Life
Stevenson was born in 1850 in Edinburgh. When he was a child, due to his precarious health he was forced to spend a lot of time at home, becoming passionate about literature. In 1875 to do his father a favor he graduated in law. Despite his health conditions he traveled a lot and met Fanny Osbourne with whom he married in 1880. After he returned to England he wrote many works, such as: Treasure Island (1883) and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1885). His works were very popular and successful.
After his father died, Stevenson returned to the United States. In 1890 he moved to the Samoan Islands and adopted the name of “Tusitala”. There he wrote works that criticized European exploitation and colonization. In the Samoan islands he will die in 1894. During his life he wrote many kinds of works, such as: poems, plays, biographies, essays, short stories and novels. Many of the novels he wrote are children’s novels and are stories of historical adventures.
The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
A mirror of the times
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of Stevenson’s most famous writings that mirrors Victorian society. In this period of progress, many writers begin to doubt the ideals of progress and civilization, in this society full of contrasts, anxieties and pessimism spread. In fact, along with the increase in wealth we find an increase in poverty, crime and double moral standards.
The split self
Within the novel, Dr. Jekyll represents the perfect Victorian man, a respectable, handsome and likeable man. Although Mr. Hyde is a small and ugly man, he represents the embodiment of evil and the part of the man who hides from the constraints of society. However the two characters seem to be very different in reality they are a single character. Hyde is Jekyll’s alter ego. Jekyll creates Hyde to be able to commit evil deeds without having to pay the consequences. But Hyde takes over at the end of the story. This duality could be seen as a critique of Victorian society, where appearances mattered and corruption remained unknown to the outside world.
The relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a reference to the “doppelganger” theory. This term refers to the alter ego which can be good or bad. In Stevenson’s novel Hyde is Jekyll’s Double Evil. They both belong to the same individual, but they represent opposites. Although Jekyll does not approve of Hyde’s evil deeds, it is attracted to the dark side of him, and Victorian society always tries to keep this side hidden from every citizen.
The narrative technique
The story is told from different perspectives, the main one is that of Mr. Utterson to which are added the points of view of other narrators, for example we find the story of Doctor Lanyon. We understand new elements when Dr. Utteron understands them. Stevenson makes this choice to try to make us identify with Utterson’s horror. Stevenson decides to separate evil from good by drawing inspiration from the Gothic tradition, but he offers a more in-depth analysis of the psychological and moral nature of man.
Setting as Symbol
All the events are set in London and all the actions occur mostly during the night, because the night is a symbol of darkness and this symbolizes the dark side of Dr. Jekyll. The double theme is also reflected in the doctor’s house, in fact the front door that Jekyll uses has an elegant facade, while the door used by Hyde has a sinister facade. The transition to Jekyll’s laboratory is also a transition between two worlds, from the world of respectability to the world of evil.