The Real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

In the Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde many important themes are expressed. Among the plethora of themes, the most prevalent and repetitive one we see is the duality of man. Everyone has different sides within themselves and they have inner desires they wish they could express. Many individuals don’t due to the fact that they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions. This is what some would consider their conscience. Dr. Henry Jekyll lacks a conscience; therefore it is quite simple for him to make irrational choices. He feels they are justified because he has made up a name and character for the person that commits the horrendous acts. The partition of Jekyll into two distinct entities, Jekyll and Hyde, is an allegory for humankind's conflicting forces of good and evil and these characters bring to life the innate struggle between the two opposing powers of the human soul that Jekyll knows he posses from the start of the novel.

Dr. Jekyll was fully aware of his inner evil from the start of the novel. Dr. Jekyll recognizes from the start that Mr. Hyde is a part of himself. In Dr. Jekyll’s letter to Mr. Utterson, he stated that Mr. Hyde, “...bore the stamp, of lower elements in my soul.” Dr. Jekyll also explains, “It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date . . . I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements (Stevenson 57).” Jekyll refers to Hyde as his “lower element.” This shows how he feels that Hyde is on a lower moral and physical level than himself. Being lower also suggests that Hyde is closer to Satan, which is indubitably the epitome of dissolution. Jekyll makes distinctions between himself and Hyde to show the division of two people as opposed to it being one distinct man that commits crimes. Moreover, Jekyll feels that every individual has dual personalities, however, he feels that he has the ability to bring to life his evil side without facing the consequences.

Jekyll, the protagonist, portrays the good side of human nature in this narrative. Dr. Jekyll is apparently an intelligent man baring so many titles such as “MD, DCL, LLD, and FRS”(Stevenson 11). The people who know him respect him. He is a wealthy man and lives in a nice house with loyal servants. It is presumable that he is the epitome of the Victorian man. Although, he should be grateful for the life he has he still has vicious and wicked desires to carry out. As he mentioned, “man is not truly one, but truly two"(Stevenson 104). His manifestation of Mr. Hyde harbors secret passions and desires. While Jekyll represents the average wholesome man, Hyde embodies an ugly grotesque being with no remorse. From the start of the story, Jekyll is aware of this dual nature. Knowing this, he still concocts a potion that will distinguish the two halves of his soul. A desolate contrast of the two beings is evident at the time of Jekyll’s first interaction with the potion. Jekyll, a tall and good-looking man was transformed into Hyde, a man with distorted frame and ugly countenance.

Hyde is physically described as being smaller than Jekyll. This is seen in chapter eight when Utterson notices that Hyde is wearing a suit that belongs to Jekyll and that is much too large for him. He is also suggested as being younger, which leads Jekyll to deduce that his evil element is quite diminutive and perhaps not as significant as his good side. However, Hyde’s physical strength obviously suggests the opposite. Utterson and Lanyon describe Hyde as being atrocious barley even human like. The novel fails to depict exactly why he is so hideous in appearance, however, the characters suggest its due to his clothing and demeanor. This implies that he possesses an evil that brings a sadistic comfort to Jekyll. Jekyll delights himself in Hyde’s inappropriate role in the human world.

Duality of personalities invokes bewilderment in people. It is unmistakable that Jekyll “in fact sometimes wanted to turn into Hyde as a departure from his normal state” (Dalrymple 25). Jekyll was fully aware of his secret desires and created Hyde to carry out the acts he was scared to execute. “The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll. In other words if you practice evil, you become evil. Character is habit” (Dalrymple 25). This is true because practice makes perfect and Jekyll practiced being Hyde so much that it allowed Hyde to take over Jekyll almost entirely.