"If I Am The Chief Of Sinners, Then I Am The Chief Of Sufferers Also" - To What Extent Can The Reader Feel Sympathy For Dr Jekyll?

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"If I Am The Chief Of Sinners, Then I Am The Chief Of Sufferers Also" - To What Extent Can The Reader Feel Sympathy For Dr Jekyll?

In terms of this book, I think that it's difficult for me to place Jekyll as a complete sinner or a complete sufferer due to the varying influences of the other characters, the society of the time and the drug that Jekyll uses. My opinion of him tends to fluctuate throughout the book. Certainly, some of the language used by Stevenson can be rather grotesque at times and at others, heart wrenching. As the storyline progresses, the reader becomes more aware of what has happened to the reputable Dr Henry Jekyll and how his life gets turned upside down. However, our suspicions are only totally confirmed in "Dr Lanyon's Narrative" and "Henry Jekyll's statement of the case". Through the story, Jekyll displays acts of recklessness but also kindness and surprising self-control at times. It's these episodes, mainly in his statement of the case that I will analyze in order to draw a conclusion about his character and to what extent the title quote is true.

I believe that the quote "If