The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson and having since been made into numerous film and television adaptations, The Strange of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1886) despite being such a short story –a mere 87 pages long in fact- is one that still holds a lot of relevance to this very day. The themes that Stevenson explores about duality of identity, the psychological effect of location upon a being, and the dangers of addiction are strong, recurrent, and gripping, thus culminating in a book that stands the test of time to such a degree that it even becomes better with the passing years. 

A lawyer and his colleague are taking a stroll when the colleague regales him with a tale of wickedness that he recently witnessed: a brute of a man trampled a small girl and left her screaming in the street. Upon hearing the name of the brute, the lawyer is surprised to learn that the character in person in a recipient in a strange will of his friend, the noted and esteemed Dr. Henry Jekyll. As the lawyer conducts his own research, the character of this Mr. Edward Hyde, becomes more and more strange and deplorable and he suffers to think that his friend might be trapped in a horrible relationship with the man. His suspicions are confirmed as the countenance of his friend rapidly changes from lively and warm to deathly ill, but when the truth comes out it is more horrifying then anything he could have imagined. 

Let it be known that whilst practically everyone knows the ‘twist’ of Jekyll & Hyde, the story is more about the lawyer’s gradual discovery of the two sides of the same person so this little synopsis reflects what narratively tales place in the story. 

The brilliance of this novel comes in the form of the gripping themes that Stevenson explores blended with the nonchalant way in which he narrates them. The horror of the dual personality theme and the danger of addiction is actually made all the more terrifying by the lack of words that Stevenson uses to describe it. He just picks the best and most singularly strong words that just hit home with the emotion and the horror and it’s wonderful. 

Jekyll & Hyde is a wonderful book because it is one that you can interpret in different ways. On the one hand you can read it as a gothic, chemical, science fiction story about a man who realises that there are two sides of his personality and so concocts a drug that allows him to separate his good self from his bad self in different bodies and indulge whatever dark desires he pleases. From a Freudian perspective the story is pretty much all about getting rid of the ego and having the id exist in one body and the superego in another without an inhibitor to censure its behaviour. 

On the other hand, you can read it as a gothic tale of addiction to a substance whether it be alcohol, as represented by the liquid drug that Jekyll takes, or cocaine, as represented by the powder he infuses into it. Either way, Jekyll becomes a slave to this addiction of his ‘drug’ so much so that the actions he takes when under the influence, manage to bleed into the life of his good self and destroy it; a bit like Requiem For a Dream, though more gothic. 

Then again, you could look at this story in terms of traumascapes and the psychological impact of a location on a person. The smoggy London streets are the perfect setting for such a tale of forbidden indulgence and violence with their gloominess and sultriness always being made note of whenever Hyde is present. During the mellow and even nice time of the day is when Jekyll is presented at his best. 

On an interesting aside note, the psychological aspect of this story that Stevenson explores was used in 1888 to explain the before unseen type of savagery that surrounded the Ripper murders. 

Filled with drama, suspense, mystery, and tragedy, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is a fantastic book that just gets better and more relative with age. It’s a true classic.