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How is Jekyll a significant character in the novella?
(grade 7 example essay)

In ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson, the character
of Dr. Jekyll is of paramount significance as he is the central figure around which the entire
narrative revolves. Dr. Jekyll is a respected and incredibly well-educated scientist who
becomes consumed by the desire to explore the duality of human nature, leading him to
create a potion that transforms him into the sinister and immoral Mr. Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll's character is significant because his struggle with his alter ego underscores the
idea that, ‘man is not truly one, but truly two,’ therefore, every individual has both good and
evil within them. The repetition of ‘truly’ is relevant to his character, since it is revealed in
his letters, through the epistolary form in the last three chapters, that he does not know what
is true and what is not. His inability to control Mr. Hyde symbolises the inherent difficulty of
suppressing one's darker impulses, suggesting that the line between morality and immorality
is often blurred. Jekyll frequently uses the term ‘terror’ to suggest the moments in which he
changes from himself to Hyde, which further highlights the gothic elements within the
novella.

Another significant aspect of Dr. Jekyll's character is his internal conflict and moral
ambiguity. As a scientist, he is driven by curiosity and ambition, but his experiments with the
potion are referred to as ‘unscientific balderdash’ by Dr Lanyon, and ultimately unleashes his
darker impulses and desires. Jekyll professes that he must go his ‘own dark way.’ And that
through pursuing this path he acknowledges that he has ‘brought on myself a punishment and
a danger that [he] cannot name [and that] if [he is] the chief of sinners, [he is] the chief of
sufferers also’. The sibilant sounds in ‘sinner’ and ‘sufferer’ are a suggestion of the evil that
lies within him. The idea of Jekyll going his 'own dark way' can also be seen as a religious
idea since in Christianity there are two paths: the right path and the wrong path. Therefore,
the idea of Jekyll going his 'own dark way' could be a synonym for him going down the
hellish path. Dr. Jekyll's transformation into Mr. Hyde, then, represents the consequences of
unchecked ambition and the human capacity for evil, highlighting the dangers of scientific
hubris.

Furthermore, Dr. Jekyll's character also serves as a cautionary tale about the pursuit of
pleasure and the consequences of giving in to one's desires without holding back and thinking
about the consequences. His initial fascination with the freedom and liberation afforded by
Mr. Hyde's persona gives way to horror and regret as he realises (too late) the extent of the
damage he has caused himself. Jekyll says that he 'was slowly losing hold of my original and
better self, and becoming slowly incorporated with my second and worse' which shows that
His initial fascination with the freedom and liberation afforded by Mr. Hyde's persona gives
way to horror and regret as he realises (too late) the extent of the damage he has caused
himself due to the fact that he called Hyde (his second self) the worse self of himself and that
he was slowly losing hold of himself due to the power Hyde had over him.

In conclusion, Jekyll can be seen as the most significant character in the novella since he
creates an interesting atmosphere by showing us his deepest and darkest desires which allows
us to understand him and relate to him more than any other character, and therefore causes
him to be the most significant character as the reader then also relates to the other characters
through him.