Themes — Duality & Repression

Duality and repression are the core themes of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Understanding how Stevenson explores them — and connecting them to Victorian context — is essential for a top-grade response.

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Duality

What is duality?

Duality means the existence of two opposing parts within a single entity. In Jekyll and Hyde, duality operates on multiple levels:

Level	Example
Individual	Jekyll contains both good and evil
Physical	Jekyll's house has a respectable front and a sinister back
Urban	London has grand squares and dark alleyways
Social	Victorian society demands respectability but harbours vice
Scientific/moral	Science can enlighten or destroy

Jekyll's understanding of duality

Jekyll's central discovery is expressed in one of the novella's most important quotes:

"I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man." (10)

He comes to believe that every person is not one but two — containing both a moral, civilised self and a primitive, evil self.

"man is not truly one, but truly two" (10)

Jekyll even speculates that humans might contain multiple selves:

"I say two, because the state of my own knowledge does not pass beyond that point." (10)

How Stevenson presents duality

Stevenson weaves duality into every aspect of the novella:

1. Physical settings

Setting	Respectable side	Dark side
Jekyll's house	Grand front door, square	Blistered back door, by-street
London	Well-lit, prosperous streets	Foggy, sinister alleyways
Jekyll's rooms	Elegant dining room	The locked, secretive laboratory

2. Characters as doubles

• Jekyll and Hyde — literally the same person split in two
• Jekyll and Lanyon — radical science vs orthodox science
• Jekyll and Utterson — both repress desires, but with different outcomes

3. Language and imagery

Stevenson repeatedly uses contrasting pairs:

Light / dark	Good / evil	Civilised / primitive
"Stars" vs "darkness"	Jekyll vs Hyde	Doctor vs "troglodyte"
Day vs night	Respectability vs vice	Rational speech vs "ape-like fury"

4. Narrative structure

The novella itself is dual — the story told from the outside (Utterson's investigation) and the story told from the inside (Jekyll's confession). The reader must combine both perspectives to understand the truth.

Examiner's tip: When writing about duality, don't just say "the novella explores duality." Be specific about how — through settings, characters, language, and structure. A Grade 9 response would analyse duality at multiple levels simultaneously.

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Victorian context of duality

Duality was a major preoccupation of Victorian culture:

• Charles Darwin revealed that humans were part of the animal kingdom — civilisation and savagery coexist within us.
• Sigmund Freud (later, in the 1890s) would theorise the id (primitive desires) and the superego (social conscience) — Jekyll and Hyde anticipate this.
• Victorian cities were physically dual — wealthy areas beside slums, often only streets apart.
• Victorian morality demanded a public face of respectability while private vices were widespread.

The novella was shocking because it suggested that the beast was not "out there" in the slums or the colonies — it was inside every respectable gentleman.

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Repression

What is repression?

Repression is the act of suppressing desires, emotions, or aspects of the self that are considered unacceptable. In Victorian society, repression was not just common — it was expected.

How repression works in the novella

What is repressed?	By whom?	Consequence
Jekyll's "pleasures"	Jekyll himself	Creates unbearable tension — leads to the experiment
Utterson's enjoyment	Utterson	He denies himself theatre, wine — lives an austere life
The truth about Hyde	All characters	No one investigates fully — they protect reputation
Emotions and horror	Utterson, Enfield	They walk away in silence after witnessing Jekyll's transformation at the window
Jekyll's confession	Sealed letters	Truth is literally locked away, only revealed after death

Jekyll's repression

Jekyll is the novella's most important example of repression. In his confession, he explains:

"I concealed my pleasures." (10)

"I found it hard to reconcile with my imperious desire to carry my head high, and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public." (10)

Jekyll does not say his pleasures were criminal or even particularly wicked. He says they were incompatible with his reputation. This is Stevenson's critique of Victorian society — it is the system that creates the need for Hyde, not Jekyll's evil nature.

The irony of repression

Stevenson shows that repression does not eliminate evil — it strengthens it:

Repression → Pressure builds → Explosion (Hyde) → Escalation → Destruction