The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Due to its place in pop culture, anyone reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde today is bound to be aware that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person, but this would not have been the case for someone reading the book for the first time in 1886. Does knowing the book’s mystery ahead of time lessen its impact? Why or why not?

Jekyll states in Chapter 10: “I hazard a guess that man will be ultimately known for a mere polity of multifarious, incongruous and independent denizens” (111). Discuss how this prediction has come true in today’s society. Are there ways in which people today manipulate or change their identities?

The author describes Utterson as “embarrassed in discourse” and “backward in sentiment” (47). What might Stevenson mean by these phrases, and how, if at all, do they relate to Utterson’s behavior in the book?