To begin with, before we understand why any description of this work can be connected

with any of the protagonists, we must analyze them. Although Mr. Utterson is the
narrator, the real protagonists of this novel are Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. At the moment
of describing them, we will see extreme differences between them and how the rest of
the characters, such as Utterson or Lanyon, act in one manner or another towards Jekyll
and Hyde because of who they are.

Dr Jekyll is described as a tall, slender, and elegant man, about fifty years old: a large,
well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a stylish cast perhaps, but
every mark of capacity and kindness—you could see by his looks that he cherished for
Mr. Utterson a sincere and warm affection (PAGINA 12). As also mentioned in the
story, Jekyll is "M.D., D.C.L., L.L.D., F.R.S., etc." (PAGE 6), which are the initials of
Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Civil Law, Doctor of Laws, and Fellow of the Royal
Society. Because of this, he is quite recognized in London society, so he is an influential
and respected person among citizens. Besides that, he is religious, familiar, and has an
active social life with friends. His closest circle is made up of people who belonged to
high society, such as lawyers like Mr. Utterson, doctors, and academics. His closest
circle formed people who belonged to high society, such as lawyers like Mr. Utterson,
doctors, and academics. Stevenson points out that he often meets with them to have
dinner and to discuss, in my opinion, issues of controversy at the time, including
medical, academic, and social issues: the doctor gave one of his pleasant dinners to
some five or six old cronies, all intelligent, reputable men and all judges of good wine
(PAGINA 12).

Unlike Jekyll, Mr. Hyde is described continuously throughout the novel. It may be
because, as he is a stranger in the city, each character describes him depending on the
situation in which they have known him. Although each character knows him in a
different circumstance, they all agree in qualifying him as a sinister, evil, and repulsive
person.

After the first encounter between Hyde and the lawyer, he narrates Hyde's appearance
and helps us put a face on the stranger: Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an
impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing
smile. (PAGINA 10). In addition to his appearance, Utterson refers, more than once, to
his deep voice and laughter. I think he highlights Hyde's voice because it calls his
attention as it defers so much from Jekyll's: and he spoke with a husky, whispering and
somewhat broken voice (PAGINA 10). And his laugh qualifies it as wild, giving him an
animal image: ‘the other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; (PAGINA 10. These
descriptions make the image of Hyde even more aberrant.

To make matters worse, the moment Poole and the lawyer discover Hyde’s body,
Utterson, instead of worrying about what might have happened, focuses, once again, on
his appearance. This time, on his outfit, that is described as: He was dressed in clothes
far too large for him, clothes of the doctor’s bigness. (PAGINA 32). These words help
us visualize Hyd, and it also gives us a clue as to how Utterson is and who Dr Jekyll’s
circle is. He certifies that the clothes are big but refers to both size and metaphorically
since Hyde is inferior to them in social position, and it is strange for that kind of person
to wear such a suit.

In addition to these physical descriptions, the protagonists' names give us clues about
what can happen in the story. On the one hand, we have Henry Jekyll, whose surname,
if pronounced in the French style, sounds like Je kill = I kill, meaning that he will
sacrifice himself for wanting to unleash his desires. On the other hand, Edward Hyde,
whose last name, if we change the 'y' to 'i', means to hide, referring to what he does
during the play so as not to be judged for the vandalism he commits. This idea comes
from the pun that Utterson says before starting to investigate what is happening with his
scientific friend: If he be Mr. Hyde,” he had thought, “I shall be Mr. Seek.” (PAGINA
9).

MR. HYDE AND THEORY OF EVOLUTION

Continuing the description of Edward Hyde, we can read that, more than once, he is
referred to as an animal. This kind of reference has something to do with the fact that, at
the time, Victorian society, especially the Christian one, was questioning the origin of
the human species in the wake of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, which claimed
that man evolved from common ancestors with apes and other primates.

This theory proposes that species change and evolve through natural selection, and the
novel also explores issues related to human nature and human duality. Dr Jekyll is
interested in exploring the limits of human duality, trying to separate the good and bad
aspects of his own personality, suggesting that Jekyll sees human nature as complex and
multifaceted and believes it is possible to separate and control the different facets of his
persona. Having lost control of his dark side, we read how his behaviour is compared to
a rat at the moment when he has just transformed into Hyde and tries at all costs that
Poole does not discover his appearance: ‘Sir, if that was my master, why had he a mask
upon his face? If it was my master, why did he cry out like a rat, and run from me?’
(PAGINA 29).

Similarly, Darwin’s Theory of evolution proposes that species are complex and change
over time, and natural selection is a process in which the most adaptive characteristics
are inherited by the next generation.

In The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Hyde represents the dark and repressed
part of Dr Jekyll's personality, which is what the scientist would have wanted to adapt.
As Jekyll transforms into Hyde, his personality becomes more aggressive, violent and
impulsive, understanding that he is in the process of evolutionary adaptation. Jekyll
himself, despite Hyde being his other 'I', qualifies him as smaller, agile and young, as if
he was about to complete his growth and was in the process of evolution: ‘And hence,
as I think, it came about that Edward Hyde was so much smaller, slighter and younger
than Henry Jekyll.’ (PAGINA 43). This adaptation allows him to survive in a dangerous
environment where violence and cruelty are day-to-day realities. In addition, I think this
behaviour also helps him as a defence mechanism in Jekyll’s circle, which is utterly
opposed to what Hyde stands for.

On the other hand, Jekyll represents an individual totally adapted to the Victorian social
environment in which he lives. He has self-control, morality and respect for the rules
imposed on society. However, in my opinion, that adaptation is not ended because,
although this character does not have evil intentions, he represses his dark side to meet
the expectations and his desire to do wickedness.