There is also duality created in the contrast between the street and the back entrance as the street seems to be really clean, ‘The Street was small and what is called quiet, but it drove a thriving trade on the week-days. The inhabitants were doing well, it seemed’, but then there is this ugly, misplaced entrance.
The setting that describes the front entrance to Jekyll’s house is completely the opposite of Hyde’s back entrance. Jekyll’s front entrance is very attractive and nice, but some of the other houses around have decayed over time and the people living in them foreshadow what Jekyll is going to become ‘Shady lawyers, and the agents of obscure enterprises’. The decaying houses could also represent that when he becomes Hyde his morals decay. In addition, the fact he keeps his house nice is only a façade and he only wants to keep up appearances. There are two parts to Jekyll’s house, the well kept front (that he wants people to see) and the horrible back (which he doesn’t want viewed) so the property is an effective image of duality. The line in the book that says ‘one house, however, second from the corner, was still occupied entire; and at the door of this, which wore a great air of wealth and comfort, though it was now plunged in the darkness’ is a very interesting one as it is though Jekyll’s house is getting darker and darker as Hyde becomes more prominent in him. It could also represent the fact that the rest of the street have pursued darker things, and that Jekyll is the next in line and the darkness is gradually taking him over.
The exterior setting of Carew’s murder and Soho is one of the most powerful settings in the whole novella. The fog, ‘the first fog of the season’, that is all over Soho could represent the mystery of this story and that everything is still very much unclear. The fog could also symbolise that Jekyll is hiding. When Stevenson writes that ‘occasionally patches of light shine through the fog’ it signifies that there is still some light left, but not much. The mass of fog also creates a sense of foreboding, as there is so much fog that it is almost impossible to overcome. Stevenson also puts that ‘the fog is swirling around like wreaths’. This is significant as wreaths are laid at funerals thus underlining that someone has just been killed, but could also foreshadow further death. Stevenson uses an excellent image as he shows that there is a battle between the wind (which is trying to make the light come through) and the fog (which is trying to cover up everything) ‘the wind was continually charging and routing these embattled vapours’. This battle image could also relate to the battle between Jekyll and his alter-ego Hyde. This battle is also recurrent as it happens over and over again. Another interpretation of this battle image is that Utterson is trying to battle his way through the fog and mystery to find out the truth.
The setting of Soho echoes hell through Stevenson using words such as ‘conflagration’. Even the ‘Gin Palace’ represents duality as Palace suggests a grand building but ‘gin palace’ makes it sound like a horrible place as gin was cheap and was what people used to drink if they were having a bad time to numb the pain of life. The setting is supposed to be morning time but it is dark. This could show that something sinister has happened or is going on. Moreover, in the Victorian era, there was a lot of pollution from factories thus the fog was made of up of ‘chemicals’. This could symbolise Jekyll’s use of chemicals to turn himself into Hyde. Fog can also blind people and this could also show that people can’t see the connection between Jekyll and Hyde. The line ‘a great chocolate coloured-pall lowered over heaven’ represents duality as chocolate is supposed to be nice but here the colour appears sinister – this can also apply to Jekyll as most people think that he is a respectable man but he is also very bitter (when he becomes Hyde). Also, a pall is what is put over a dead body when it is put into a coffin, so this suggests that there has been death and again represents duality.
The setting which describes Hyde’s apartment is very interesting as it has aspects that show some good but then has very bad aspects as well. There is silver crockery and cutlery, a good tasteful picture hanging on the wall; there are luxurious carpets on the floor and the place is furnished with good taste. This shows that even though Hyde is bad, there is a shimmer of hope left. On the other hand, there are a lot of bad aspects about his room; it has been ‘hurriedly ransacked’, there are clothes on the floor with ‘pockets inside out’, there are drawers open, there’s a pile of ashes where papers have been burned and half the stick that was used to murder Carew. These evil aspects show that the truth is finally starting to come out. It could also show that the Hyde inside Jekyll is starting to come out and dominate.
I think that this novella would have been a disturbing read for Victorian readers as I think that many of them could see themselves as Jekyll as some Victorians led double lives just like him. I think that the most disturbing and descriptive piece of text is the Carew murder setting as there is so much imaginative description in it and Stevenson uses some brilliant imagery in this setting for example ‘A great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven, but the wind was continually charging and routing these embattled vapours’. I think that Stevenson is saying that there is a Hyde inside everyone and that everyone has a darker side but I think that this novella was mainly a message to the Victorians as they led double lives just like Jekyll. I think that the main message he is trying to get across is that if you let your dark side get too strong then it could lead to your downfall.
