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Shahrukh Shaikh

AP English Literature

Mrs. Pamela Bradley

03 February 2017

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevensons work The Strange Case of Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published

in 1886 in the Victorian Era. Throughout literary history, this work has been of distinct literary

merit and even has had a name coined after it. This book made breakthroughs by discussing

material that had not been discussed prior to the publishing of this work. Essentially, Jekyll and

Hyde discussed the manner of science and psychology and how it related to the psyche.

In this age, the true manner of mankind was being explored by literary connoisseurs.

How man reacts to certain outlets. How man behaves in a new situation. All of these thoughts

were being exploited by works. Jekyll and Hyde explored the duality of man. Man is such a

complex subject and can never truly be expressed in a work, but strides can be made to explore

as much as possible. In Jekyll and Hyde, Dr. Jekyll uses science to exploit another side of him,

Mr. Hyde. This alternative persona shows a quite evil entity that works to destroy him at all

costs. The purpose of the notion that man has multiple personas and is a dynamic creature is a

powerful one. At this point in history, many kept the identity of man as a simple institution, but

Jekyll and Hyde works to destroy that line of reasoning.

In addition, Jekyll and Hyde persists as a classic since it is was very relatable to society at

the time (omitting the double persona of Dr. Jekyll and all the science, of course). For instance,

for criminals (such as Jack the Ripper) wreaking havoc in the world at that time, many people
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associated them with Jekyll and Hyde. Since society managed to draw parallels in the real world

with this work, it added to Jekyll and Hydes longevity.

The most important aspect of this work was the theme it explored. Why do people do bad

things? Jekyll and Hyde was more than just a regular book. It investigated morality in mankind

and left readers with a thrilling feel of suspense and kept them at the edge of their seats.