The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R.L. Stevenson is set in London during the Victorian era in the late nineteenth century. The mysterious events surrounding Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde form the plot structure of the novel.
At the beginning of the novel, Dr. Jekyll’s friend Mr. Gabriel Utterson’s cousin Mr. Richard Enfield describes Mr. Hyde to him: “He is not easy to describe.
There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable.
I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it’s not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.” Mr. Utterson becomes curious about the mysterious Mr. Hyde and he sets out to investigate.
The most terrifying part of the novel is when Dr. Jekyll’s friend Dr. Hastie Lanyon witnesses the metamorphosis of Mr. Hyde into Dr. Jekyll during the latter’s chemical experiments. The novel could be interpreted as an allegory on the duality of human nature and the social hypocrisy prevalent during the Victorian era.
Reviewed by Ryhanna Salie