The classic suspense thriller, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by the Scotsman Robert Louis Stevenson continues to set the bar for titillating storytelling. A film adaptation of the book is planned for release in 2010, starring Forest Whitaker and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.
Guilt: A Foe of Peace
At the heart of the premise lies this statement, breathed by Dr. Henry Jekyll’s devoted butler Poole: “Ah, it’s an ill conscience that’s such an enemy to rest!” Once he had a taste of the perfect crime, Jekyll found it mundane and anxiety-producing to continue to live as the kindly scientist in London.
He longed to be the indestructible and unabashed Edward Hyde – his monstrous and shrunken evil self. The rush he feels as this being starts to overcome Jekyll and he greedily waits for nights when he can emerge from his basement laboratory as Hyde to roam the silent streets of London.
Good vs. Evil
Destined to have an “honourable and distinguished future,” Jekyll had accomplished much as a scientist among his loyal and equally successful associates. Nevertheless, he had grown bored and unhappy and his latest experiment guaranteed a secret excitement and anticipation – two sensations lacking in his mundane existence.
However, where his current situation proved ordinary and monotonous, becoming Hyde was in equal contrast terrifying, menacing and even deadly. As Hyde, the patient and sympathetic doctor became hot-tempered, explosive and violent. His mere presence caused those who came in contact with him to feel indescribable uneasiness, a mixture of disgust and fear.
London Fog
Drizzly and foggy gray London nights are the perfect setting for this short mystery tale. The reader can hear the echoes of a hurried man’s footsteps on the cobbled-stone streets. The age-old struggle of a man’s duality of soul – good and evil – are immortalized in the characters of Dr. Jekyll (good) and Mr. Hyde (evil). Although on opposite sides of the spectrum, they are one, two sides of the same coin.
Dr. Jekyll’s inner battle to accept that even as Mr. Hyde he is still himself, leads him to a downward spiral of confusion and depression. He believes he is as much evil as he is good and decides that because most of his life he had maintained good, his evil self would counterbalance the remaining days of his life, and surrenders to the powers of Edward Hyde.
Paradigm of Fright
Stevenson’s classic narrative continues to be an examination of man’s life-long struggle with his desire to be good versus his selfish nature for power and control. The real-life theme of human morality and the fine line between it and self-destruction composed in this novel produces disturbing possibilities. Published in 1886, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persists as the example of psychological suspense and fear in storytelling.
- Stevenson, Robert Louis; The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Bantam Books, New York; 1886
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