The Strange Case Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Concept AnalysisLiterary Text: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (Pocket Books, Simon and Schuster, Inc. First Edition)
Plot Summary
Gabriel Utterson, a prominent lawyer living in London, is suspicious of the will his dear friend Dr. Jekyll places in his care. The will identifies the mysterious Mr. Hyde as Jekyll’s sole recipient and Mr. Utterson fears his friend has been blackmailed into creating the document. After careful observations, his uncertainties are only deepened as he witnesses the cruel actions and haunting presence of Mr. Hyde. When Mr. Hyde is charged with the murder of Sir Danvers
Carew, a prominent member of Parliament, Utterson confronts Dr. Jekyll concerning the whereabouts of the murderer. But the convicted man seems to have vanished into thin air. Utterson’s life and his friendship with Dr. Jekyll return to normal until Jekyll suddenly refuses to see visitors and remains constantly locked in his room and requesting strange medicines. When Jekyll’s butler suspects foul play, they break into the room only to find the dead body of Mr. Hyde. The only clues to Jekyll’s fate are series of documents addressed to Utterson that finally reveal the truth.
Organizational Patterns
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is divided into ten chapters. The chapters are not numbered, but appropriately named for content. The first eight chapters are told based on the observations and view points of the English Lawyer, Gabriel Utterson. The last two chapters
consist of important documents found by Utterson that explain the mysterious events of the story. Chapter 9, “Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative,” explains the observances of one of Jekyll’s closest friends and reveals gruesome information that caused his early death. Chapter 10, “Henry Jekyll’s Full
Statement of the Case,” then gives a first hand account from Dr. Jekyll about Mr. Hyde and their intimate relationship.
Central Question / Enduring Issue
“Those provinces of good and ill which divide and compound man’s dual nature.” – pg.71
Is human nature inherently good or evil?
Jekyll’s control wanes. When Mr. Hyde eventually overpowers Dr. Jekyll, he causes both of their deaths.
To which side of human nature is man more susceptible, the evil or good? Do individuals have any choice in the matter?
Dr. Jekyll explains that his original desire was to separate the good side of human nature from the evil that kept it from always doing good, thus “relieving life of all that [is] unbearable.” (pg. 72) When he finally succeeds in making the correct drug to illicit the separation, he notes that it did not particularly favor good or evil, it just prompted the separation of the two. Because Dr. Jekyll’s “evil [side] was kept awake by ambition” at the time he first took the drug, he became all evil and his goodness “slumbered” (pg. 76). Every time afterward, Dr. Jekyll took the drug as a release from righteous duties and responsibility instead of using it to oust the evil and replace it with only good. The question remains open as to whether his life outcome would have been different had he used the drug to enhance his innate goodness instead of his inherent evil. An interesting comparison can also be made between the selfless character of Gabriel Utterson and the secretly self-indulging character of Dr. Jekyll. Choice determined which side of human nature would prevail in their lives and this choice led to drastically different outcomes.
Issues Related to Study of Literature
Themes
The Double Nature of Man
The central theme of the novel is the double/dual nature of humankind. This theme becomes especially prevalent in the ending chapters of the novel when Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll are identified as the same person. Dr. Jekyll especially comments on this dual nature and its central role in his experiments. After living with the detrimental influence of Mr. Hyde, Jekyll discovers that these two sides of human nature are truly inseparable and that any attempt to disassociate the good from the bad leads to madness.
Tests of Friendship
The main characters of the novel are all good friends. Mr. Utterson, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and Dr. Hastie Lanyon often see each other for legal and medical advice. Both Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Lanyon entrust their wills to Mr. Utterson, and in the end, Dr. Jekyll bequeaths all his possessions to Utterson as well. They often spend evenings together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. However, the strengths of their friendships weaken under the influence of Mr. Hyde. When Dr. Jekyll asks Dr. Lanyon for private help in transforming from Hyde back to Jekyll, their friendship is dissolved and they become estranged. Utterson remains a faithful friend to the end, but we are left to wonder what would have happened had he learned about the truth before Jekyll’s death.
Similar to the main character in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll strives to surpass the traditional bounds of science and medicine. When he succeeds in separating human character, he uses this new-found knowledge irresponsibly. He indulges himself with the ability to escape reality and avoid responsibility for evil pleasure. In the long run, he must pay for his decisions and actions.
Appearances and Hidden Truth
Appearances are vital parts of life for all the characters in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The desire to keep a good reputation is what prevents Dr. Jekyll from acting on his evil desires in the first place. When Mr. Hyde first tramples the little girl, the policemen threaten first to ruin his name, and then to punish him. He produces the check only to preserve his name as a respectable gentleman. Stevenson uses wordplay and comparisons to juxtapose truth and appearances in descriptions (like those of the houses of the “respectable” gentlemen of the story and the dilapidated houses in other areas of London) and names (Mr. Hyde hides behind the righteous façade provided by Dr. Jekyll).
Other Themes: Responsibility and Accountability, Repression and Victorian Society, Society of Bachelors
Setting
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde takes place in the busy streets of London England during the late 1800’s. No precise dates are given, however, many letters are dated with the generic 18 – and the last chapter notes that Dr. Jekyll was even born in the same century, indicating that the bulk of the novel takes place in the second half of the century. Most of the action takes place in the streets of London and in Dr. Jekyll’s peculiar house which connects to a laboratory and a separate living arrangement to which Mr. Hyde has a key.
Point of View / Narrative Voice
The novel is written in the third person limited omniscient point of view. The narrator, an unknown third party, tells the entire story mainly from the view of the lawyer Mr. Gabriel
Utterson. The last two chapters consist of letters written from the first person perspectives of Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll.
Connection to Literary Terms
This novel features a series of important literary terms that students should learn and recognize as effective literary devices for this novel.
1. Allusion
Throughout the novel, the narrator uses allusions to expand descriptions and understanding. While some will be obvious without further study, many will require students to do further research to understand the meaning. Students should recognize the way the specific allusions used enhance the major themes and tone of the book.
2. Rising Action / Climax / Falling Action
Students should be able to recognize these aspects of the book. This is a simple novel to use for teaching these concepts because of the single central climax and all the events that lead to it and then complete the story afterward.
3. Foreshadowing
This is used throughout the story as both the central character and reader do not know that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person until the end. After students finish the novel, the students should go back through the book and recognize this literary device and how it adds to readers’ understanding and prediction-making.
4. Frame Story
This novel could also be used to teach the concept of a frame story. Mr. Utterson tells Jekyll’s story and we learn of the complete story mostly through the letters shared with the reader by Mr. Utterson.
Affective Issues Related to the Work
At first glance, most of the characters in this work seem unrelatable to students. They are mostly older bachelors who live lives of luxury in nineteenth century England. Unlike other modern popular novels, teachers will have to show most students appropriate ways to connect with the main characters.
One main point students should be able to relate to is Utterson’s desire to help his friends he knows to be in trouble. Many students have friends and
acquaintances struggling with addictions, unpopularity, and family issues. By drawing these connections, students will be able to relate to the love and genuine concern that drives Mr. Utterson to spend the novel trying to help his friend, Dr. Jekyll. This study also provides and interesting comparison between the behaviors of Mr. Utterson and Dr. Lanyon in helping
their mutual friend. Would Mr. Utterson have treated Dr. Jekyll differently if he had known about his personal chemical experiments before he died? Students can relate to the different reactions and reflect on their own relationships with their friends.
Jekyll’s experiments. It could also lead to an interesting creative writing project comparing modern society to Victorian and finding ways to make human connections across centuries.
Vocabulary Issues
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written for the world in which it took place: Victorian England. Most of the allusions and language would have made complete sense to any reader’s of Stevenson’s day, but many have lost their popularity in modern language. There are some colloquialisms and references that would need to be explained to students for them to truly understand.
This offers a unique study in the use of allusions and the importance of identifying and using them to create effective writing. The novel also includes many vocabulary words that have gone out of fashion; it may be helpful to provide students with a basic vocabulary sheet and definitions to facilitate their reading and comprehension of the novel.
This novel also features many beautiful descriptive passages in which Stevenson uses the senses to describe the settings in ways that make them clearer to the reader. These descriptive passages set the tone for each section of the book. Students can use these passages to
understand the importance and construction of these descriptions and recognize their role in good writing.
Background Knowledge
In order to draw important connections from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, many students will benefit from some important background knowledge. Understand the basics of Victorian England, especially its restrictive social society, sets an important framework for Jekyll’s motivations and the study of one of the books central messages. This would also help students understand the important omission of women from the story and its meanings for the plot and characterization.
It could also be helpful for students to see and analyze some of the traditional clothing styles and housing protocols of Victorian
England. This would enhance their understanding of the changes between Jekyll and Hyde which Stevenson describes through a
comparison of their clothing, it would also help students understand why Hyde even carried that all-important murder weapon; his cane.
Students should also review the influence of Darwin and his new ideas that many struggled with. This would enhance the relationship between Lanyon and Jekyll and help students understand the academic rift between the two friends.
Implications for Students of Diversity
This novel has absolutely no mention of ethnic (or even gender) diversity, but this provides a unique opportunity for students to recognize the key elements of human nature that span culture and race. It would be interesting for students to examine how Mr. Hyde presents himself in his Victorian society and then study how he might act differently in different cultures. Students can draw connections and comparisons asking what he might do in modern America that differ from his actions in Victorian England.
This novel presents important gender issues with its complete omission of women from the main conflict of the novel. This provides and opportunity for students to study the traditional role of women in these novels (as the moral center or compass for male society) and its effect on the characters and their actions. It also allows for a study of stereotypes as students examine the minimal role of women as the stereotypical Victorian female, one prone to
fainting, worry, and general innocence.
The thorough absence of females from the story sets an interesting moral tone for the book and creates a completely new book: one completely devoid of a traditional love story. Students can understand this revolutionary concept as so many contemporary novels depend on the emotional ties and motivations of the love story to drive the book. It lays ground for more modern texts that divorce themselves from the love story as well.
Research Issues / Project Ideas
Some key ideas for research issues center on the basic two-fold nature of human character. This primary theme sets the scene for possible compare/contrast papers between different characters and cultures.
Imagine Hyde – Students can reflect on the differences between Jekyll and Hyde, and recognize the differences between the two. Then use the differences found to create a guess of what each students’ own Mr. Hyde would look like. How would he differ from the students natural selves? How would he look? Students can draw a picture, make a collage, use biopoems, write body biographies, etc. to explain the primary differences and what they represent.
*Variation: Recognizing that Mr. Hyde represented all the evil in Jekyll, have students locate context clues to examine the good traits of Dr. Jekyll. What would he have looked like if Mr. Hyde had been all good instead of all bad? What would their own good version of Mr. Hyde look like? Use the basic picture/collage idea to examine the differences.
What if? – What if any of the other characters had had access to Dr. Jekyll’s drug? Student’s can choose another character and use context cues to determine whether that character would have taken the drug. Then examine what their different versions of Mr. Hyde have done? Would they have been worse or better than Dr. Jekyll’s Mr. Hyde? Students could use a variety of writing genres or project ideas (letters, poems, narratives, dialogues) to demonstrate their ideas and this assignment would provide a good presentation opportunity and multiple class discussions.
No Love Story – Students examine the absence of the traditional love story in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After noting the differences between it and other, more traditional novels, students should reflect on how the love story influences the plot and characterization of a previously studied work. Students can use creative writing pieces, pictures, dioramas, videos, etc. to display how taking the love story out of that other novel would impact the story.
such as the murder of Sir Danvers, the initial transformation from Jekyll to Hyde, the trampling of the young girl, etc.
Making Connections – Many students will be familiar with the best selling Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and the use of the Polyjuice potion. Students can compare the similarities and differences between the potion and Dr. Jekyll’s drug (first introduced in the Second book of the Harry Potter series) How can both be used for good or evil?
Enrichment Resources
Academic Article – Beauty and the Beast
Written by an eccentric host of a television show, this article, and the book from which it comes, analyzes the double nature of humanity. It documents important evidence for both the good and bad sides of human nature, and could provide a good introduction to the concept.
Donahue, Phil. The Human Animal. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985.
Song – I was Jekyll, Jekyll, Hyde
A song analyzing the differences and similarities between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that students will remember and enjoy from the hit children’s show, Arthur.
Search Youtube for “I was Jekyll, Jekyll, Hyde” or follow the link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiB4dMwDFtg
Picture Book - The Wreck of the Zephyr
This story parallels the major theme of Promethean ambition, use of descriptive phrases, foreshadowing, and frame story that are all important parts of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It can be a good starting point for discussions of these literary devices.
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Wreck of the Zephyr. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983.
Pictures Used Poster -
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde_poster.png Angels - http://elvesatemyramen.deviantart.com/art/Tamaki-s-Shoulder-Angels-36966880
Victorian England -
http://www.shelbycs.org/ms/media%20center/victorian%20england/images/ludgate.jpg
Popularity - http://www.studentbeans.com/images/friends.png
Victorian Dress -
http://images.complete-costumes.co.uk/fancy-dress-costume.php/i/507/t/0/n/Mens-Victorian-Edwardian-Evening-Tailcoat-Suit.jpg
Victorian Woman -
