Victorian Religion and Science (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
Victorian Religion and Science
Victorian society experienced a fundamental tension between religious belief and scientific discovery. This conflict shaped public anxieties about human nature, sin, and morality. Stevenson draws on both religious and scientific ideas to explore the duality within Jekyll and the monstrous nature of Hyde.
The influence of religion on Victorian society
Christianity shaped many aspects of daily life in Victorian England. Religious teachings affected how people understood morality, sin, and their place in the world.
Evangelicalism was a particularly influential branch of Christianity during this period. Evangelical teaching emphasised that humans are born with a sinful nature. According to this belief, individuals must actively seek forgiveness from God by following a strict moral code. This code stressed complete morality and the avoidance of all sin.
These religious ideas created intense pressure on Victorians to maintain respectable behaviour and suppress any desires or impulses that might be considered sinful. The fear of sin and the need for moral perfection became deeply ingrained in Victorian culture.
Jekyll embodies religious anxiety about sin
Jekyll's character reflects the intense religious guilt typical of Victorian Evangelicalism. He views sin differently from other characters in the novel, with a heightened awareness of his own moral failings.
Character Analysis: Jekyll's Religious Guilt
Jekyll describes sin as "the doom and burden of our life". This phrase reveals his belief that sinfulness is an inescapable part of human existence, something that weighs down every person. The word "doom" suggests a sense of inevitability and perhaps even divine judgement.
Jekyll creates Hyde in an attempt to rid himself of this "extraneous evil". The word "extraneous" suggests Jekyll believes his sinful desires are somehow separate from his true self, something external that can be removed. This reflects the Victorian religious desire to purify oneself and achieve moral perfection.
Jekyll's extreme self-criticism and his desperate attempt to separate good from evil demonstrate how Victorian religious teachings could create psychological torment. Rather than accepting his imperfect nature, Jekyll tries to achieve an impossible purity.
Darwin's theory challenged religious beliefs
The publication of Charles Darwin's scientific work in the mid-19th century created controversy by contradicting established religious teachings about human nature and origins.
Christian teachings about creation
In the early 1800s, Christianity taught that God created every species as perfectly suited to its environment. The Book of Genesis presented humans as made in God's image, fundamentally different from animals and given authority over them.
This view placed humans in a special position within creation. It suggested that human nature was distinct and superior, linked directly to the divine rather than to the animal kingdom.
The development of evolutionary theory
Some scientists began to argue that species evolved gradually over time through natural processes. Various theories attempted to explain how this development occurred.
In 1859, Darwin published 'On the Origin of Species', which presented his theory of natural selection. Darwin argued that all living creatures evolved from common ancestors through a process where organisms best adapted to their environment were more likely to survive and reproduce. In later work, Darwin wrote specifically about human evolution, arguing that humans shared a common ancestor with apes.
The unsettling implications of evolution
Darwin's writings directly contradicted the Christian teaching that human nature was fundamentally different from animal nature. If humans evolved from the same ancestors as other animals, then humans might share characteristics with those animals.
This idea disturbed many Victorians. It suggested that within every person might exist an animalistic side, capable of uncivilised behaviour and violent acts. The comforting belief in human uniqueness and moral superiority was challenged by the possibility that humans were not so different from other animals after all.
Stevenson uses evolutionary ideas to characterise Hyde
Stevenson draws on contemporary anxieties about evolution to make Hyde appear monstrous and frightening to Victorian readers.
Hyde as the "animal within"
Hyde is described as the "animal within" Henry Jekyll. This phrase directly connects to Darwinian ideas about humans sharing animal ancestry. Hyde represents the primitive, uncivilised impulses that evolutionary theory suggested might lurk within all humans.
Textual Analysis: Hyde's Animalistic Nature
The text states that Hyde "seems hardly human". This description positions Hyde as something between human and animal, as though he represents an earlier stage of evolution. His appearance and behaviour mark him as less than fully human.
When Hyde is trapped, he lets out a scream of "animal terror". This phrase emphasises his connection to animal nature rather than human reason. His response to danger is instinctive and primal, not controlled by civilised human thought.
Poole describes Hyde as being "like a monkey". This comparison directly references the controversial link Darwin drew between humans and apes. To Victorian readers, this would have been a deeply disturbing connection, suggesting that Hyde represented the ape-like ancestor that Darwin claimed humans evolved from.
Physical appearance suggests evolutionary development
Hyde is described as shorter than Jekyll. This physical difference could suggest that Hyde represents a less evolved version of Jekyll. Smaller stature might imply a more primitive, less developed human form.
By making Hyde physically smaller and connecting him to animal imagery, Stevenson creates a character who embodies Victorian fears about evolution. Hyde becomes a living representation of the unsettling idea that humans might not be so far removed from their animal origins.
The combination of animal-like behaviour, appearance, and violent impulses makes Hyde a perfect symbol of the darker implications of evolutionary theory. He demonstrates what might happen if the animalistic side of human nature were unleashed without the restraints of civilisation and morality.
Key Points to Remember:
- Victorian society was deeply influenced by Evangelical Christianity, which taught that all humans are naturally sinful and must seek forgiveness through strict moral behaviour.
- Jekyll's extreme guilt about sin and his attempt to separate his "extraneous evil" reflect Victorian religious anxieties about moral purity.
- Darwin's theory of evolution, published in 1859, challenged Christian beliefs by suggesting humans evolved from common ancestors with other animals through natural selection.
- The idea that humans might have an animalistic side capable of violent, uncivilised acts deeply disturbed Victorian society.
- Stevenson uses evolutionary imagery to characterise Hyde: he is described as the "animal within" Jekyll, "seems hardly human", screams with "animal terror", and is compared to "a monkey", representing Victorian fears about primitive human nature.