Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of The Case | The Coexistence of Good + Evil Revealed

     In the concluding chapter of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jekyll offers an explanation of his actions through his own words. Jekyll describes how his strange transformations are due to a drug which he is ever so deeply dependent on. However, the drug drastically changes from something which allows Jekyll to be Hyde and becomes a portal in which Hyde escapes his evil and transforms back into Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll describes one of his transformations as he says, "At that time my virtue slumbered; my evil, kept awake by ambition, was alert and swift to seize the occasion; and the thing that was projected was Edward Hyde" (Stevenson, pp. 27). Just as Dr. Jekyll became taken back by his unsuspecting metamorphoses, felt as out of place as a "stranger in my own house" (Stevenson, pp. 60). I feel as though the description of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde isn't a description about Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde at all. I believe that the story of an intellectual man fighting an intrapersonal battle is about no one other than Robert Louis Stevenson himself. Furthermore, I believe that Stevenson's tale is relevant to many individuals in the Victorian Era. Just as Stevenson struggled with cocaine addiction, many high class individuals suffered substance abuse as well. Perhaps, though, the ultimate conflict faced is good vs. evil and the high social expectations of the Victorian Era forced individuals to seek ways of releasing their "evil side." When I say "evil side," I'm not referring to murdering people and being a disgusting addition to society. People during this time needed ways to express their unpopular thoughts or their sinful actions and escaping their "high image" through drugs was the only way of doing so.

As a result, I believe that there is "evil" rooted in every person, it is simply the depth of that evil that is different.

The Last Night | Victorian Substance Abuse & Alice in Opiumland

     As Mr. Utterson and Mr. Poole break into the mysterious unknown territory of Dr. Jekyll, they discover many items such as papers and clothing scattered about. Despite these objects, however, one of the findings that intrigue the two men the most is a strange concoction. Mr. Utterson describes the scene as he says, "At one table there were traces of chemical work, various measured heaps of some white salt being laid on glass saucers, as though for an experiment in which the unhappy man had been prevented" (Stevenson, pp. 45). Furthermore, Mr. Poole shares that it was "the same drug I was always bringing him" (Stevenson, pp.46). What is this odd substance the two men discover? Well, we don't really know for sure. However, the reader can infer that this concoction-in-the-process is not something to play with. Upon further research, I discovered that, although substance abuse has been around for centuries, it was highly prevalent during the Victorian Era. Specifically speaking, the use of Opium was a trending topic for the upper class and people with some extra "pounds in the bank." Opium is made from the resin of the poppy seed and once dried up, it can be scraped off and used for smoking (although other methods of intake were soon discovered). Opium was a common pain reliever and often combined with cinnamon to offset the awful taste. It is said that the creation of Alice in Wonderland was "dreamt up" when it's creator, Lewis Carroll, was suffering from a substance-based hallucination (I'll leave it up to you to figure out what the caterpillar was really smoking.)

Am I concluding that it was Opium in the hands of Dr. Jekyll? No. However, from the viewpoint of a New Historicist and knowing that Opium was highly popular among literary figures and the intellectual in the Victorian Era, it is a great possibility.

Incident of the Letter | Newsboys

     After the cruel murder of Sir Danvers Carew, Mr. Hyde became one of the most hated men on earth. Unfortunately, the Victorian people couldn't tweet about this atrocious man (#downwithhyde), nor could they 'share' the murder's juicy CNN article with all of their Facebook friends. Fortunately, the people of the Victorian Era had their own way of spreading gossip and the latest news: newsboys. Mr. Utterson describes the scene of the streets after the murder of Carew as he explains, "The newsboys, as he went, were crying themselves hoarse along the foot-ways: 'Special edition. Shocking murder of an M.P.'" (Stevenson, pp. 27). Typically, newsboys were the first people that the general public would hear the latest news from (compared to our modern day Twitter or Facebook). But what exactly were "newsboys?" Newsboys were paper messengers to the public and although the position was dominated by young males, it wasn't restricted to their gender (Stevenson, pp. 27). Newsboys were the ones in charge of delivering the paper. Their shifts for the morning paper would begin as early as 6 A.M., often before the break of dawn. Historically, a newspaper boy was the first paying job available to young teenagers.

Over time, the relevance of newsboys has declined and is almost near extinct. One such reason is because of employment laws and the worry of unsupervised children roaming around delivering papers which, in turn, has lead to adults delivering the mail, rather than children (Afterall, it's mailman, NOT mailboy. Interesting, huh?) The decline in paperboys is also due to the expansion of technology and the fact that the majority of newspapers are now available online. Although paperboys have become less popular overtime, they have not disappeared. Today, we still have older children which deliver papers to door steps on Sundays. Newspapers aside, society now has social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. as I have previously mentioned which make the need for written news almost non-existent.

Search for Mr. Hyde | Dr. Jekyll was Quite at Ease

     As Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield are walking through the city streets and sharing the story of Mr. Hyde and the young girl, the way they converse is interesting in comparison to how Mr. Utterson converses with Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield keep to a formal and rather nonabrasive style of communication as Mr. Utterson politely says, "I had a delicacy" (Stevenson, pp. 5). The choice of the word "delicacy" reflects Mr. Utterson's professional image as a lawyer; however, when Mr. Utterson speaks to Dr. Jekyll there is a sharp change. While in Dr. Jekyll's home, Mr. Utterson's speech becomes straight forward and some-what abrasive. He cuts straight to the point and makes statements such as, "What I heard was abominable" (Stevenson, pp. 18). Utterson's sense of "delicacy" quickly disappears as he steps into the private quarters of Dr. Jekyll's home. From a New Historicism perspective, this transformation of speech shows that the people of the Victorian Era kept a clean and professional image in public areas, while in private they tend to truly speak what's on their mind. Clearly, Mr. Hyde was on Mr. Utterson's mind since he tossed and turned all night thinking about him, but his true curiosity and thoughts came out while in private with Dr. Jekyll.

     I can connect this to watching my own parents in and out of the workplace. While my parents are keeping a professional image, they tend to speak with advanced vocabulary and with a "delicacy." However, while at home, my parents are much more relaxed and share personal experiences with relatives. 

Story of the Door

     Upon beginning The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, some ideals of the Victorian Era society were revealed and many emotional responses were provoked. From a new historicism prospective, the beginning chapter of the novel provides insights into the views of men vs. women, and child vs. adult. As Mr. Enfield and Mr. Utterson walk, Mr. Enfield shares a disturbing story regarding two strangers, one grown man and one girl between the ages of eight and ten, and their encounter in the city street. Mr. Enfield tells Mr. Utterson that, "the two ran into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came the horrible part of things; for the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground" (Stevenson, pp. 3).  I believe that people in the Victorian Era lacked respect for their younger generations and didn't take their misfortunes as seriously as those of adults. Additionally, the person who tramped the young girl is described as, "some damned Juggernaut" (Stevenson, pp. 3). Historically speaking, the term Juggernaut refers to someone who is huge, powerful, and an immensely overwhelming force. Since the girl is under this "Juggernaut's" feet, this symbolizes how women were viewed below men in the social class of the time.

I connected the idea of man vs. woman to the Women's Rights Movement. Just as the girl had to fight to get back up after being knocked down, women have had to fight throughout history to achieve social status and work rights. Today, women are still not "equal" to men in the work place and frequently earn lower salaries for equivalent job positions. Personally, the "Story of The Door" triggered an emotional response. Upon reading of the poor trampled girl, I felt a sense of anger. I support Mr. Utterson's decisions to find Mr. Hyde, the man who stomped on top of her. I am eager to find out more about Mr. Hyde and discover more about the type of person he is.