Although it is not clearly shown, at the beginning of the novel, Stevenson gives the readers a slight foreshadow of Dr Jekyll’s more disturbing side. Amongst the descriptions of Jekyll’s spotless appearance, the chapter is full of Jekyll repeatedly lying to Mr Utterson. This also supports the theory that Stevenson is implying that evil is present in us all, and that we, ourselves have two contrasting and conflicting natures.
Stevenson is also able to portray contrasting characters in each major scene. For example, as Jekyll is lying and defending Hyde’s actions, Utterson is sharply contrasted in his quest for morality and the truth. Stevenson uses this comparison to display the hypocrisy of Jekyll, which he describes as “Jekyll’s greatest fault”.
In particular, the stark contrast between Dr Jekyll himself and Mr Hyde is quite obvious. Whilst onlookers may describe Hyde as “so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running,” Henry Jekyll is a well-respected citizen, who is a “good” doctor with a high reputation. Even though Jekyll is described in such a way, there is a point where Dr Lanyon says, “He began to go wrong, wrong in the mind;” which hints at the discoveries which are later to come.
Another duality, which Stevenson explores, is man and the reversion back to Neolithic characteristics. Hyde is often referred to as being animal-like. This theme seems similar to William Golding’s book, ‘Lord of the Flies’, in which the character’s regression to an animalistic state seems to be due to instinct and evil. This seems to bear many similarities to Jekyll’s experimentation with Hyde.
One of the more interesting themes of the novel is that ultimately evil is stronger than good. The first noticeable point that indicates this in the novel is that in Hyde there is no Jekyll, whereas in Jekyll, Hyde is always present. Stevenson implies that there is no way to break free from the evil inside you. Hyde is not a completely separate person, but a projection of Jekyll’s darker side. Although Jekyll seems to have no control over Hyde, once he has transformed, it is Jekyll’s original attitude towards evil in the first place, which lands him in this trouble. He regards the ability to lose moral control and be free from the ties of society as a kind of liberation, which is why the transformation into Mr Hyde is so appealing to him. It is not that he has no regard to society as a whole, else he would have committed the crimes he did, without the need for transformation, but cannot tolerate that certain behaviour is prohibited. By assuming the form of Hyde, Jekyll is able to pursue his wildest imaginations without worrying about the consequences. In short, he feels free and liberated, whilst still maintaining his respectable reputation as Jekyll (himself).
The only problem that arises from becoming Hyde is that the more time he spends as Hyde, the stronger the hold that Hyde has over him becomes, until eventually Jekyll finds himself waking up as Hyde every time he falls asleep. He says, “I was slowly losing hold of my original and better self, and becoming slowly incorporated with my second and worse.”
The “good”, in the form of Henry Jekyll is soon overpowered by the “evil” Mr Hyde. Both sides – Jekyll and Hyde – finally begin to merge into one. When Hyde commits a crime, Dr Jekyll tries to make up for the evil. What we must ask is, is Dr Jekyll just as much to blame as Mr Hyde, because it was he who unleashed him in the first place; or, is he innocent since he can’t control Hyde’s actions? However, it was Dr Jekyll’s anxiety to pull the cover on his own life, and become his own test Guinea-pig by exploring the possibilities of his two in one theories that has produced these horrible results in the first place.
The narrative technique of Stevenson, also reflects the split between ‘good and ‘evil’. Throughout the novel, Stevenson shifts to alternating points of view, from first person to third person narrative, then back again. This shift mimics the confusion between the two natures of both Jekyll and Hyde and the inner conflict going on inside ‘them’. Jekyll also uses language in an attempt to distance himself from Hyde and continually feels the need to provide some sort of compensation for Hyde’s behaviour. It almost seems that the apology for disobeying the rules of society, (which is what Jekyll was trying to escape from in the first place), is then driving him back to assume the shape of Hyde and be ‘free’ once more. It is a downward spiral for Dr Jekyll.
The circle closes, however, with the imagery of the last paragraph. The novel began with Jekyll’s desire to separate the moral aspects from himself, so that he could commit evil without feeling remorse (although he often did, once he transformed back into Jekyll). The cost of this, though was a deadly reversal of dominance. In the end, Hyde cause Jekyll to commit the ultimate act of self-destruction; suicide.
Stevenson uses various ways, such as narrative technique, foreshadowing, contrasting characters and setting and a broad exploration of man’s two-sided nature in order to portray the split between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in the strange tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He does this, in particular, by suggesting that good cannot be present without evil and that evil is inherent in us all. He also implies that evil will always, ultimately, overpower good if it is given the opportunity to surface, as it cannot easily be controlled. This is shown by the suicide of Dr Jekyll under the influence of Mr Hyde.
What Stevenson portrays throughout the whole novel is that if you give evil an inch, it will take a mile and evil will ultimately overcome good, even if that wasn’t the initial intention.
