How does Robert Louis Stevenson depict the relationship between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and what in your view, does Mr Hyde represent and how effectively does Robert Louis Stevenson account for the existence of Mr Hyde?

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Harriet Lund 11V

How does Robert Louis Stevenson depict the relationship between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and what in your view, does Mr Hyde represent and how effectively does Robert Louis Stevenson account for the existence of Mr Hyde?

Robert Louis Stevenson loved horror stories. When he wrote The Unusual Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde he saw a way to examine and express ideas about human nature through a work of fiction. He had had an interest in human behaviour for some time and in some ways this was an experiment in the society of the time to see how the Victorians would react to the ideas he was sending out.

 But he didn’t want to have to tell the reader these ideas outright. Instead, he provided enough information to the reader so that the ideas would dawn in the reader’s own mind gradually. Hence he uses different narrative viewpoints and mystery to unfold the strange effects that occur in his novella.

The relationship between Jekyll and Hyde is unknown at the beginning of the story. All that is known is that for some strange reason Dr Jekyll, who is a very respectable man, has chosen Mr Hyde to be the sole heir to his estate. This is very strange as even from the first time we meet Mr Hyde he appears to be a mean character and to quote a character from the book “I had taken a loathing to the gentleman at first sight.” He seems to have no concern for any one or thing. Why would Jekyll leave all that he owns to a person such as Hyde and why does he refer to the man as “his friend and benefactor,”?

In reality Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship is that of mutual dependence. Hyde is a part of Jekyll and Hyde needs him for shelter and protection especially after the murder of Danvers Carew. Jekyll needs Hyde so he can express the not so nice side of himself “safely”. But in having this relationship Jekyll is no longer a good man. He maintains that it was Hyde who did all the deeds but it really was himself and Hyde is just a part of him, the form of expression. The clause in the will, in reality, is so that Jekyll would not lose any of his own possessions and that a part of him, be it Hyde or himself, would have them.

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One main theme that runs behind the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde is secrecy. Dr Jekyll is a respectable man, yet he at several times is secretive to help Hyde. When Danvers Carew is murdered Jekyll assures Utterson that Hyde will never be seen again and all he has heard from him was a letter. But when Utterson checks with Jekyll’s man servant about the letter he finds that none was ever delivered and that Jekyll must have forged it “indeed it had been written in the cabinet…”. Hyde himself is secretive. He goes about his work by night, ...

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