Themes & patterns

The central theme of the book, explored through Jekyll's scientific experiment to separate his good and evil selves into distinct identities, revealing that every person contains both moral and immoral impulses.

Jekyll's Victorian society forces him to conceal his 'impatient gaiety' and pleasures behind a grave public facade, leading to a 'profound duplicity of life' that ultimately drives him to create Hyde as an outlet for his repressed desires.

The novel critiques unchecked scientific ambition, as Jekyll's transcendental experiments cross moral boundaries, with Lanyon condemning them as 'unscientific balderdash' and the results bringing catastrophic consequences.

Utterson's steadfast loyalty to Jekyll drives the plot, as he investigates Hyde and tries to protect his friend despite mounting evidence of disgrace, while Lanyon's friendship is destroyed by the horrifying revelation of Jekyll's secret.

The contrast between Jekyll's respectable public image and Hyde's deformed, evil appearance underscores the theme, with characters like Utterson sensing 'something wrong' with Hyde that defies description yet reveals his true nature.

Jekyll's initial voluntary transformations into Hyde become an uncontrollable addiction, as he describes falling 'in slavery' to his darker self and eventually transforming without the drug, losing mastery over his own identity.

The struggle between moral and immoral forces is personified in Jekyll and Hyde, with Hyde described as 'pure evil' while Jekyll represents the 'incongruous compound' of both, ultimately showing evil's capacity to dominate.

The novel critiques Victorian social norms that demand rigid propriety, forcing individuals like Jekyll to hide their true natures, as seen in Utterson's self-mortification and the contrast between London's respectable squares and Soho's squalor.