Themes — Science, Religion & Secrecy

Beyond duality and repression, Jekyll and Hyde explores the dangerous power of science, the tension between science and religion, and the pervasive role of secrecy in Victorian society. These themes are interconnected and essential for achieving top marks.

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Science

Science as transgression

Jekyll's experiment is an act of scientific transgression — he crosses boundaries that should not be crossed.

"I not only recognised my natural body from the mere aura and effulgence of certain of the powers that made up my spirit, but managed to compound a drug by which these powers should be dethroned" (10)

Jekyll does not merely observe or theorise — he interferes with human nature itself. His experiment challenges the boundary between what science can do and what science should do.

The Faustian bargain

Jekyll's story follows the pattern of the Faustus myth — a scholar who makes a deal with the Devil in exchange for forbidden knowledge:

Faustus	Jekyll
Seeks forbidden knowledge	Seeks to separate good and evil
Makes a deal with the Devil	Creates Hyde — his personal devil
Enjoys the power at first	Enjoys the freedom of being Hyde
Gradually loses control	Transformations become involuntary
Destroyed by his own ambition	Dies trapped between two identities

Examiner's tip: Referencing the Faustus parallel shows sophisticated literary knowledge. You could write: "Stevenson draws on the Faustian tradition to present Jekyll's experiment as a hubristic act of transgression — like Faustus, Jekyll gains forbidden knowledge but at the cost of his soul."

Victorian science debates

The novella engages with real Victorian scientific concerns:

Scientific development	Relevance to the novella
Darwin's evolution (1859)	Hyde's animalistic nature — the "beast within"
Degeneration theory	Hyde as a regression to a more primitive human form
Vivisection debates	Jekyll experiments on himself — the ethics of human experimentation
Germ theory (1860s-80s)	The idea that invisible, dangerous forces exist beneath the surface
Psychology (emerging)	The novella anticipates Freud's theories of the unconscious

Science without morality

Stevenson presents Jekyll's science as dangerous because it operates without moral constraints:

Scientific curiosity → Experiment → Release of evil → Loss of control → Destruction

Jekyll's experiment fails not because the science is wrong but because he ignores the moral implications. The novella asks: just because we can do something, does that mean we should?

"I hesitated long before I put this theory to the test of practice." (10)

Jekyll hesitates — he knows the risk — but his curiosity and desire override his caution. This is the Promethean impulse — the drive to push beyond limits, regardless of consequences.

Lanyon vs Jekyll: Two models of science

Jekyll's science	Lanyon's science
Radical, boundary-pushing	Conservative, orthodox
Willing to transgress moral limits	Stays within ethical boundaries
Leads to discovery but destruction	Leads to safety but ignorance
"transcendental" (2)	"unscientific balderdash" (2)

Neither model is presented as ideal. Jekyll's radical science creates Hyde. Lanyon's orthodox science cannot even comprehend what Jekyll has done — the shock kills him.

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Religion

Science vs religion

The Victorian era saw an intense conflict between science and religion. Darwin's theory of evolution challenged the biblical account of creation, and many Victorians felt that science was threatening to replace God.

Jekyll's experiment is a form of playing God — he attempts to alter human nature, which in Victorian religious terms is God's creation and therefore sacred and inviolable.

Religious language in the novella

Stevenson uses religious language and imagery throughout:

Quote / reference	Religious significance
Hyde described as "really like Satan" (2)	Hyde is explicitly compared to the Devil
"if I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also" (10)	Jekyll sees himself in biblical terms — a sinner being punished
"O God!" repeated by Lanyon (9)	When science fails, characters turn to religion
Jekyll's experiment as "playing God"	Transgression of divine authority
The Carew murder — motiveless evil	Hyde embodies evil for its own sake — Satanic

The fall of man

The novella can be read as a retelling of the Fall of Man (Genesis):

Genesis	Jekyll and Hyde
God creates a perfect world	Victorian society creates order and morality
The serpent tempts Eve	Scientific curiosity tempts Jekyll
Eve eats the forbidden fruit	Jekyll drinks the potion
Humanity gains knowledge of good and evil	Jekyll gains direct experience of evil
Humanity is expelled from Eden	Jekyll is destroyed — expelled from respectable society

Examiner's tip: You do not need to identify the novella as a strict biblical allegory. Instead, note how Stevenson draws on religious imagery to deepen his exploration of transgression and its consequences. This shows understanding of how writers use intertextuality.

The absence of the Church