Topic > Literary Analysis of The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and…

The city of London proved to be the only dominant location in the 1800s during the Victorian era in this novel. As the story unfolds in the classic novel of literature, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the magnificent city of London becomes a darker and more mysterious place. The powerful city of London embodied the freedom and solitude needed by the story's antagonist, Mr. Hyde, to hide his evil behavior from the entire society. According to the history of the Victorian age, “traditional ways of life were rapidly transforming into something dangerously unstable and startlingly new” (1049). The population in England was growing at an astonishing rate, illustrating the transition that the English country was enduring. Instead of being strictly set in one specific location for the duration of the novel, the city of London was divided into two distinct societies consisting of both East and West London. East London, where most of the novel's actions take place, was inhabited by poorer people facing great poverty. On the other hand, West London was inhabited by the wealthier and they were exposed to more opportunities for more educated individuals. According to Darwin's findings, “These two highly distinct societies were challenged by Darwin's beliefs in the survival of the fittest” (1057). Darwin emphasized that only the fittest individuals in terms of wealth, intelligence, and reputation would survive in the British Empire during the Victorian era. Others who live during this time will likely fade away and not survive within society. In Robert Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Hyde embodies what happens... in the middle of the card... to improve Victorian society, even if it has gone completely wrong. The falling action towards the denouement occurred when Dr. Jekyll was no longer able to create the potion needed to keep Dr. Jekyll intact; resulting in Hyde taking over Dr. Jekyll's body completely. The letter addressed by Henry Jekyll to Lanyon showed an interesting double meaning relating to the toilet. “My cabinet door will then have to be forced open; and you will enter alone; open the press touched (letter E) on the left hand, breaking the lock; (1805). The password to open the locker was in fact the letter “E”. The author uses the letter “E” to engage the reader in the interpretation of what this could potentially mean. Could it result in harm? Or perhaps it could mean Edward, as far as Edward Hyde is concerned? Stevenson intended to keep this complete mystery for readers.