The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (4 points)

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I was expecting to know a good amount of the plot points and major themes of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde going into the reading because I am a fan of the musical Jekyll & Hyde. However, when I started reading I was very confused by the point of view character being Mr. Utterson and the genre being a mystery novel. Once I understood what was going on, I liked the original approach to the story more than the musical’s. (Although the musical soundtrack is still nostalgic and catchy. (I’m looking at you, Confrontation.)) By writing the novel as a mystery, Stevenson allows the readers to engage with the horrors he presents in a more active role by making the readers want to figure out the mystery. The mixing of mystery and gothic elements presents an interesting dichotomy in the readers of the time, making them want to emotionally distance themselves in the more horror parts, yet emotionally engage during the mystery. This conflict mirrors the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jeckyll could be thought as the mystery side of the novel: intellectual and curious to the point of danger. Mr. Hyde’s more animalistic and impulsive nature mimics the way a horror novel affects it’s readers.

Although I like the majority of the book’s story more than the musical, I do find the ending a bit anticlimactic, and I prefer the musical’s ending more satisfying and tragic.

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