The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1027among [his] fellow-men.” However, he is secretly
stifled by social conventions and “the restrictions of
natural life.” Unable to express his individuality and
openly act on his desires because of the damage it
would do to his reputation, he transforms himself
into a figure through whom he can indulge in “secret
pleasures” with impunity. In the guise of Hyde, he
can “plod in the public eye with a load of genial
respectability, and in a moment . . . spring headlong
into the sea of liberty.”
The other characters share Jekyll’s preoccupation
with reputation. Utterson is a prominent figure in
his field, as is Jekyll’s friend “the great Dr. Lanyon,”
and Enfield is described as a “well-known man
about town.” Like Jekyll, all of these individuals are
acutely aware of their place within society; any seri-
ous breach of convention could spell social disaster.
This leads to a great deal of secrecy: In order to
protect Jekyll and each other from potential social
disgrace, the men keep a code of silence and refrain
from asking too many probing questions. Enfield
sums up this philosophy when he tells Utterson: “I
make it a rule of mine: the more it looks like Queer
Street, the less I ask.” Enfield and Utterson avoid
gossip because of the potential scandal involved.
After telling Utterson of his meeting with Hyde,
Enfield says he is ashamed of his “long tongue,”
and they decide not to discuss the matter further.
Within their society, appearances matter: Reputa-
tions must be preserved at all costs. It is significant
in this regard that rather than threaten Hyde with
violence over his treatment of a young girl he
has carelessly killed, Enfield promises to “make his
name stink from one end of London to the other”
if he does not provide financial compensation to
the child’s parents. Keenly aware of the importance
of Jekyll’s reputation, Hyde agrees to the demand
because he wishes to “avoid a scene.”
When Utterson first confronts Jekyll with his
fears about Hyde, he does so “in confidence,” and
Jekyll appeals to him on the same grounds, begging
him to “let it sleep.” After Carew’s murder, Utterson
expresses his fears for Jekyll’s reputation if Hyde
should be caught: “If it came to a trial, your name
might appear.” Carew’s murder is made “all the
more notable by the high position of the victim,”
and Utterson wants to avoid this kind of publicity
for Jekyll, “lest the good name of another should be
sucked down in the eddy of the scandal.” Utterson
seems more concerned with Jekyll’s public reputa-
tion than with the crime itself. When Mr. Guest
reveals that Jekyll and Hyde have similar handwrit-
ing, Utterson asks him to keep the matter secret.
He asks the same of Poole when he and the butler
discover a letter addressed to Utterson beside Hyde’s
corpse: “I would say nothing of this paper. If your
master has fled or is dead, we may at least save his
credit”—that is, his good name.
Utterson’s attempts to save Jekyll’s reputation,
Jekyll’s disinclination to describe his vices, and
all of the other secrets and silences in this story
reflect the reluctance of Victorian society at large
to confront its more disturbing, irrational aspects.
Individual actions, regardless of their severity, are
swept under the carpet in order to preserve the
illusion of propriety. In many respects, this was a
society intent on upholding appearances and deny-
ing unpalatable truths in the interests of decorum.
Seen in this light, the real enemy in this story is not
Hyde but the social pressure exerted on individuals
to keep up appearances. The tale ends with Utterson
in possession of Jekyll’s written confession. One
wonders what he will do with this document. If his
past behavior is any indication, he will likely place it
under lock and key, demonstrating his commitment
to preserving his friend’s reputation and, by exten-
sion, the repressive social order.
P. B. GrantScIence and tecHnoLoGy in The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde appeared
during a period of intense interest in the sciences.
Following the evolutionary theories of Charles
Darwin, scientists were studying aspects of human
nature, and theories were emerging on personality
disorder, criminality, sex and sexuality, and addic-
tion. Robert Louis Stevenson’s story can be read in
relation to these theories: Jekyll suffers from identity
disorder, addiction, and repressed (perhaps sexual)
desires, and Hyde represents the “apelike” savage
beneath his civilized exterior—the primal aspects
of human nature which many rational-minded Vic-
torians were reluctant to acknowledge. Like Mary