When The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886, it took a markedly different turn from the prominent gothic literature prevalent at the time. When authors were focusing on the external forces of nature and the formulaic damsel in distress treatment, Stevenson began to explore the inner machinations of the human soul and provided an intriguing and original tale of duality. Essentially, Stevenson suggested that the worst monsters were just behind the façade of the calm and socially acceptable reflection that one looks at in the mirror everyday.

The story is timeless and ingrained in our culture. Jekyll is a good man and an intelligent doctor, who believes that, in studying the duality of humanity, science could then isolate the evil within and purge it from human nature. With no support, Jekyll becomes reclusive as he finally creates a formula that will separate the darkness of the human soul. With no one to experiment on but himself, he creates his alter ego, Mr. Hyde. Of course, part of the shock to audiences at the time was the final realization that the twisted and uninhibited Hyde was indeed the same man as the good Dr. Jekyll. Today, this is common knowledge, but the aspects of humanity, the idea of playing “God,” and the repercussions of even the finest of intentions still ring forth today.

Jekyll is a more complicated character than he might first seem. Many have associated him as the good to Hyde’s bad, but this is not necessarily the case. While Jekyll is noble, it is also he who allows Hyde to take more and more control. He even admits to enjoying the feeling of being the uninhibited Mr. Hyde, and notes the more common desire of simple self-preservation.

Hyde not only represents the disfigured form of Jekyll; he is representative of the darker side of ourselves that we fear and try to ignore. Early in the book, one witness recounts seeing the hideous man walk right over a little girl and knocking her down with no apparent remorse. The crowd, upon listening and seeing Hyde, immediately drive themselves into a potentially murderous frenzy bent on destroying the cruel man. The witness, who considers himself humane by all standards, desired nothing more than to bash Hyde’s head in by merely looking at him. Hyde is the monster in all of us that we wish to silence, that we cannot stand to see, that rages up when we are cut off in traffic; he is the instigator that makes us fight, he is the dark side of our consciousness. He is the ever-present monster that, if left unchecked, will wreak havoc on the world.