Tensions In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Writers often use characterisation to explore important tensions in the society in which they are writing. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson explores the Victorian tension of science versus religion through the emergence of Hyde. The Victorian era was productive with advancements in science and technology, ‘However, with these advancements came a sense found sense of anxiety … and Mr. Hyde perfectly emblematises this anxiety’ (Ochsner, 2017). Moreover, juxtaposing these priorities of science were Anglo-Christian values. These tensions produced a society where scientific stigma was expected, as Christian morality prevented citizens from ‘playing God’. Moreover, Victorians were concerned with changing their

With the perilous presuppositions of scientific development held by Victorians, Dr. Jekyll displays the everyman's battle between religious values vs. scientific pursuit. After initially becoming Mr. Hyde, Jekyll confidently expresses his lack of concern with autonomy, stating, "I will tell you one thing: the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde" (p.24). Here Stevenson's optimistic tone juxtaposes the eventual plot of the novel and foreshadows Hyde's addiction to Jekyll. After switching between personas, Jekyll argues that he has complete autonomy over his personality. However, simply stating this subconsciously underscores Jekyll's concern about potentially being addicted to scientific development and its biproducts. ‘Hyde is nothing but the biproduct of Jekyll's forbidden scientific experiments; he exists only by Jekyll’s scientific curiosity’ (Wright, 1994,). The emergence of Hyde is used as a medium not only to underscore the everyman's battle of science vs. religion but also to underscore how Mr Hyde is simply a biproduct of choice and not of supernatural phenomena. However, Jekyll's fear of losing autonomy and self-control eventually manifests as Stevenson underscores how the tension in Jekyll's mind slides towards scientific pursuit. Jekyll reflects on this, "I saw my life as a whole: … with the same sense of unreality, at the damned horrors of the evenings" (Stevenson, 1886, p.81). In this example of Jekyll's inner monologue, Stevenson's antithesis contrasting ‘unreality’ and ‘horrors’ underscores how Jekyll's and detests his experience of being Hyde. This symbolizes his attitude towards science, despite his addiction to being Hyde, Jekyll inherently understands it is wrong, further perpetuating his inner struggle. Moreover, Jekyll's third-person reflection of the 'damned horrors of the evening' further amplifies his