Overview:
I’m Dr. Jekyll, a well-respected man leading a double life. My scientific experiments led me to discover a potion that unleashes my darker side, transforming me into the sinister Mr. Hyde. Driven by my desire to escape the confines of my good nature, I embrace the freedom of Hyde’s unrestrained evil. However, this indulgence in vice comes at a terrible cost, as Hyde’s influence grows and threatens to consume my being. I struggle to control this dark side, but eventually, my duality leads to a tragic end.
Main Parts:
- Story of the Door: Introduces Mr. Utterson, a lawyer and friend of Dr. Jekyll, and his encounter with Mr. Hyde. The story highlights the sinister nature of Hyde and his connection to a mysterious door.
- Search for Mr. Hyde: Utterson investigates Hyde further, driven by his growing suspicion and concern for his friend’s well-being. He visits Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll’s home, discovering more about Hyde’s connection to the doctor.
- The Carew Murder Case: A brutal murder is committed by Hyde, escalating the story’s tension and revealing the true extent of Hyde’s evil.
- Incident of the Letter: Utterson receives a letter from Hyde, revealing Hyde’s dependence on Jekyll and offering insight into their relationship.
- Incident of Dr. Lanyon: Lanyon’s health deteriorates after witnessing Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde. He becomes consumed by fear and ultimately dies, leaving behind a chilling account of his experience.
- Incident at the Window: Utterson witnesses Jekyll in a state of despair, hinting at the doctor’s struggle and the growing dominance of Hyde.
- The Last Night: Jekyll’s servant, Poole, seeks Utterson’s help after witnessing strange events and believing that Jekyll has been murdered. Together, they break into Jekyll’s cabinet and discover Hyde’s dead body.
- Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative: Lanyon’s detailed account of his encounter with Hyde and Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde, revealing the full extent of the doctor’s duality.
- Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case: Jekyll’s confession, revealing the origins and consequences of his experiments, his struggle to control his darker side, and the ultimate tragic outcome of his choices.
View on Life:
- Dual Nature of Man: Jekyll believes that humans are not truly one, but two separate beings – good and evil. He seeks to separate these two sides, believing it will relieve him of life’s burdens.
- Consequences of Indulgence: Jekyll’s pursuit of pleasure and his desire to escape societal constraints lead to his downfall. His experiment unleashes a darker side that ultimately consumes him.
- Redemption and Penitence: Jekyll experiences profound remorse and attempts to redeem his actions, but his evil nature eventually triumphs.
- The Power of Habit: The author highlights the power of habit, suggesting that long-indulged vices are difficult to break and can easily resurface.
Scenarios and Situations:
- Mysterious Door: The door in the by-street represents a gateway to the darker side of London and serves as a symbol of the hidden secrets and danger within.
- Carew’s Murder: The brutal and senseless murder of Sir Danvers Carew by Hyde reveals the true extent of Hyde’s evil and the danger he poses to society.
- Jekyll’s Transformation: The transformation of Jekyll into Hyde is a pivotal moment in the story, highlighting the power of the potion and the struggle between good and evil.
- Lanyon’s Witnessing of Transformation: Lanyon’s encounter with Hyde and Jekyll’s transformation shakes his beliefs and leaves him deeply traumatized.
- Jekyll’s Imprisonment: Jekyll’s seclusion and confinement to his cabinet symbolize his struggle to control Hyde and his growing fear of his own darker nature.
- Hyde’s Escape and Pursuit: Hyde’s desperate attempts to flee after the murder and the relentless pursuit by the police illustrate the consequences of his actions.
- Jekyll’s Final Transformation: The final transformation of Jekyll into Hyde, resulting in Hyde’s death and the doctor’s ultimate demise, concludes the story with a sense of tragedy and the inescapable consequences of unchecked evil.
Challenges:
- Control of Hyde: Jekyll struggles to maintain control over his transformation and prevent Hyde from dominating his life.
- Escape from the Consequences of Hyde’s Actions: Jekyll grapples with the guilt and fear of being exposed as the creator of Hyde and facing the consequences of his alter ego’s crimes.
- The Struggle to Remain Good: Jekyll confronts the challenge of resisting temptation and staying true to his original, good nature.
- The Fear of Losing his Identity: As Hyde’s influence grows, Jekyll fears losing his own identity and becoming irrevocably the monster he created.
Conflict:
- Internal Conflict: The central conflict is Jekyll’s internal struggle between his good and evil nature. He fights to maintain control over his darker side, but ultimately succumbs to temptation.
- Conflict with Society: Hyde represents a threat to society, as his evil actions cause harm and fear. Jekyll’s attempts to control him represent a conflict between his responsibility to society and his desire for personal freedom.
- Conflict with God: Jekyll’s actions and the consequences of his choices raise questions about morality, responsibility, and the nature of sin and redemption.
Plot:
- Exposition: The story begins with Mr. Utterson’s encounters with Mr. Hyde, hinting at the sinister nature of this mysterious figure.
- Rising Action: Utterson’s investigation, the murder of Sir Danvers Carew, and the discovery of Hyde’s connection to Jekyll escalate the tension and create a sense of suspense.
- Climax: Jekyll’s final transformation into Hyde, leading to his death, marks the climax of the story.
- Falling Action: The discovery of Hyde’s body, the reading of Lanyon’s and Jekyll’s narratives, and the resolution of the mystery conclude the story.
- Resolution: The story ends with Jekyll’s demise and the understanding that his pursuit of freedom and indulgence in evil led to his own destruction.
Point of View:
- Third Person Limited: The story is narrated from the perspective of Mr. Utterson, allowing the reader to experience the mystery alongside him. We learn the secrets of Jekyll and Hyde gradually, reflecting the process of investigation.
- First Person: Both Dr. Lanyon and Henry Jekyll provide first-person accounts of their experiences, offering intimate insights into their perspectives and the events of the story.
How it’s Written:
- Gothic Tone: The story is written in a gothic style, with a sense of mystery, suspense, and horror. The author uses vivid imagery and descriptions to create a dark and unsettling atmosphere.
- Formal Language: Stevenson uses formal language, typical of Victorian literature. He employs long sentences, complex vocabulary, and a detached tone.
- Example: “The dismal quarter of Soho seen under these changing glimpses, with its muddy ways, and slatternly passengers, and its lamps, which had never been extinguished or had been kindled afresh to combat this mournful reinvasion of darkness, seemed, in the lawyer’s eyes, like a district of some city in a nightmare.” This excerpt exemplifies the use of vivid imagery and descriptions to create a sense of dread and otherworldliness.
Tone:
- Suspenseful: The story is filled with suspense, with the reader constantly anticipating the next horrifying revelation.
- Dark and Gothic: The tone is dark and unsettling, reflecting the themes of evil, duality, and the consequences of unchecked desires.
- Morally Judgemental: The author uses a morally judgemental tone, highlighting the dangers of vice and the importance of virtue.
Life Choices:
- Jekyll’s Choice to Embrace Evil: Jekyll’s choice to indulge in Hyde’s unrestrained evil leads to his downfall. He seeks freedom from societal constraints, but ultimately becomes trapped by his own desires.
- Lanyon’s Choice to Investigate: Lanyon’s choice to investigate Jekyll’s secrets leads to his mental and physical deterioration. He is unable to reconcile his beliefs with the truth and ultimately succumbs to fear and shock.
- Utterson’s Choice to Seek Truth: Utterson’s dedication to uncovering the truth about Jekyll and Hyde drives his relentless pursuit of justice, even at the cost of his own peace of mind.
Lessons:
- The Dangers of Unchecked Desires: The story warns against the dangers of indulging in unrestrained desires and the potential for those desires to consume one’s being.
- The Importance of Restraint: The story highlights the need for self-control and the importance of maintaining a balance between our good and bad impulses.
- The Importance of Morality: The story emphasizes the consequences of immoral actions and the importance of adhering to moral principles.
- The Nature of Dualism: The story explores the complex duality of human nature, reminding us that even the most respectable individuals may harbor darkness within.
Characters:
- Dr. Henry Jekyll: A respected and highly intelligent doctor who harbors a secret desire for freedom from societal constraints. He is a complex character, both virtuous and capable of great evil.
- Mr. Edward Hyde: Jekyll’s monstrous alter ego, a representation of pure evil, driven by greed, lust, and a hatred for everything good. He is smaller, deformed, and physically weaker than Jekyll, suggesting that his evil nature is less developed than Jekyll’s good side.
- Mr. Gabriel John Utterson: A lawyer and close friend of Dr. Jekyll, he is a man of integrity and reason, driven by a sense of justice and a desire to protect those he cares about.
- Mr. Richard Enfield: A distant kinsman of Utterson and a man about town. He is a friend of Jekyll and knows about the mysterious door and Hyde’s connection to Jekyll.
Themes:
- Duality of Human Nature: The story explores the complex duality of human nature, suggesting that everyone harbors good and evil within them.
- Consequences of Sin: The story warns against the consequences of unchecked sin and the potential for evil to consume one’s being.
- The Power of Repression: The story highlights the dangers of repressing one’s true nature, suggesting that it can lead to destructive consequences.
- The Importance of Morality: The story emphasizes the importance of morality and the consequences of choosing the path of evil.
Principles:
- The dangers of unchecked ambition: Jekyll’s quest for scientific knowledge and personal freedom leads to his downfall, illustrating the potential destructive consequences of unchecked ambition.
- The inherent duality of human nature: The story suggests that everyone possesses both good and evil within them, and that these forces are constantly at odds.
- The importance of self-control: The story highlights the need for self-control and the dangers of giving in to one’s darker impulses.
- The consequences of choosing evil: The story demonstrates the destructive consequences of choosing evil and the ultimate price that must be paid.
Intentions of the characters:
- Jekyll: Initially, Jekyll seeks to separate his good and evil natures to experience freedom from societal constraints. However, his desire for pleasure and escape from responsibility ultimately leads to his downfall.
- Hyde: Driven by his inherent evil, Hyde seeks to indulge in unrestrained pleasure and wreak havoc upon the world. He resents Jekyll and seeks to destroy him.
- Utterson: Driven by a sense of justice and concern for his friend, Utterson seeks to uncover the truth about Jekyll and Hyde and to prevent further harm.
Unique Vocabulary:
- Transcendental medicine: This term refers to a form of medicine that seeks to go beyond the physical body and address the spiritual and mental aspects of health. Jekyll’s scientific pursuits are described as “transcendental,” hinting at the mystical nature of his research.
- Prodigy: This word suggests something extraordinary, miraculous, and beyond the realm of ordinary understanding. Lanyon uses this word to describe the transformation of Jekyll into Hyde, emphasizing the extraordinary and shocking nature of the event.
- Ineffable: This term refers to something that is too great or profound to be expressed in words. Lanyon describes his experience with Hyde and Jekyll’s transformation as “ineffable,” indicating its profound impact on his mind and soul.
Anecdotes:
- The story of the trampled child: This anecdote, recounted by Enfield, introduces the reader to Hyde’s callous cruelty and sets the stage for the later murder of Sir Danvers Carew.
- The story of the “blackmail house”: Enfield’s encounter with Hyde and the payment of a large sum of money to him reveals the dark side of London society and foreshadows the potential danger posed by Hyde.
- The story of the altered hand: Jekyll’s discovery of Hyde’s hand on his own body after waking from a night of transformation highlights the gradual shift in his identity and the growing power of his darker side.
Ideas:
- The nature of evil: The story explores the nature of evil, suggesting that it is not an external force but an inherent part of human nature.
- The limitations of science: The story critiques the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition and suggests that some truths are beyond human understanding.
- The importance of morality: The story reinforces the importance of morality and the consequences of choosing evil.
- The fragility of human identity: The story explores the fragility of human identity and the potential for external forces to alter or even destroy our sense of self.
Points of View:
- The perspective of the novel: The story is presented from multiple perspectives, allowing the reader to understand the characters’ individual motivations and perceptions.
- Mr. Utterson: Utterson’s perspective is crucial to the story, as he represents the voice of reason and morality in a world where darkness and evil lurk. His limited perspective keeps the reader engaged and enhances the suspense as the mystery unfolds.
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Their first-person accounts provide intimate insights into their thoughts and motivations, highlighting the struggle between good and evil and the consequences of their choices.
Perspective:
- Victorian Society: The story reflects the anxieties and moral dilemmas of Victorian society, particularly the fear of hidden sin and the potential for evil to exist within even the most respectable members of society.
- The Dark Side of Human Nature: The story offers a chilling perspective on the dark side of human nature, suggesting that even the most virtuous individuals are capable of great evil.
- The Perils of Self-Indulgence: The story cautions against the dangers of self-indulgence and the consequences of neglecting moral responsibility.