Understanding the driving forces behind the change
Through the book, Stevenson has developed Jekyll’s character in a negative way primarily through a variety of situations; his confrontation with Utterson, the murder, and the society in general.
Primarily, Utterson questioning Jekyll regarding Hyde was the first time that there was a character flaw that was seen in Jekyll. In contrast to his direct descriptions of being an upstanding individual of the Victorian society, it was extremely out of place for him to lie to his best friend. This is his first illustration of duality, and how coldly he lied about his connection with Hyde. The reason he did this was because he could continue his debaucheries privately, illustrating how addictive how darkness and how it can influence into change. Moreover, this confrontation illustrates the ‘control’ that Jekyll had over Hyde, as he claimed that he could get rid of him at ‘any time’ however this not true, as we see how darkness prevails towards the end. This in fact is what led to the death of Jekyll. Secondly, the reader’s first impression Jekyll as a large and formidable character, which is primarily due to the setting. Jekyll’s house is seen to be one that is quite enormous, with a ‘great’ fire, which can therefore represent power. The fact that Jekyll lives here makes him seem very powerful as well. This coupled with his talk about being in control does in fact make him come across larger than other characters.
However, after the murder we see Jekyll to be a completely different character; weak and smaller than other characters. This is because his relationship with Hyde have gotten out of control as it has led to the death of Sir Davens Andrews; consequently, this has impacted Jekyll at his very core; despite his wish to carry out his debaucheries, he is not an evil person like Hyde. Therefore, being a murderer is sacrilegious, and hence illustrating that Jekyll has no control over Hyde. Furthermore, the setting within this scene also comes across quite weak, as there is a greater descriptions of the shadows; ‘dingy windowless structure’ and ‘even here the fog lay thickly’. As can be seen from the descriptions above, in contrast to the first setting, this feels as though there is some darkness within that has taken the house from the very inside. The use of the word ‘dingy’ illustrates a sense of gloom and dread, and when coupled with ‘windowless structure’ brings forth the idea that the very foundation of this building is questionable much like Jekyll’s action. Furthermore, the use of the ‘window’ is quite important, because window represent what one can see into the inside, and if this itself is dingy or dark, then one can infer that it is not clear what exactly is happening inside. Moreover, the use of the word ‘fog’ adds a sense of mystery, as it is very difficult to see in a fog; much like the story as it is not clear what is happening. The fact that the fog surrounds Jekyll, illustrates the lack of sight that both other characters and the audience have. An interesting description is how the fog has been described, thick, which is somewhat of an oxymoron because fog is normally a very slim sheet of mist, but the fact that it lay there, is almost giving it some sort of serpent like attribute, which sends chills down the readers spine as it is very powerful imagery.
Lastly, I believe that the society has a very large role to play in this book, though there has been no specific mentioning of it. Primarily, we look at the need to be proper, which is one of the core principles of the Victorian society; the need to be a gentleman. This coupled with the need to have logic and reasoning for every situation, is in complete contrast to what Jekyll was. In fact, it was this very pressure and need to live up to everybody’s expectation that led to this. The fact that he was born to a ‘great fortune’ that his success and ‘honor’ was set in stone. However, these are the very expectations that forced Jekyll to conceal his pleasures; hence even before Hyde, Jekyll had a dual persona. It is just that Hyde allowed him to take his duality to another level, where he could enjoy these pleasures, and this is the very freedom that compelled Jekyll to have the portion. Therefore, it can be argued that it was the pressure of the society that started this domino effect.
Through the book, Stevenson has developed Jekyll’s character in a negative way primarily through a variety of situations; his confrontation with Utterson, the murder, and the society in general.
Primarily, Utterson questioning Jekyll regarding Hyde was the first time that there was a character flaw that was seen in Jekyll. In contrast to his direct descriptions of being an upstanding individual of the Victorian society, it was extremely out of place for him to lie to his best friend. This is his first illustration of duality, and how coldly he lied about his connection with Hyde. The reason he did this was because he could continue his debaucheries privately, illustrating how addictive how darkness and how it can influence into change. Moreover, this confrontation illustrates the ‘control’ that Jekyll had over Hyde, as he claimed that he could get rid of him at ‘any time’ however this not true, as we see how darkness prevails towards the end. This in fact is what led to the death of Jekyll. Secondly, the reader’s first impression Jekyll as a large and formidable character, which is primarily due to the setting. Jekyll’s house is seen to be one that is quite enormous, with a ‘great’ fire, which can therefore represent power. The fact that Jekyll lives here makes him seem very powerful as well. This coupled with his talk about being in control does in fact make him come across larger than other characters.
However, after the murder we see Jekyll to be a completely different character; weak and smaller than other characters. This is because his relationship with Hyde have gotten out of control as it has led to the death of Sir Davens Andrews; consequently, this has impacted Jekyll at his very core; despite his wish to carry out his debaucheries, he is not an evil person like Hyde. Therefore, being a murderer is sacrilegious, and hence illustrating that Jekyll has no control over Hyde. Furthermore, the setting within this scene also comes across quite weak, as there is a greater descriptions of the shadows; ‘dingy windowless structure’ and ‘even here the fog lay thickly’. As can be seen from the descriptions above, in contrast to the first setting, this feels as though there is some darkness within that has taken the house from the very inside. The use of the word ‘dingy’ illustrates a sense of gloom and dread, and when coupled with ‘windowless structure’ brings forth the idea that the very foundation of this building is questionable much like Jekyll’s action. Furthermore, the use of the ‘window’ is quite important, because window represent what one can see into the inside, and if this itself is dingy or dark, then one can infer that it is not clear what exactly is happening inside. Moreover, the use of the word ‘fog’ adds a sense of mystery, as it is very difficult to see in a fog; much like the story as it is not clear what is happening. The fact that the fog surrounds Jekyll, illustrates the lack of sight that both other characters and the audience have. An interesting description is how the fog has been described, thick, which is somewhat of an oxymoron because fog is normally a very slim sheet of mist, but the fact that it lay there, is almost giving it some sort of serpent like attribute, which sends chills down the readers spine as it is very powerful imagery.
Lastly, I believe that the society has a very large role to play in this book, though there has been no specific mentioning of it. Primarily, we look at the need to be proper, which is one of the core principles of the Victorian society; the need to be a gentleman. This coupled with the need to have logic and reasoning for every situation, is in complete contrast to what Jekyll was. In fact, it was this very pressure and need to live up to everybody’s expectation that led to this. The fact that he was born to a ‘great fortune’ that his success and ‘honor’ was set in stone. However, these are the very expectations that forced Jekyll to conceal his pleasures; hence even before Hyde, Jekyll had a dual persona. It is just that Hyde allowed him to take his duality to another level, where he could enjoy these pleasures, and this is the very freedom that compelled Jekyll to have the portion. Therefore, it can be argued that it was the pressure of the society that started this domino effect.