Jekyll and Hyde – Chapters 8 (Part 1)

The Last Night

As far as I’m concerned, Chapter 8 is the absolute best chapter in the entire book. This is where the story pretty much comes to a very abrupt end and yet it’s also where everything I love about the book finally comes front and center; Poole and Utterson.

It is a shame that the two people who have the most interesting perspectives in the entire book are the only two people to never have their stories told in any adaptations. Out of the hundreds of times this story has been adapted for stage or screen, the actual NARRATOR OF THE STORY and the only other person to genuinely care for Dr Jekyll have often been completely erased from existence. Why? When their perspective of the story is probably the most poignant.

What I hate about adaptations is that they don’t make it clear that what you’re experiencing is someone else’s fantasy or interpretation of the story, not the story itself. The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a powerful story about, as I’ve said before, male friendships, loyalty, and the spiral of addiction, and yet it’s never told from that perspective and that’s a real wasted opportunity.

I hope throughout this podcast I’ve given you a new way to see this story.