The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

During Stevenson’s lifetime, science underwent a period of intense development, particularly the quest to discover the biological origins of humanity. In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. The idea that one species could evolve into another fed fictional speculation about human beings changing or reverting into another species. Meanwhile, the technological changes caused by the Industrial Revolution led writers and thinkers to speculate on the future impact of science and technology. These trends gave inspiration to the newly developing genre of science fiction, as can be clearly seen in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the words of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Never before had fantastic events of seeming scientific plausibility erupted right in the midst of humdrum daily life.” The strange figure of Hyde, who appears “troglodytic” (i.e., belonging to a more primitive species of animal), appears in the midst of the modern city. This may reflect the fears of many common people who had read Darwin and were disturbed by the idea that humans had evolved out of primates. Jekyll uses the license of scientific research to create a drug that alters his personal nature and wreaks havoc both on himself and those around him. Stevenson warns of the destructive possibilities of a science divorced from sound moral instincts.

Through his research Jekyll discovers that the human body “in which we walk attired” is not so “solid” as it appears, but that it has a “trembling immateriality,” a “mist-like transience” and can be “dethroned” by a powerful drug (112). Stevenson cautions that if we are not careful, we can use science to violate human nature. He suggests that the human body and our “fortress of identity” (113) are fragile and must be safeguarded from inhumane forces that would seek to destroy them. 

Jekyll states in his confession: “…I have been made to learn that the doom and burthen of our life is bound forever on man’s shoulder, and when the attempt is made to cast it off, it but returns upon us with more unfamiliar and more awful pressure” (Page 112).

Jekyll starts out with the noble desire to better mankind through his scientific experiments. Instead, he releases his evil self and wreaks havoc on the world around him. He ends up infinitely worse off than he was when he started, because now his private woe has been projected in the world around him and he has also destroyed himself. While first he was troubled by his inner conflict, now that conflict has been magnified tenfold: “This, then, is the last time, short of a miracle, that Henry Jekyll can think his own thoughts or see his own face (now how sadly altered!) in the glass” (129). Through his experiences Jekyll learns that man’s struggle with evil is a necessary part of existence. It is impossible to create a perfect life free from evil, because doing so will alter human nature for the worse. Man’s destiny is to fight against evil within his own soul and in the circumstances of his life. Jekyll’s consolation is that his tragedy will serve as an example to humanity to avoid this error in the future.