Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an intriguing interpretation of 19th-century life, culture, and society. Despite the evolution of social and cultural norms since its publication in 1886, students can identify with many of the themes, specifically the influence of societal expectations on a person’s individuality. Students should consider the way they alter their expression (language, actions, dress, formality, etc.) according to where they are (school, home, friend’s house, parties) and who they are with (parents, friends, boss, siblings). How do societal expectations help to shape individuals? How do they inhibit them?

The interactions among characters (for example, in chapter one, Stevenson observes two friends—Mr. Enfield and Mr. Utterson—whose conversations are described as formal and impersonal; they are not even on a first-name basis) may seem strange to students who are unfamiliar with the formality of 19th-century society. Teachers can incorporate historical context within classroom discussions to help students better understand the novella. Students should envision Victorian ideals as mask-like. Dr. Jekyll personifies the mask; his status and reputation coincide with nineteenth century ideals, while the underlying manifestation of his true self, Mr. Hyde, remains concealed.

Teachers can also use the novella as an example of allegory, a story that has a deeper, hidden meaning (usually moral or political). Dr. Jekyll symbolizes the ideal Victorian man; his alter-ego, Mr. Hyde, represents the man who is free of all social and political constraints. Once Dr. Jekyll has experienced freedom from societal limitations, he is consumed and transformed by it and, eventually, is unable to return to his former self.