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Stevenson's Representation of Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde In this piece of coursework, I am asked to first of all, discuss how the novel is mainly concerned with the struggle between good and evil. Next, I will be moving on to discovering the historical, social, and cultural issues of the novel; this will discus what Stevenson's literary influences were. Subsequently, I will be exploring the actual evil character oh Mr. Edward Hyde; this will include a character description of Hyde. Then, I will be analysing the evil incidents that Hyde commits; how Stevenson actually describes these attacks. The symbols of evil will then follow; what the door and the fog essentially represent. And finally, I will be ending with a conclusion, which will state what Stevenson's view of evil was, and how this good and evil of Jekyll and Hyde reflect his view of Victorian England. The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is based around Mr.Utterson's, a longtime friend, and lawyer of Dr.Jekyll, and his search for the truth and the connection between Jekyll and Hyde, ending in the realization that they are actually the same person. The novel centers around the idea that there is a struggle between people's good and evil sides, it merely depends on which you nurture more. There is also this idea that one side of you will flourish and the other will be stunted, leading to the idea that "man is not truly one, but truly two". The battle between Jekyll and Hyde can be seen as one between good and evil. Owing to the complex, dual personality of this character, who in today's standards would be similar to a s... ... middle of paper ... ...f Victorian society. Stevenson's story appears to be a subtle attack on the middle classes. He grew up in these and knows all about the concealment and deceit of the "profound duplicity" among society. Jekyll believes himself to be in high society, "endowed besides with excellent parts,…, with every guarantee of an honourable and distinguished future". Apart from more similarities with Frankenstein, we can also see how Jekyll sees himself, and it is interesting that the doctor who already has a vast fortune chooses to gamble with his life, whereas the normal, less well endowed people, such as Poole, do everything to try and save him. Although, I do not believe that Stevenson is saying that the wealthy and rich are mad but that knowledge, money and dreams of fame and recognition can corrupt a good man, such as Jekyll.
Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil
The sense of conflict being created through disapproval portrays duality that the Victorians had at the period; it is almost as if they were in a dilemma and confusion in deciding which element of sanity to maintain. Stevenson wrote the story to articulate his idea of the duality of human nature, sharing the mixture good and evil that lies within every human being. In the novel Mr Hyde represents the evil part of a person and of Dr Jekyll.
To conclude the way that Stevenson has described Hyde and what Jekyll has done in most parts he has related it to the devil which in Victorian times was considered very dangerous, even though today he’s not considered that powerful it would still make a big impact. Stevenson has been successful in using many elements of a shocker/thriller to write a novella with a much deeper moral significance because every aspect of the story relates back to the Victorian morals of 1837 till 1901 and for a 21st century reader some parts of the novella will make them think what is really happening around them now and whether it is right or not!
The story illustrates this in the two characters of Dr Jekyll. and Mr. Hyde. Mr Hyde is on the evil side of Dr Jekyll, but he is restrained from being. wholly evil by Victorian society. Looking closely at Dr Jekyll.
The focal point of this essay is to define the life of Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the transformation he went through in becoming Edward Hyde. Dr. Henry Jekyll is a physician in London. He is very well respected and is currently experimenting the dual nature of mankind. Edward Hyde is a manifestation of Dr. Jekyll's personality. He is accused of committing evil acts throughout the novel.
...ve duality of man;… if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both” Thus, Stevenson creates in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, two coexistent, and eternally opposed components that make up a “normal” individual. However, here, good and evil are not related but are two independent entities, individuals even, different in mental and physical attributes and constantly at war with each other. Evil now does not require the existence of good to justify itself but it exists simply as itself, and is depicted as being the more powerful, the more enjoyable of the two, and in the end ultimately it is the one that leads to Dr. Jekyll's downfall and death. Stevenson creates the perfect metaphor for the never-ending battle between good and evil by using Jekyll and Hyde. However, this novella is perhaps one of the few that truly show the power of Evil.
“All human beings are commingled out of good and evil” Robert Louis Stevenson once said. In this one of a kind novel entitled The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by the wonderful Robert Louis Stevenson. Throughout this literary work, the idea of good vs evil as well as your dark side being tough to handle is greatly expressed. Which is why the theme of this novel is good versus evil and having trouble controlling your dark side.Now some people may believe that your good side almost always triumphs over your bad side mnly becasue thats what wither see or hear about, the yin and yang sign for good and evil is perfectly balanced, and some others may believe that a person cannot have two completely opposite personalities. According
Within the text of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson portrays a complex power struggle between Dr. Jekyll, a respected individual within Victorian London society, and Mr. Hyde a villainous man tempted with criminal urges, fighting to take total control of their shared body. While Dr. Jekyll is shown to be well-liked by his colleagues, Mr. Hyde is openly disliked by the grand majority of those who encounter him, terrified of his frightful nature and cruel actions. Throughout Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson portrays the wealthy side of London, including Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll, as respected and well-liked, while showing the impoverish side as either non-existent or cruel.
... man. Society in the Victorian era was consisted of two classes, trashy and wealthy. Jekyll was expected to be a gentleman, but he wanted to have fun. This was the reason he created Hyde, so he could both be respected and have fun. He was delighted at the freedom he now had. Lanyon was overly contolled, but Utterson knew all men had both good and bad within them and could control it. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the dual nature of man is a main theme.
much of their evil side they let out. Hyde may have been a product of
Many mysterious events occur throughout this novel. Stevenson foreshadows the imminent end of Dr. Jekyll in the very beginning. As Utterson reads the will of Dr. Jekyll, he is perplexed by the statement that “in the case of Dr. Jekyll’s disappearance” (6), all of his money will go to Mr. Hyde. This questionable intent of Dr. Jekyll leads the reader to assume that there is something for complex connecting Mr. Hyde with Dr. Jekyll. Utterson not only tries to protect Dr. Jekyll from Mr. Hyde, but Utterson wishes to solve Jekyll’s entire problem. In the first description of Mr. Utterson, the reader learns that he is “inclined to help rather than to reprove” (1). This simple description implies that Utterson will be helping to solve a problem in this novel, though it is not identified whose problem he will try to solve. This also foreshadows a problem in the book; Utterson leads the reader to believe that a horrid situation will arise between Jekyll and Hyde. Mr. Hyde is driven purely by the temptations of evil; the urges that Dr. Jekyll is unable to act on. This temptation causes Mr. Hyde to murder Sir Carew with the wal...
embryos. As we can see in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' and also in Mary
Shmoop Editorial Team, ‘Mr. Gabriel Utterson in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ Shmoop University, Inc., 11 (2008) < http://www.shmoop.com/jekyll-and-hyde/mr-gabriel-utterson.html> (accessed December 6, 2013).
In conclusion, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, represents many themes of duality in human nature. This is represented by the characters of Henry Jekyll, Edward Hyde, Hastie Lanyon, and John Utterson. Some themes represented are the duality in conforming to societal conventions, curiosity, and temptation. Stevenson utilizes significant events including the deaths of Lanyon and Jekyll, and the transformations of Jekyll into Hyde to prove “that man is not truly one, but two” (125)
The city of London proved to be the sole dominant location in the 1800’s during the Victorian era in this novel. As the story unfolds in the classic literature novel, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the magnificent city of London becomes a darker and mysterious location. The powerful city of London embodied the freedom and solitude required for the antagonist of the story, Mr. Hyde to hide his wicked behavior from the society as a whole. According to the history of the Victorian age, “Traditional ways of life were fast being transformed into something perilously unstable and astonishingly new” (1049). The population in England was growing at an astounding rate, illustrating the transition that the country of England was enduring. Instead of being strictly set in one specific location for the duration of the novel, the city of London was divided into two distinct societies consisting of both east and west London. East London, which is where most of the actions are taken place in the novel, was inhabited with the more poor people facing great poverty. On the other hand, west London was inhabited with the wealthier and they were exposed to more opportunities for the well-educated individuals. According to Darwin’s findings, “These two highly distinct societies were challenged by Darwin’s beliefs in the survival of the fittest” (1057). Darwin emphasized that only the fittest individuals regarding their wealth, intelligence, and reputation will survive within the British Empire during the Victorian era. The others living during this time will likely fade and not survive within the society. In Robert Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, Hyde embodies what happens to...