Crime is usually linked with alcohol. In an assessment of Britain’s crime - taken at the time ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ was published – it was found that 75% of all crime committed was when the criminal was under the influence of alcohol. As there were many references to alcohol in the novel, there would have been an increase in the upper class’ fear of drinking and its effects; consequently increasing their dread of the underclass. This was because the lower classes drank alcohol regularly, thus it was them who became the main criminal face of Britain.
‘Jekyll and Hyde’ shows the large amount of repression that the upper class Victorians experienced, not only with the alcohol aspect. They had to behave in a certain way, and repress their real thoughts, just as Utterson and Dr Lanyon did. Jekyll similarly did this, but was unable to stay in the ‘prison house of my disposition’ and act as he should have. In Henry Jekyll’s full statement of the case, Jekyll explains how he felt ‘like a schoolboy’. This insinuates that he is being repressed by society, like a school might repress a boy who does not want to obey rules or regulations. It suggests that Jekyll is like a schoolboy who wants to break the rules and do what he likes without taking any responsibility for his actions.
Henry Jekyll does not want to be controlled through his life, and decides to create a drug that will change him into a person who can enjoy the pleasures that he cannot. He wants to ‘strip off those lendings and spring headlong into a sea of liberty’, which means he would prefer to be in control of his own life instead of following the guidelines of Victorian society. Therefore he begins the process of making himself into an evil human being, Hyde. At the end, Jekyll realises that Hyde is repressing him, comparing to the repression that Jekyll is under from Victorian society.
‘I was slowly losing hold of my original and better self, and becoming slowly incorporated with my second and worse.’
The idea of losing control of oneself was a dreaded concept, as the Victorians liked being in control of their lives, and therefore this would have contributed to the horror of the novel.
The Victorian era was also a time of great change; in 1859, Charles Darwin produced a theory of evolution, which suggests that we evolved from a primitive species. Robert Louis Stevenson implied in his book that Darwin’s theory was, in fact, true. This would have been a major issue in the Victorian period, as religion was still important to the nation, and Darwin’s theory contradicted the Bible, which some people did not like. However, this might have caused some of the public to believe that the concept was true. Therefore they would question their faith and ultimately be very frightened by the novel, as it made presumptions that Hyde was a primitive species, like an ape. This would frighten the public, as they would think that all people have a little bit of Hyde in them, as we evolved from apes, (as he is described) and would get scared of their inner negative feelings. ‘Troglodytic’ is a key quote from the story, meaning like a caveman. This persuades the reader that Hyde is used to primitive methods, such as using a club to kill a man for no apparent reason. It is hinted that Hyde is an angry man, as he is described as having ‘ape-like fury’ when he ‘tramples’ on his murder victim, Sir Danvers Carew. Hyde’s anger would terrify Victorian society because it would seem that he is capable of doing much more in a rage, that any ordinary man could.
However, Hyde is not only compared to apes and cavemen. He has an animal’s nature. His instinct is not to die, which is like an animal’s. An animal that he could be compared to is a fox. Foxes are sly and cunning, and hunt for their victims, generally sheep. Jekyll’s servants can be described as Hyde’s prey, as they are ‘huddled together like a flock of sheep’ when Utterson arrives to find out what the problem is with Dr Jekyll. Poole is seen as the sheepdog, trying to keep the flock safe from their predator. He is very much like a dog, as he knows what his master’s voice is like, and recognises when something is wrong with Jekyll. Since Darwin’s Theory intrigued Victorians, it made them warier of all animal comparisons in the novel.
It becomes evident after ‘stamping with his foot’ on Carew, that Hyde feels he needs to have control, very much like a young child who has to have his own way. The ending of the novel also shows this, as Hyde is adamant that he will take over Jekyll, even if it means he must die for this to be achieved. He is also like a child when he goes to Lanyon’s house. He goes in clothes that are too big for his small stature, like a child dressing in his father’s clothes. This could be interpreted as Hyde trying to be something that he is not, resembling a man who acts naturally, so as not to raise Dr Lanyon’s suspicion. Victorian society was enthralled yet repelled by the new scientific discoveries and the possibilities that the powers of science could enable man to interfere with human nature.
Stevenson’s novel is a mysterious novel, filled with secrecy, which therefore provokes curiosity in the reader, as Victorians were obsessed with secrets, or rather, knowing what those secrets were. The sealed letter inside a sealed letter encourages the reader to think that there is more between Jekyll and his involvement with Hyde than is let on, which therefore causes suspense for the reader; it would make the audience want to find out what was behind these mysterious uncertainties. The letter arouses suspicions that there are hidden layers in the tale and all is not quite as it might seem.
Stevenson uses pathetic fallacy to create his mysterious mood, he set many scenes late at night, which is the typical sinister, creepy setting and is the image of secrecy. When Hyde murders Carew, the weather is very foggy and windy. The wind could be compared to Hyde, as it can manage to sweep into the strangest of places, and you can never seem to escape it. Being unable to escape from something was an idea that was very daunting to Victorian society. In a similar way to both Hyde and Jekyll, they liked to know that they had their privacy and could hide away from what they did not like.
The fact that Hyde is small (in contrast to criminals in other books) could be perceived that he is like a spider, as many people are frightened of spiders, although they are small. Spiders can get practically anywhere, even in to the tiny places where you would not expect them to go. This means that he could find his way in and out of trouble, and could worm his way into other people’s business, like Utterson thought had happened to Jekyll. Especially in London at that period of time, and in Soho, where Hyde lived, as it was a ‘labyrinth’ where ‘extraordinary quickness’ and agility means that he can quickly pass by, but leave behind a strange presence. Due to this, the audience would have been extremely scared, especially if they lived in an area like Soho, or even a place with many winding alleys. This is because it would have increased their fear of the unknown, which was already very intense.
The word ‘dark’ is used many times in ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. For example, ‘dark way’ and ‘dark influence’. This could be because Hyde is a dark character, who likes to lurk around silently in the dark of the night. In addition, all the characters in the book are kept in the dark about the truth, (except for Jekyll and Hyde), and need a clue ‘to lighten this destiny’. Victorians could have related to the novel in this way, as they might have felt that God was keeping them in the dark about their true ancestors (primitive species, as Darwin suggested). This would have caused them to be confused about their belief in God, and might have deterred them from their Christian faith.
The fact that Jekyll is an experimental Scientist would have caused the Victorian public to be suspicious of him, as in that era people did not fully trust scientists, as they did not know what they were capable of, as it seemed that scientists were often too powerful. Religion is also an issue here, as to go against God was a major sin, and therefore after Jekyll has been said to have ‘every mark of capacity and kindness’; the reader becomes intrigued when Jekyll’s ‘scientific heresies’ are mentioned. This implies that there is something more sinister going on between Jekyll and Hyde, especially after Poole mentions to Utterson that ‘he mostly comes and goes by the laboratory.’ This links Hyde to the ‘scientific heresies’, which gives the impression that Hyde gets involved with Satan and goes against God. This daunting prospect would alarm the Victorian public, as any heresy would be unnerving, but as science was involved, it made it even more dubious, as the Victorians tended to be scared of the unknown.
‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ appealed to the collective consciousness of Victorian society, by involving things that were actually concerned with them as a whole, such as repression. All people had been repressed by society, like Jekyll had been, and so they could have been scared that such a thing might happen to them. Also it would have increased people’s awareness about alcohol, and the horrific effects it might have, such as turning someone from a respectable person into a terrifying monstrosity. It is possible that people began to question their Christian faith after reading this novel, and could have thought more about Darwin’s theory of evolution, and recognised the animal like qualities in all humans. It was certainly a thought provoking and innovative novel, which caused Victorians to think differently about their society.
