What I’m Reading – The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

*Major Spoilers*

I recently finished reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886.

I enjoyed the book. It was fairly easy to read, short, and even though I already knew what was happening with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I found it entertaining. What I found most interesting was that in the book, Mr. Hyde is described as being very short, kind of dwarfish, and seeming to have deformities even though none are visible. The doctor is described as being large. From what I remember in movies and cartoons, Mr. Hyde is made out to be big, much larger than Dr. Jekyll, and deformed, which is a major departure from the book.

Most of it is told through the eyes of a lawyer who was given a Will from Dr. Jekyll. The Will wanted all of Dr. Jekyll’s assets to be transferred to Mr. Hyde in case of the doctor’s unexpected disappearance or death.

Mr. Hyde is seen by others doing terrible things. He tramples a little girl while walking on the sidewalk and, one night, is seen beating an old man to death with a cane in the street. After that incident, Dr. Jekyll assures everyone that he has cut ties with Mr. Hyde and he would never be seen again. Months later, the doctor starts to act increasingly erratic and locks himself away in a room. When the lawyer and butler manage to get the door open, Mr. Hyde is seen dead on the floor, wearing clothes much too large for him.

The lawyer then reads Dr. Jekyll’s account of what happened. According to the doctor, he had always harbored dark feelings and desires but never felt free to express them. He created the serum that transformed him into Hyde in a desperate bid to be able to carry out his darker desires with impunity. Mr. Hyde was dwarfish because he was a manifestation of Dr. Jekyll’s weaker, unexpressed evil side.

At first, he had fun remembering all the things he indulged in as Mr. Hyde; he said he only shared memories with Hyde, not control of his actions. After he murdered someone Dr. Jekyll was determined to never become Mr. Hyde again. However, after a while, he decided once again to transform. After that, Mr. Hyde began to grow stronger, and Dr. Jekyll started losing control of the transformations, becoming Hyde in his sleep and in public.

He ran out of the salt he was using to make the serum but could not find a suitable replacement. He concluded the salt he was using must have had some sort of impurity that made it work. He was desperate and had locked himself away in the room, trying to get the serum to work so that he would not transform again. As the days ticked by, he knew he was dying and wrote out his confession.

The book, to me, represents the duality that exists in us all and how severe repression can lead to shame. Dr. Jekyll went to great lengths to be able to express himself. Hidden desires only grow more twisted and desperate in the dark. When Dr. Jekyll lets Hyde have free reign, it’s fun for a while, but as Hyde gets more powerful and starts to overtake Jekyll, he wants the “good” side of himself to have control again. Is evil more powerful than good? Was Dr. Jekyll “good” in the first place? Was Jekyll so desperate to have control again because of the shame he would feel if others found out about what he did? or did he find his actions morally reprehensible?

I think Jekyll eventually felt remorse for Hyde’s actions, even if he felt that there was enough of a barrier between them that he did not need to feel bad. He panicked when the wall between them started to blur, and he no longer had control. He lost the firm grip on his “good” and “evil” side that he felt strongly should never meet.

Would there have been a different ending if Jekyll had tried to accept Hyde?

The book raises good questions about our nature, our inherent dark side, shame, and acceptance. I would recommend the book!

Rating 7/10