Robot Says…

The setting of London provides a crucial backdrop for the novel, reflecting the duality present in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Victorian London was a city of contrasts, with respectable areas juxtaposed against darker, seedier districts such as Soho, which mirrors the duality of the characters’ lives.
Smog, frequently mentioned in the novel, symbolises the moral and physical obscurity of the city and its people. For example, the “great chocolate-coloured pall” (Chapter 4) evokes the murkiness of Victorian society, concealing its darker, corrupt underbelly.
Soho, where Mr Hyde resides, was notorious during the Victorian era for its association with crime, poverty, and vice. This location reflects Hyde’s depraved and immoral nature. The narrative describes Soho as having “a district of some city in a nightmare” (Chapter 4), reinforcing its sinister, unsettling atmosphere.
Gin palaces were emblematic of the rampant alcoholism and escapism of the lower classes in Victorian society. This aligns with Hyde’s indulgence in unchecked desires, demonstrating a lack of restraint and morality.
Handsome cabs, referenced in the novel, were a common means of transport in Victorian London and serve as a symbol of mobility. They enable characters such as Utterson to navigate between respectable and disreputable areas of the city, illustrating the physical and moral divides within London.
Itinerant workers and the transient population of London contribute to the anonymity of Mr Hyde. This anonymity allows him to commit crimes without being easily traced, heightening the sense of danger and unpredictability he embodies.
Syphilis, a rampant disease in Victorian London, symbolically ties to the novel’s themes of hidden corruption and social decay. The fear of contamination mirrors the fears surrounding Hyde’s influence on Jekyll, as he represents a moral infection that spreads and ultimately overtakes his host.
Prostitutes, often associated with areas like Soho, serve as a reminder of the hypocrisy of Victorian morality. While the upper classes maintained a veneer of respectability, vices such as those indulged by Hyde thrived in the shadows. The novel critiques this duplicity, aligning it with the moral conflict within Dr Jekyll.
The novel’s depiction of London as a city of contrasts—light and dark, respectable and disreputable—serves as an external representation of the internal conflict in Jekyll. The city’s geography mirrors the duality of human nature, a central theme of the text.
Overall, an awareness of these elements contextualises the novel’s critique of Victorian society, particularly its hypocrisy, rigid moral codes, and the repression of desires which ultimately lead to destructive consequences. </aside>

<aside> 🔑

Resources

<aside> 🎨

Remarkable Revision

©️ Zain Ojikutu, 2024-2026

</aside>

<aside> 📺

YouTube

⏱️ Coming soon…

</aside>