Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on November 13th 1950. His father, Thomas Stevenson, and his mother Margaret Isabella Balfour a leading lighthouse engineer. There is a quote that Stevenson set (Page 16) “Round the corner from the by-street there was a square of ancient, handsome houses, now for the most part decayed from their high estate and let in flats and chambers to all sorts and conditions of the men: map engravers, architects, shady lawyers, and the agents of obscure enterprises.” In this quote Stevenson is showing how Edinburgh was when he was still living there and added it to the book to show how equal everyone was treated and those men with the lowest job and men with the highest job live in the same types of houses and flat. He showed how everyone were equally paid and lived at the same level no matter the job. London had different side with a greater difference between 17th century and today. (Page 24) “The dismal quarter of Soho seen under these changing glimpses, with its muddy ways, and slatternly passengers, and its lamps, which had never been extinguished or had been kindled afresh to combat this mournful re-invasion of darkness, seemed, in the lawyer's eyes, like a district of some city in a nightmare.” This quote shows the dark side of London in the Soho which emphasizes the deep true side of London's dark streets.
This mysterious novella uses doors and windows acting as barriers to an unknown hidden side. (Page 15) “The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house.” This quote briefly indicates that Mr. Hyde is trying to hide from Mr. Utterson by unlocking the door and running away to leave Mr. Utterson a picture of disquietude for him to solve.
(Page 60) “Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me and take stock of my
progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of me.” This quotation tells us how great pleasure he feels when Dr. Jekyll drinks the potion and he admits that he had created a ‘profound duplicate’. This potion gets a different view from Dr. Jekyll and he starts to notice the worst of his potion. There is another quote which shows that Dr. Jekyll took the potion and transformed feeling younger, lighter and happier. (Page 63) “I felt younger, lighter, and happier in body.”
The structure of the novella and its narration has a duality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This whole novella is told in Mr. Utterson perspective point of view, apart from the last two chapters which are narrated by Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll. On Page 53 Dr. Jekyll wrote a letter to Dr. Lanyon ending it with his initials “Your friend, H.J” and on Page 59 at the end Dr. Lanyon prints his name at the end of his document “Hastie Lanyon”.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are not the only characters in this novella that are important. Mr. Utterson plays a huge role in this novella because the whole book is told in his prospective point of view. Utterson, a lawyer and loyal friend of Jekyll's is the character the narrator focuses on, and follows in his quest to discover the identity of Hyde. Utterson is described as a cautious, and at all times unemotional, bachelor who is even believable, trustworthy, open-minded of the faults of others, and indeed genuinely likable. (Page 13) If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek." Poole is Dr. Jekyll’s butler who, upon noticing the reclusiveness and changes of Dr. Jekyll, goes to Mr. Utterson with the fear that Dr. Jekyll has been murdered and his murderer, Mr Hyde, is settling in his chambers. Poole serves Jekyll faithfully, and attempts to do a good job and be loyal to him. Yet mysterious events finally drive him into joining forces with Utterson to discover the truth. Enfield is Mr Utterson's cousin and ally to his investigation. He is the person who mentions to the lawyer the actual personality of Jekyll's heir, Mr Hyde. Enfield witnessed Hyde running over a little girl in the street recklessly, and he force Hyde into writing a cheque for the girl's family. Enfield discovers that the cheque was signed by Dr Jekyll. The cheque is found to be genuine. (Page 6-7) “The figure was stiff; but the signature was good for more than that, if it was only genuine.”
In my own opinions to sum it all up I think that Stevenson lasting moral message is everyone has two people and I can believe that 100% and he is also trying to say be yourself and don’t create something that you’re not.