When Utterson visits Hyde’s “lair” it is described in the vicinity of an emotional nightmare due to the fog and other aspects of the Soho environment. The fog literally and symbolically covers realities “The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city”, this is not just plain fog it twists and moves showing things for a while then slowly covering things up again. This implies to us just how astonishing this case is, how people’s characters are mixtures of good and bad revolving around, changing at any moment. The fog may also cause us to feel constrained, which is caused my Hyde who makes us feel confused and downtrodden. Stevenson uses the fog in this section to represent how wicked people can be and how well it is hidden, this is represented by the fog.
Dr Jekyll distinctively differentiates from Mr Hyde, being “well-made” and “smooth-faced” in appearance, contrasting with Hyde who is “pale” and “dwarfish” also giving a “impression of deformity” Moreover, Stevenson is perhaps suggesting Hyde’s small character represents Jekyll’s dark side, which has been repressed for years, prevented him from growing and flourishing. His hairiness may indicate that he is predominantly an embodiment of Jekyll’s animalistic essence beneath Jekyll’s polished appearance. Hyde is more energetic and youthful than Jekyll. This implies that evil develops past our innocent childhood, later in our lifes, also suggesting that Stevenson found something energetic and inspiring about our baser nature.
Other characters Responses to them
Lanyon is the first person who observes Jekyll’s demonstration of his transformations. He is empowered to accept that Dr Jekyll’s experiment is in fact genuine due to his disbelieving and analytical disposition. Deep within, Lanyon withholds living in a world which Jekyll revealed to him; a world that he feels has been turned upside down and instead would rather die. After stating “I have had a shock” due to his catastrophic experience, Lanyon who had taken a great interest in the laws of science, rejects the latest knowledge he has gained. “I sometimes think if we knew all,” he tells Utterson, “we should be gladder to get away.” He was not willing to accept the idea of dualism which came across in Jekyll’s experiment; he was in a destructive battle between his common-sense and supernatural beliefs which brought his life to an unfaithful end. Although he is not a significant character in Stevenson’s novella, his significance stems from his reaction to the idea of dual beings.
Conclusion
Stevenson describes the duality of the psychology of man in Jekyll’s narrative. He illustrates that being duplicitous is in our human nature, and in point fact, an impression of a society that is characterised by defiance, is interpreted by his entire novella. Stevenson demonstrates that, in this civilization, there is an immense conflict taking place in the minds and lives of the Victorians between the development of scientific discovery, and perception of religion. This civilisation which separates the impoverished and the wealthy is kept in place by the barely stable class system. This allows the members of the upper class to meddle in prohibited desires, while presenting a rather honourable and pleasant appearance; this immorality is routinely covered up. In a sense there are two sides to our personality; right and wrong. Above all there’s a Mr. Hyde in all of us .Robert Stevenson brings the idea of another self in one person to life by creating Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. His novel is a vivid tale of the duality of mankind.
