English Extension Viewing and Representing Task - Xander Jackman

English Extension Viewing and Representing Task - Xander Jackman

Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, explores the dangerous yet unavoidable dichotomy of man; ultimately emphasising the way in which one’s ‘darker side’ will inevitably overcome any attempt to repress it. In this way, the novella presents the reader with three key values. The primary concern of the novella is the unavoidable influence and dominance of one’s baser desires, the fact that all will eventually succumb to their temptations. The unavoidable nature of these desires, somewhat aided by science, provides the basis for the second and third realities expressed by Stevenson.  The second relates to the stringent moral code of conduct in Victorian England, and the futile attempt of man to repress their more immoral and sinister character in order to maintain a good reputation. The third and final concern of the novella is the notion that, once released, the total retrieval of control over one’s immoral desires is never achievable, further highlighting the danger, and ultimately the fruitlessness, of trying to play God. Both images Four and Five capture the prominent values of the novella, showing the overwhelming power of one’s baser nature and thus the pointlessness of trying to prevent it altogether or curing it once it has emerged.  

The first and most prominent concern of the novella is the fundamental dominance of one’s dark-side. Stevenson highlights the notion that all will eventually yield to their baser desires and thus any attempt to suppress or conceal them is futile. It is impossible, the author implies, to resist such temptation forever. In his full statement of the case, Henry Jekyll evokes the way in which he longed to express his darker side and would do so as soon as he could, “labouring in the eye of the day” until he was able to satisfy his hunger. This ultimately climaxed at his first consumption of the potion, where “the temptation...overcame the suggestions of alarm”, showing man’s inability to contain their immorality perpetually. Both images evoke the supremacy of one’s dark-side over their attempts to suppress it, with Hyde in Image Four pictured as if sitting on Jekyll’s shoulder (not unlike the miniature angels or devils depicted in many forms of literature), symbolising his impact on the doctor’s personality and choices. This is reinforced by Image Five, with the point of salience being the large figure in the clouds, Hyde, representing his dominance over Jekyll and subsequently the dominance of man’s baser desires. This is further emphasised by the transition of authority that is created through vector lines, with the necks of the two large beakers in the foreground leading the viewer’s focus to Jekyll’s face, and then following his own focus to Hyde, his creation. A relationship of power has essentially been produced, with Hyde at the top, ultimately illustrating the superiority of one’s dark-side.

In addition to this, the unstable beakers, the incline of the room and the horror evoked through Jekyll’s facial expressions in Image Five represent the distinct fear and unpredictability of science in the Victorian era. This is reinforced by the intangible nature of Hyde, reflecting the uncertainty of science by taking the form of a gas or cloud. Jekyll’s experimentation and lack of control over his transformation signifies the way evil is unleashed, further reflecting Victorian England’s suspicions of science and how it may have been used in the future. Moreover, the dark, sinister and mysterious colour of the image combined with the skull sitting amongst Jekyll’s papers symbolise how science, through its conflict with Christianity, was associated with evil and sin. It is ultimately science that creates Hyde and thus allows Jekyll to express his darker side, once again highlighting its role in projecting the supremacy of Hyde and one’s baser desires.

But Stevenson does not limit Hyde’s dominance there, arguing that once man has submitted to his innate desires, those desires will have an increasing impact on the rational side of the brain as well. Jekyll explains the way in which his personality begins to change in the direction of his alter ego, that he was “slowly losing hold of [his] original and better self, and becoming slowly incorporated with [his] second and worse.” This is visually represented in Image Four, with the left hand side of Jekyll’s face taking on the same green tone of Hyde’s, therefore evoking the increasing influence of Hyde on the supposedly ‘completely rational’ Jekyll. Furthermore, if one covers the right-hand side of Jekyll’s face, Jekyll appears to be giving a sinister smile while looking in the direction of Hyde, further evoking his alter ego’s increasing influence on his “original and better self”. In this way, Stevenson illustrates the immense power of one’s dark-side and how any attempt to repress or hide it is vain.

        This failing attempt to repress one’s immoral desires in order to maintain a respectable reputation is the second predominant concern of the novella. The prudishness and propriety of Victorian Society required man to always suppress their baser thirsts and instead present themselves as reputable and morally-upright. In this way, Jekyll is forced to conceal his pleasures, hiding them “with an almost morbid sense of shame” in order to “carry [his] head high, and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public.” This concealment is shown in Image Four, with the Hyde figure (representing the primitive, indecent aspects of man) pictured behind his more upright half and in some kind of shadow, symbolising Jekyll’s efforts to hide his darker self in order to preserve his highly regarded standing in society. The top hat of the Jekyll figure evokes the Victorian facade of respectability, associating himself with the upper class and therefore attempting to hide any link between himself and his more animalistic side. Though he may be successful in hiding these cravings from the public eye, Jekyll suffers greatly from these rigid repressions and questions its purpose in society.

 “I was driven to reflect deeply and inveterately on that hard law of life, which lies at the root of religion and is one of the most plentiful springs of distress.”

This discontent is reinforced in Image Five, with the Jekyll figure pictured as small, isolated and constricted by the towering book shelves and clutter of beakers and papers, visually symbolising his constricted and imprisoned nature as a result of not being able to satisfy his immoral passions. In short, the novella expresses the attempted suppression and concealment of one’s baser desires in order to appeal to the strict moral code of conduct present in Victorian England, yet ultimately how this containment is the cause of great depression and thus a significant factor driving the overall dominance of one’s darker half.