Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Analysis

The novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson centers on the issues of identity, social hierarchy, and class. In an article, “Character Crisis: Hegemonic Negotiations in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Benjamin D. O’Dell argues that hegemony is essential in maintaining social hierarchy, but while his representation of gentlemanliness helps us understand Utterson’s role, it does not allow one to make sense of how the recurring image of the hands correlates to the facts that are hidden and revealed in the novella. The motif of hand-related images is used as the main source of revelations and represents the trust placed between characters The novella builds onto a climax

What makes the situation terrifying is that it is not revealed at this point that Hyde is Jekyll. The prolongation of thise revelation is the agonizing fear of the novella. This novella grants a great focus on what is hidden and what is revealed, and most importantly, who reveals the information. However, it is not only Jekyll and Hyde that are concealing certain facts and revealing only what they deem necessary. For the majority of the novella, it is other characters that reveal or conceal the secrets of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for the purpose of maintaining a dignified image. O’Dell is only half correct in stating, “Thus, while there is a crisis of identity in Jekyll and Hyde, it centers on the problem of class maintenance for the novel’s gentleman – not a shift in class relations” (O’Dell

After Utterson discovers the events of the murder, he goes to visit Jekyll and informs him, “‘One word,’ said the lawyer. ‘Carew was my client, but so are you, and I want to know what I am doing. You have not been mad enough to hide this fellow?’” (Stevenson 51). Utterson has the interests of both Carew and Jekyll at hand because they are both his clients. He is a lawyer and he is bound to represent both of them. In relation to this, one of O’Dell’s main arguments is, “Ultimately, I suggest that the animosity that plays out between classes in the public sphere, while palpable, fails to target the Victorian gentleman directly and is instead mediated by a reasonable center of debate: Mr. Utterson” (O’ Dell 512). He claims that the events in the story are mediated by Utterson, which is true, however, O’Dell’s observations are cut short. Because of Utterson’s involvement, he is forced to take on the interests of others, thus Utterson, in a way, is more than one person. As in this case, he wants justice for his client Carew, but at the same time wants to protect his friend Jekyll. His contradicting aims present him as a parallel to Jekyll and Hyde because he has multiple identities. The difference is that his identities are not manifested as physically different people, and he is like this because he wants to