Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Theme Essay

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story is based on a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. Readers forget that this novel was written as a "shilling shocker." A shilling shocker is a short, graphic book, popular during the Victorian era (the mid-1800's to about 1900.) During this time, “Frankenstein” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” were considered the most thrilling story at the time. There are many noticeable themes in “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde:” Good vs. Evil, Science, and many others. Good vs. evil provides the novel with its biggest theme. When reading, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde it is easily viewed as an allegory: a story in which the characters are symbols that …show more content…
Mr. Hyde was involved in two crimes against innocent and helpless citizens: a little girl and an elderly man. The first encounter involving a little girl, Mr. Hyde trampled her in the street. The novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Stevenson states “The two ran into one another at the corner; and then came the horrible part; the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground.” (Stevenson, 1.8) Later Hyde beats Sir Danvers Carew to death. During the attack the novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Stevenson states “And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on like a madman. And next moment, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows, under which the bones were shattered and the body laid there.” (Stevenson, 4.1) Later on Hyde admits he enjoyed committing these violent crimes, and never apologized. Stevenson does a good job expressing the true evil side of Mr. Hyde to the