Setting (Grade 12 NSC Matric English FAL): Revision Notes
Setting
The importance of setting in the novel
The setting in "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" plays a crucial role in storytelling and character development. Stevenson deliberately chose late nineteenth-century London as the backdrop, creating a direct connection between the physical locations and the characters who inhabit them. The setting becomes almost like another character in the story, reflecting the dual nature of the main characters and the themes of the novel.
Setting functions as more than just a backdrop in Gothic literature - it actively contributes to mood, symbolism, and character development. Stevenson masterfully uses London's geography to mirror his characters' internal conflicts.
Dr Jekyll's world: Respectability and wealth
Dr Jekyll resides in a prestigious area of London, living in an elegant townhouse surrounded by similar grand properties. His home features an "open fire in the front hall," which suggests warmth, hospitality, and social status. This comfortable living environment directly mirrors Jekyll's public persona as a respected gentleman and successful doctor.
The house itself tells the story of Jekyll's character - the front represents his respectable public face, whilst the back areas hold darker secrets. Jekyll's reputation is extremely important to him, and his luxurious living conditions serve as evidence of his success and social standing in Victorian society.
In Victorian England, one's address was a powerful indicator of social status and respectability. The quality and location of a gentleman's residence directly reflected his position in society's rigid hierarchy.
The laboratory: A bridge between two worlds
Connected to Jekyll's respectable home is his laboratory, described as a "sinister block of buildings" located in an alley street. This space has a completely different atmosphere from the main house - the windows remain covered, and the door appears neglected and uncleaned. The laboratory represents the hidden, experimental side of Jekyll's life.
Significantly, when Jekyll transforms into Hyde, he uses the back door of his house to enter and exit. This detail emphasises how the laboratory serves as a transitional space between Jekyll's two identities and two different worlds.
The laboratory's position between Jekyll's respectable front entrance and the disreputable back alley symbolises the dangerous middle ground between civilisation and primitive desires - a space where moral boundaries become blurred.
Mr Hyde's domain: The dark underbelly of London
In stark contrast to Jekyll's refined neighbourhood, Mr Hyde inhabits Soho, which was notorious in Victorian times as a "down market part of London." This area was infamous for being home to criminals, impoverished people, and those living on society's margins. The choice of Soho as Hyde's residence immediately signals to readers that this character represents the darker, more dangerous aspects of human nature.
The contrast between Jekyll's respectable address and Hyde's disreputable location reinforces the novel's central theme about the dual nature of humanity - the civilised public self versus the primitive, hidden desires.
Victorian Soho was genuinely considered a dangerous area, associated with poverty, crime, and moral degradation. Stevenson's contemporary readers would have immediately understood the implications of Hyde's residence there.
Atmospheric elements: Fog and weather
Stevenson uses natural elements, particularly fog, to enhance the novel's mysterious and threatening atmosphere. The fog frequently "comes rolling in," literally concealing characters and their actions from view. This weather element serves multiple purposes in the narrative.
In the novel's climactic scenes, the fog transforms into "a horrible storm," intensifying the sense of evil and danger when Poole leads Utterson to Jekyll's house for the final confrontation. The weather becomes a reflexion of the internal turmoil and moral storm surrounding the characters.
Literary Example: Fog as Symbolism
When Utterson walks through London's fog-covered streets, the weather mirrors the moral confusion and hidden truths he's trying to uncover. The physical obscurity created by fog parallels the psychological obscurity surrounding Jekyll's secret - both prevent clear vision and understanding.
The symbolic meaning of locations
The geographical divide between Jekyll's and Hyde's residences represents the Victorian era's strict social divisions. Jekyll's area symbolises respectability, order, and social acceptance, whilst Hyde's Soho represents chaos, criminality, and social rejection. This physical separation mirrors the psychological separation Jekyll attempts to maintain between his two selves.
The laboratory, positioned between these two worlds, becomes the dangerous middle ground where Jekyll's experiments blur the boundaries between good and evil, respectability and disgrace.
Key Points to Remember:
- The setting in Jekyll and Hyde directly reflects the characters' personalities and social positions
- Jekyll's respectable townhouse contrasts sharply with Hyde's disreputable Soho address
- The laboratory serves as a transitional space between Jekyll's two identities
- Weather elements like fog create atmosphere and enhance the novel's mysterious, threatening mood
- The geographical divide between locations symbolises Victorian social divisions and the dual nature of humanity