Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case By Vivienne, Eilidh & Samantha

Chapter Summary In this chapter, Mr Utterson reads a confessional style letter left in the laboratory by Dr Jekyll. Within the letter, Dr Jekyll explains how Mr Hyde came about and fills in most of the blanks left by the other people telling the story. He explains about the duality of his character, the pleasure he got from being Mr Hyde, and how he went about keeping his two characters secret from everyone. Jekyll then describes his reason for the letter, how Hyde had started to take over him and how he started to change into Hyde involuntarily.

Although Jekyll could stay as himself if he continually took the potion, eventually he ran out of his potion. However, when he tried to make up another draft, he discovered that the new one did not have an impurity that the previous one did. Therefore there was nothing he could now do to stop himself from being Hyde permanently. Because of this he decided that the only thing he could do was to end his own life before Hyde took over forever, hoping it would end Hyde’s life as well. The chapter and the book ends with the end of Dr Jekyll’s letter. You can only assume that Dr Jekyll killed himself before Hyde took over, but you don’t know whether Mr Hyde lives on or if he died along with Dr Jekyll.

Analysis of Narrative Structure In the form of a letter, from Dr Jekyll to Mr Utterson. Like a suicide note for Dr Jekyll, and he hopes for Mr Hyde too. There is a lot of fact and explanation to the letter, almost like it summarises the whole novella into one chapter. This is probably the most reliable of the chapters in the book, as it is told from the point of view of Dr Jekyll himself. His letter is very unsure as well, like even he doesn’t know about what was going, “I think I was glad to know it; I think I was glad to have my better impulses”.

Analysis of characterisation It starts off describing how his early life style choices would lead to him leading a double life – He acted in a grave way but had “an impatient gaiety’’ which he hid. He was almost ashamed of some of his characteristics. He was aware he led a double life – had aspirations to do well but also enjoyed the racy side of life. He recognised both as being equally him. The temptation of his discovery overcame any scruples about how dangerous it was. The potion actually altered his appearance– His bad side “Much less exercised and much less exhausted.”. Hyde is smaller, slighter and younger. All people are both good and evil, only Hyde is pure evil and represents the suppressed part of Jekyll’s nature.

He gave up for two months but he didn’t get rid of the house in Soho or the clothes of Hyde, he kept it in reserve, and he gave into temptation. BUT the evil side of Jekyll rose again, unbidden. Stevenson was trying to show how hard it is to repress the evil in us. Temptation is always there. Two characters end up hating each other. Jekyll hated Hyde and saw him as a bad thing - resents his love of life. Hyde hated Jekyll’s weakness. Developing different characters :- Old Henry Jekyll –Both good & evil New Edward Hyde – Pure evil Hyde starts to take over Jekyll as time goes on, thus becoming more and more powerful. As Hyde is exercised more, Jekyll becomes worried that the balance of his nature might also be affected permanently.

Analysis of Theme At the start of this chapter the theme of enlightenment is slightly unclear to the reader as the introduction is vague and does not give clear indication to the topic of the mixture or the transformation that takes place. This vague opening also creates a theme of mystery as you are reading it wondering how it will describe, and fill in the missing links within, the experience Dr Jekyll goes through when he changes to Mr Hyde.

This chapter is presented in the form of Dr Jekyll writing to Mr Utterson in a letter. The content of the letter creates a theme of enlightenment as it tells Mr Utterson the real story of the relationship between Dr Jekyll and his second personality, Mr Hyde. The content of this letter also helps explain the actions of Mr Hyde as it tells how he is the pure evil side from Dr Jekyll’s personality, and that the original, admired attributes from Dr Jekyll’s personality were void from that of Edward Hyde, which meant that Dr Jekyll could not control what acts Hyde committed.