Stevenson's Use of Technique to Present Character and Atmosphere in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Stevenson's Use of Technique to Present Character and Atmosphere in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ by the young Robert Louis

Stevenson was published in 1886.

The story, which concerns the way in which an individual is made up of

different emotions and desires, some good and some evil is told from

the point of view of John Utterson. Mr Utterson is a lawyer and friend

to the respected and brilliant scientist, Dr. Henry Jekyll. After

relating a disturbing tale of an angry fiend assaulting a small girl,

Utterson begins to question the odd behaviour of his friend. As Mr

Utterson investigates and is entangled further into the life of Dr.

Jekyll, he uncovers a story so horrific, so terrifying, that he is

shocked. In the final chapter, Jekyll confesses in a full statement,

that he has led a double life, his researches into separating his

personality into good and evil, and the gradual ascendancy of evil and

monstrous Mr Hyde over hypocritical Dr Jekyll. This transformation

though, one day becomes involuntary and Jekyll is unable to reverse it

because he has run out of the original batch of special chemical

solutions. As the truth is about to surface, tragic events occur that

end the whole situation dramatically and decisively.

The themes which Robert Louis Stevenson addresses in his novel ‘The

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ include, right versus wrong,

joy versus despair, good versus evil, science versus God and morality

versus immorality.

In the late Georgian and the Victorian era in Britain, people were

fascinated by ideas of birth and re birth, death and the after life,

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...ous beliefs and his career path

- from his parents were certainly a basis for this chilling and

mysterious tale. The atmosphere Stevenson creates his mysterious. The

technique I noticed he used was that of simply describing particular

places, emotion or even a characters thoughts, they stand out in your

mind and you have an vivid picture of what he is describing and the

effect it has on the story. Stevenson also changes his language,

differing from one narrator to another. Jekyll’s narration is

different from Mr Uttersons. Stevenson changes the language to fit

each character’s personality. Overall, I think that Stevenson wrote

something which was personal to him and it’s a legend in itself. The

atmosphere and characters which Stevenson has created are a

fundamental creative mystery which continues to amaze the reader.