Darwinism

• What book did Charles Darwin publish?

  • On the Origins Of Species in 1859
• What did the concept of Darwinism undermine?

  • It completely undermined biblical ideas of God creating the universe
• Why did the idea of darwinism cause a lot of fear within Victorian Society?

  • The idea of Darwinism elicited a lot of fear within Victorian society as many started to think we all must have these animalistic instincts that is uncontrollable and amoral.
• How is Darwinism clear throughout Hydes ape like actions and appearance?

  • His violence is done with "ape-like fury" suggesting these primal links.
  • He makes Hyde appear that he is regressing back into his primitive form
• How does Stevenson utilise Darwinism?

  • Stevenson utilises Darwinism to heighten the bleak atmosphere of the novella, alongside evoke fear from his reader.
  • He wants his readers to fear how this continual repression is encouraging the regression of mankind
• Concept: Hyde as a Degenerate Form of Man

  “The man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say?” (Chapter 2)


  • The word “troglodytic” links Hyde to early human ancestors, suggesting he is a regression to a more primitive state. This reflects Darwin’s theory of evolution, but in reverse—Hyde represents the fear that humans could devolve back into their animalistic instincts if they abandon morality.
• Concept: Survival of the Fittest – Hyde’s Dominance

  “My evil, kept awake by ambition, was alert and swift to seize the occasion.” (Chapter 10)

  • Hyde’s ability to "seize the occasion" reflects natural selection, where the strongest and most adaptable survive. Jekyll’s weaker, moral self is gradually overtaken by Hyde, mirroring Darwin’s idea that nature favors those who embrace their instincts rather than suppress them.
• Concept: Fear of Evolutionary Regression

  “A being inherently malign and villainous; his every act and thought centered on self.” (Chapter 10)

  • Hyde embodies the fear of atavism, the idea that humans might revert to their primitive, selfish nature. Victorian society, influenced by Darwin, feared that beneath civilization, humans were still animals. Hyde’s selfishness and lack of morality reflect this regression.
• Concept: The Animalistic Nature of Hyde

  “With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot.” (Chapter 4)

  • The simile “ape-like fury” links Hyde to primates, reinforcing his primitive and bestial nature. This taps into the Victorian anxiety that if humans evolved from apes, they might still have brutal instincts lurking beneath their civilized exterior.
• Concept: Science vs. Religion – Darwin’s Challenge to Beliefs

  “That child of Hell had nothing human; nothing lived in him but fear and hatred.” (Chapter 10)


  • The phrase “child of Hell” suggests that Hyde is not just primitive but demonic, reflecting how Victorians saw Darwin’s theory as dangerous and anti-religious.
  • Hyde’s existence challenges the Christian belief in a divinely created, morally pure human by showing humanity’s darker, evolutionary past.