I believe that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a work of Victorian Realism. The Broadview textbook defines some of the aspects of Victorian Realism as including “Detailed descriptions of landscapes, city streets, and domestic interiors” along with “moral progress, and inner struggles of an ordinary individual” (615). These aspects can be seen throughout Jekyll and Hyde in the descriptions of Dr. Jekyll’s living quarters, his realization of the evils that occur when Hyde takes over, and his decision on what should be done regarding Hyde in order to keep others safe.
The detailed descriptions occur the most frequently in this story and can be seen as early as the second page where Mr. Utterson describes seeing Mr. Hyde walk over and injure a young child in a street “where there was literally nothing to be seen but lamps” (1123). These street descriptions occur multiple times when talking of Mr. Hyde and his atrocious acts. Another example of this is on page 1131 when a woman observes Mr. Hyde beat a man to death with a cane in the middle of a street one night. I believe the most important descriptions occur in Dr. Jekyll’s living quarters. It allows readers to get a more intimate sense of a character who is otherwise very elusive until the end of the story. It also shows how different both Jekyll and Hyde are. Where Hyde is sporadic and angry, Jekyll is clean and organized making him seem highly unlikely to cause any kind of harm.
Dr. Jekyll’s inner struggles and the moral processing he must consider also makes this story reflect Victorian Realism. These aspects can especially be seen in the “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case” section beginning on page 1147. It is in this section that Dr. Jekyll reveals that he turns into Hyde and that Hyde is a completely evil force that he can not control. This proves to be a pull of forces that Jekyll can not seem to find a solution for. Especially when he begins transforming between the two men uncontrollably. I believe this is why Jekyll asks Utterson to break into his quarters. He knows that it will end in the murder of Hyde. Although this means that Jekyll will also die it also means that innocent people will be saved from Hyde’s evil. Although this is an impossible decision to make, Jekyll sacrifices himself, his experiment, and a lifetime of hard work for the safety of others.
Brit Lit 2020 