Hyde, Jekyll, and the history of Unicorns

Dr, Jekyll and Mr.Hyde focuses around the duality of man. Although this theme is not explicitly revealed in the early chapters. The letter from Mr.Jekyll leaves no doubt that this is indeed the driving force throughout the story. The story explains that Jekyll believes that every person is composed of an angel and a demon.Based on this theory, he creates a potion to remove the demonic, beastly side of himself. However, his potion, which he hoped would separate and purify each element, succeeds only in bringing the dark side into being—Hyde emerges, but he has no angelic counterpart. Once unleashed, Hyde slowly takes over, until Jekyll ceases to exist. This leads the reader to wonder if Stevenson's theory is that man is evil, and that only human culturing prevents the anarchy and chaos of the demon from being released.

Jekyll and Hyde

The description of houses is used by Stevenson as a metaphor for the human psyche. An example of this is like Jekyll's scientific laboratory, symbolizing the rational and logical side of his mind. The strong locks and doors symbolize the huge gaps between his psyches, one side Jekyll, the other one Hyde.  When Poole and Utterson break down the barriers between his scientific side and everything else- the fear, the panic, all the raw emotions the employees’ feel- they discover that it is Hyde, not Jekyll who has taken complete control of his mind. Another observation that can be observed is that by breaking down the privacy of Jekyll’s laboratory, they force him to commit suicide, as the two opposing sides cannot truly co-exist.

Jekyll and Hyde CHAPTERS 7-9

A recurring theme that is seen throughout the chapters is the fog. The fog symbolizes the unclear, the inscrutable, the unknown, and is used to lend a sense of dark, sinister, mystery to the chapters. The fog is mentioned when Mr. Utterson finds himself analyzing Dr. Jekyll's domicile, finding a "foggy cupola". The fog here represents the mystery of the house, the connections to Mr. Hyde's dwelling, and the vague feeling of the chapter. Another instance where this fog can be seen was the fog that descended upon the city. This can easily be interpreted as part of the gloom of Sir Danvers Carew’s brutal murder as well as the unknown whereabouts of Mr. Hyde. However, it is mentioned that the fog “slept on the wing of the drowned city”, implying that the fog is moving starting to clear away from the center of the city and the mention of its sleeping refers to the powerlessness of the characters, unable to move and explore. The clouds are said to “smother” the light of the lamps. Observations can be drawn from this as lamps give out light, commonly used to symbolize clarity. As the clouds smother the lamps, they ensure that the characters are left helpless, no clues to follow and no personal instincts.Chapter 9 ends in a cryptic feel. "But Mr. Enfield only nodded his head very seriously, and walked on once more in silence"

Chapters 1-3 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The usage of houses in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a reliable way to search deep into the thoughts and mental patterns of the characters. An example of this is Mr. Hyde’s house, having two windows symbolizes the duality of man, the plain, and foreboding exterior is exemplified by the shadier and darker motives lurking within Mr. Hyde’s mind. His residence’s door also lacks and knocker or doorknob, symbolizing the inaccessibility of his mindset.

By simply examining the houses of the characters in the story, the correlation becomes even clearer as Dr, Jekyll’s home is inviting and comfortable, the good side of things. Another interesting comparison can be made as Mr. Hyde’s home is close to many nice houses while his is a wreck; this shows the sharp contrast between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one a congenial man, the other a despicable, hated man.