In this didactic novella, Stevenson presents mystery and tension through the use of setting description and characters to expose the hypocrisy of Victorian society and reveal the pristine façade maintained by upper-class men such as Jekyll, himself.
In the extract, Stevenson repetitively uses pathetic fallacy to mirror Hyde’s actions and its consequences; acts as a moral lesson to the Victorian audience that pleasures that are concealed will be eventually brought to light. In Chapter 4, Utterson describes the atmosphere as ‘a great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven’ to create an oppressive, dull atmosphere. The use of colour imagery, monochrome colour scheme, ‘chocolate-coloured’ ‘brown’ is symbolic of Hyde, the metaphorical representation of Jekyll’s deeper desires, emphasising the pain and suffering he inflicts onto those who are vulnerable such as the ‘little girl’ and Sir Danvers Carew. The murkiness of the colour ‘brown’ hints to the corruption of one’s soul (Jekyll) and acts as a warning to Stevenson’s readership that a mask build on secrecy and repressed instincts will be punished in hell ‘lowered over heaven’. Stevenson purposely uses a dark colour palette to describe the setting and ‘dismal quarter of Soho’ to suggest that the strict societal standards during the Victorian era pose as a threat to man’s sanity; evident through the fragmentation of Jekyll and the formation of Hyde, who begins to increase in stature throughout the novella. In addition, the phrase ‘heaven’ perhaps reflects the purity of Carew’s soul; this is a stark contrast to Hyde’s spontaneous and primitive nature further reinforced through the words ‘lowered’ and ‘pall’. Stevenson constructs the character of Hyde and Jekyll to present the duality of man, through the use of natural elements such as weather. Ultimately, suggesting that immoral thoughts are natural and provide the foundation needed to establish one’s moral compass. The use of foreshadowing and godly imagery ‘heaven’ creates an impression of fear and anxiety towards a Victorian audience who were highly religious and believed in the idea of repression to avoid condemnation for sin. Stevenson suggests that acceptance of both sides of man would create space for moral redemption and repentance and stimulates societal progression.
Furthermore, Stevenson’s presents the changes in setting to reflect the changes in characters, placing it as a moral battleground In which characters explore their true sides – Hyde’s primitive actions. The simile in ‘rich, lurid, brown, like the light of some strange conflagration’ presents itself as a critique of the artificial, exterior appearances of upper-class men and their lack of moral resilience to object the temptations for superior knowledge. The list of adjectives ‘rich,lurid,brown’ is an evident description of Soho, a location where illegal trades and prostitution was developing, this highlights the disparity of Victorian society and its unfulfilled desire to conceal darker activities that occurred in London. Stevenson deliberately creates Soho to be representative of the darker impulses of man, presenting the area as the manifestation of evil. Stevenson mocks Victorian society and its fragility to uphold the façade of respectability amongst classes; reflected through Jekyll’s permanent fragmentation of soul. The phrase ‘like the light of some strange conflagration’ suggests that the goodness within characters is presented by the ‘light’ they emit, which fuels the discovery of the secrets that lie between the chain of events that occur in the novel. The sibilance/alliteration ‘some strange’ creates an element of mystery amongst the audience thereby, a sense of uncertainty that is mirrored through the internal struggles of characters specifically Jekyll/Hyde and Lanyon. Stevenson presents the novella as a social commentary that mocks/criticises the restrictiveness and lack of freedom provided by characters to present their original selves, perhaps Stevenson suggests that negativity brought upon society is due to their own moral ambiguity and incapability to express their individuality.
Moreover, Stevenson highlights the importance of freedom of expression by presenting the destructive consequences and deaths of rational characters, Lanyon. Stevenson suggests that the strained relationship and lingering tension between Jekyll and Lanyon fuels the downfall of both characters –emphasising that the emotional pressure placed onto those who uphold traditional, stagnant views (Lanyon) leads to their unwanted death. Lanyon’s use of a distasteful tone ‘Jekyll become too fanciful for me…unscientific balderdash’ highlights the inability of characters to balance scientific values and religious law. Stevenson suggests that science and religion cannot co-exist, and this is evident through the breakdown of the friendship between Jekyll, Utterson and Lanyon - the unresolved strain placed amongst these individuals due to their hamartia’s. The phrase ‘unscientific balderdash’ presents Lanyon’s disapproval of Jekyll’s experimentation as he clearly demonises Hyde. The word ‘unscientific’ presents the juxtaposition of character in Lanyon who follows both his faith and maintains reputation as a ‘logical’ scientist. Stevenson presents the character of Lanyon as morally conflicted, like Jekyll, this is reflected through his blind loyalty towards Jekyll and the scientific oath – perpetuates his death. A Victorian audience would be curious to the death of Lanyon since there is no physical evidence of the cause that led to his downfall. Stevenson doesn’t uncover the truth until Chapter 8, written in epistolary narrative, to create this everlasting impression of shock onto the audience who begin to realise the severity of actions and its impact on wider society. Stevenson uses mystery to highlight his desire for the need of change in social laws forcefully enforced onto Victorian society suggesting that the suppression of feelings/emotions would leads to inner turmoil and guilt in individuals.
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