Robert Louis Stevenson presents an interesting situation in the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Good versus Evil is one of the main themes, which links into Religion. Dr. Jekyll is a normal ‘good’ Victorian gentleman until he becomes consumed by the malevolent intent of Mr. Hyde; Hyde is so evil that Jekyll frantically searches for a key ingredient in his cure to inhibit the process of the transformations into Mr. Hyde. This is evident when Jekyll says “My provision of the salt . . . began to run low . . . I had London ransacked.” (P87). Jekyll is talking about his key ingredient and how he seems to be in panic as he tries to look for it everywhere. The way the word “ransacked” in used, indicates just how desperate Jekyll is to stop Hyde from controlling him again. Jekyll believes that Victorian Society is too constrained; in other words he wishes to be free and the only way he can do this is to change into Mr. Hyde. The way in which Dr. Jekyll tries to prevent the transformations will remind readers of the way God tries to stop Satan’s acts of immorality.
People from the Victorian era (late 19th century) held strong religious beliefs (Christianity); however, due to the discoveries made by Charles Darwin, science began to question some of the aspects of Christianity. Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) may have been influenced by Darwin’s ideas; Dr. Jekyll explores with science, as does Darwin and both scientists make extraordinary discoveries. When Lanyon calls Jekyll’s scientific experiments “Scientific balderdash”, he is talking about how much he feels that Jekyll’s scientific results are unreliable and maybe even a complete waste of time. However, Jekyll believes his ideas are completely viable. Charles Darwin also believed his theory of evolution was realistic, in spite of this, the scientific community failed to agree. Duality is explored through science in this novel through the outcomes of scientific discovery; some outcomes may be positive (good), others will be a negative result (bad). RLS cleverly capitalises on science (which is like the back drop of the novel) to create an effect, which allows corroboration between Darwin and Jekyll’s ideas. This similarity between Jekyll and Darwin shows how RLS may have been influenced by the ideas of Darwin and the speculation surrounding his ideas.
RLS uses descriptive language, of various places to subtly compare these settings to Jekyll and Hyde. This is evident when Stevenson describes Jekyll’s house by saying, “A square on ancient, handsome houses . . . One house . . . now plunged in darkness” (p23). The first part of the quote subtly highlights the fact that Jekyll is not the villain in the novel, in other words he is more or less a perfect Victorian gentleman; perfect Victorian gentlemen are described as handsome and in the same way, RLS describes the houses as handsome, linking the idea of a perfect Victorian gentleman to Dr. Jekyll. This may also symbolise how mature (in age and in behaviour), Jekyll is. The latter part of the quote talks about how Jekyll’s house is plunged in darkness and seems to refer to Hyde; he is a character with many bad/evil secrets, he hides things from people. This quote shows how ordinary something/someone may be, however there may be hidden secrets lying beneath the surface. When RLS uses the word “plunged” it represents how the house is standing alone (even though there are many houses surrounding it); there may be hidden secrets within the walls of the house, which are sealed off from the rest of the world because the darkness acts as a barrier. Also there are notable differences between the handsome houses and the house plunged into darkness, there are also differences between Jekyll and Hyde; both physical (things such as height and stature) and mental differences. However, there are also similarities. Even though the houses are different, they are still fundamentally houses. This is the same with Jekyll and Hyde; they may act and think differently, but they are still human beings and share similar qualities – (handwriting for instance). So through this, RLS is saying that Jekyll and Hyde are both different and they are similar/the same; it is this which gives the two men their dual quality.
Robert Louis Stevenson uses other characters in the novel to explore duality. An example of this would be Mr. Utterson. It is very interesting to note how Stevenson discusses how Utterson has a dual quality (On the first page of the novel). This is evident when Stevenson writes, “When the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye.”(P9). This quote gives a first indication of what the novel may be about; Jekyll takes a potion and turns into Hyde, and Utterson drinks alcohol (a mixture of substances) to transform into something/someone new (The audience at the time would have needed descriptions like this for them to be able to fully gage what RLS was trying to express because of the lack of visual aids). This quote is also an example of how, through descriptive language, Stevenson is able to engage the reader and give them ideas to link to other parts of the novel. The fact that the substance which Utterson drinks is wine (alcohol) makes it clear that a change will occur involving a substance which takes away the inhibitions of the person using it. When Utterson drinks this wine, he becomes more human; when Jekyll takes the potion and changes into Mr. Hyde, he becomes more evil. The change in both men shows how when different substances are taken, there are different outcomes and consequences. The glint in Utterson’s eye is a small sign, however when Jekyll changes into Hyde there is a big difference, mainly a physical change. When Utterson changes, he is still Utterson, however, when Jekyll changes, he is a different thing (creature) all together. This contrast shows that because the potion Jekyll takes is different to the wine Utterson takes, again, there is a different outcome. The human nature of both Jekyll and Utterson become altered by the use of the substances, demonstrating RLS’s shrewdness to create an effect, which highlights the changes that can occur in human behaviour. Stevenson cleverly shows duality in Utterson to highlight Jekyll and Hyde’s dual quality, later on in the novel.
The novel itself reveals dual qualities too. The fact that the novel has two endings signifies a type of unwitting testimony by Robert Louis Stevenson in the sense that, he may not have intended the ending(s) of the novel to generate such intense scrutiny. Mr. Utterson narrates the novel at first; the reader is reading his point of view. The reader is able to see events as they unfold from a man who takes it upon himself to investigate the strange goings-on concerning Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The last two chapters of the novel are not only alternative endings, but are also written from the point of view of two other people: Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Lanyon’s narrative describes a less detailed version of the truth surrounding Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, although it does give a good indication of how he died. The second “ending” (from Jekyll’s point of view), shows the reader the real motive behind Jekyll’s transformations and the events leading up to his death; it gives much more detail. Dr. Jekyll’s point of view highlights how happy and younger he felt after taking the potion; this tells the reader how even though Jekyll changes into a “bad” character, he seems to be very content. Stevenson uses these two endings, again, to give hints to the reader about the dual quality (ies) of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
In conclusion, it is evidently shown that Robert Louis Stevenson uses many aspects of the novel (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) to discuss the themes of duality. He also uses themes from other places (such as Darwin’s ideas), to aid him to portray the duality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It is these two parts, used together, which culminate in the success of this novel and its ability to describe duality well.
