An analysis of the concepts of good andevil on the characters Gabriel utterson and hastie lanyon, from the book the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Abstract

Published for the first time in 1886, Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the most influential works of its genre. Counting up to more than 100 adaptations (Cook, 2022), this gothic novel has its themes and story spread through various areas, which normally work around the duality between good and evil, in regards to the main character of this work, namely: Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde, one pure good, the other pure evil. However, what sometimes passes unnoticed by these interpretations is that this duality can be seen through other characters in the novel, just like good and evil are not black and white here. In this regard, the present study aims to analyze how the aspects of good and evil - as defined by the strict Victorian codes and the Bible - can be seen through Jekyll’s friends, the lawyer Gabriel Utterson and the doctor Hastie Lanyon; as well as if Stevenson’s work is about pure good and pure evil. What was found is that Stevenson portrays in his novel that there is no pure good nor pure evil, even the relentless Hyde is nothing more than Jekyll’s disguise which he uses to satisfy his desires (Trueba 2015/2016). Utterson and Lanyon are also a representation of this, with the former’s evil coming from his unbalanced friendship towards Jekyll that clouds his choices; while the latter is made of a greedy curiosity that leads his decisions until the end.