A Juggernaut in the Streets of London: Walking as Destructive Force in R.L. Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Abstract

For most scholars, Edward Hyde is unquestionably atavistic, but Stevenson’s portrayal of Hyde as a uniquely proficient walker complicates such a reading. In this chapter, I read Hyde through a Certeauian lens, and I contend that in his unusual ability to move with speed and direction through London’s labyrinthine streets, Hyde prefigures Bill Brown’s postmodern city-dweller. As such, Hyde possesses the ability to orient himself within an “unmappable” environment and becomes, in some respects, the most evolved character in the novella. However, as he performs a Certeauian subversion of the established order, he also wields the power of walking against other pedestrians, often preventing them from creating city-texts of their own. Thus, destructive walking holds threatening implications for De Certeau’s diverse, street-level city.