Allegory and Tone in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1027 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Comparative essay of the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel about the good and evil of man has long been a topic of debate and study. Duality of the human soul has daunted humankind since the dawn of time; Cain was the antithesis of Able. Stevenson knew that all men had two natures, one good and one evil with his novel that transcends time, and although the story takes place over 100 years ago, its legitimacy is still pertinent. Perhaps Stevenson was suggesting that we are capable of even the most heinous wrongs even if we are the best of people, which Dr. Jekyll was in his prime. Through somber conversations and the volatility of the antagonist’s character Robert Louis Stevenson uses dark tone and allegory in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to underline the reality that humans have dueling natures.

The very first conversation in the story takes place between Mr. Utterson and his cousin Enfield. In this conversation, Enfield introduces the character Hyde, giving baleful detail into his person; Hyde is described as a “very odd story” (Stevenson 2171). The tone is set, and both the reader and Utterson must know more about this mysterious character. Enfield describes in a little more detail when he says "He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify the point. He's an extraordinary looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can't describe him. And it's not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment."(Stevenson 2173) The tone Stevenson uses pl...

... middle of paper ...

...ics debates. Through his allegorical story and shadowy tone, the author efficiently told the story of humanity, that every coin has two sides.

Works Cited

Fraustino, Daniel V. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Anatomy of Misperception." Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Anatomy of Misperception 38.3 (1982): 235-40. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Greenblatt, Stephen Jay, and Meyer Howard Abrams. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The Norton Anthology of English Literature: the Major Authors. New York: Norton, 2006. Print.

Perkins, Wendy. "Critical Essay on "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"" Literature Resource Center. Gale, 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Rogers, Fred, Johnny Costa, Bobby Rawsthorne, and Carl McVicker. "Sometimes People Are Good." Rec. 1985. Johnny Costa Plays Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Jazz. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Records, 1985. MP3.

Show More
Related

  • Literary Techniques In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    The criticism by Vladimir Nabokov, supports the claim that Stevenson uses symbolisms to express ideas and to create suspense. Finally Stevenson’s certain tone when he describes Hyde or the evil things the Hyde commit allowed him to express Hyde’s evil and created an unusual atmosphere. When Hyde was described he was described as small and the facial expression of his was very odd and hard to explain “Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with some sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering somewhat broken voice” (Stevenson 16). After Utterson’s first encounter with Hyde, he is just amazed and shocked because of Hyde’s physical appearance. Also in their first encounter, the setting was very dark and gloomy which adds to the claim. Also the description of Hyde symbolizes Hyde’s evil. Hyde’s ugliness and his deformed face symbolizes his evil, his small size symbolize Jekyll’s evil side inside him that was repressed for so long along with the dark setting. Another symbolism used in the book is between Jekyll’s laboratory and his house. Jekyll’s house is described as a place of wealth and comfort but his laboratory is described as “a certain sinister block of building thrust forward its gable on the streets” (Stevenson 6). The wealthy house represents the respectable man Jekyll and the laboratory represents the corrupt Hyde. Normal people will not see the two structures as one just like how they won’t be able to see the relationship between Hyde and

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare and Stevenson Present the Characters as Disturbed?

    1729 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ook was published in the year 1886 however people still believed in darwins theory and how humans evolved from apes. Stevenson says that he has ‘hairy hands’ and ‘in an ape like fury’ are examples of this. He also says that he has a ‘hissing intake of breath’ which could mean that he talk similarly like a snake. The author shows hydes character through his appearance; dwarf like, horrible to look at , he is decribed as a ‘damned juggernaut’ as well as unmanly and many more.The word ‘juggernaut’ makes the reader think of him as vicious and unbearable .from all these descriptions it makes the reader think that he is very different and deformed in his figure and facial features. Stevenson also shows the disturbing character by relating it to affairs in his time as I mentioned before; darwins theory making the reader understand more about hyde and his mentality.

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Hyde Character Analysis

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • The View of Human Nature Presented in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    3074 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the novel “The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” a number of

    Read More

  • Marxist Theory and Class Relations in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Use Of Light And Dark In Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde By Robert Stevenson

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel Dr .Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Stevenson is a literary masterpiece that Follows the mysterious connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and with that connection, Dr. Jekyll’s internal struggle to control Mr. Hyde. In order to highlight the dichotomy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson expertly uses the duality of light and dark as well as light and dark individually

    Read More

  • The Dual Nature of Man: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the dual nature of man is a main theme. Jekyll says: "Man is not /truly one, but truly two"(125), meaning all people have both a good and a bad side. Dr. Jekyll creates a potion to fully separate good and evil, but instead it awakens a dormant character, Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, Stevenson uses society, control, and symbolism to tell the reader about human nature.

    Read More

  • Jekyll And Hyde Duality Essay

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stevenson focuses on two different characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but in reality these are not separate men, they are two different aspects of one man’s reality. In the story, Dr. Je...

    Read More

  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dual nature of man is a recurring theme. Jekyll constantly struggles with good and evil, the expectations of Victorian society, and the differences between Lanyon and Jekyll.

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Context Essay

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    Texts are a representation of their context and this is evident in Robert Stevenson’s novella: “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, where many values of late nineteenth century Victorian England values were reflected through the themes of the novel using language and structural features. These values included: technological advances, reputation and masculinity and are demonstrated in the text through literary and structure devices as well as the characterisation of the main character.

    Read More

  • Duality of Man and Soul

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    Due to their concealed yet present inner evil, humans are naturally inclined to sin but at the same time resist temptation because of influence from society, thus illustrating a duality in humanity. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde focuses on how humans are actually two different people composed into one. The concept of dual human nature includes all of Hyde’s crimes and ultimately the death of Jekyll. Jekyll proposes that “man is not truly one, but truly two,” and describes the human soul as a constant clash of the “angel” and the “fiend,” each struggling to suppress the other (Stevenson 61, 65). Man will try to cover up his inner evil because once it rises to the surface everyone will know the real...

    Read More

  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a confusing and perplexing one. R.L. Stevenson uses the devices of foreshadow and irony to subtly cast hints to the reader as to who Mr. Hyde is and where the plot will move. Stevenson foreshadows the events of the book through his delicate hints with objects and words. Irony is demonstrated through the names of characters, the names display to the reader how the character will fit into the novel. These two literary devices engage the readers; they employ a sense of mystery while leading the readers to the answer without them realizing the depth of each indirect detail.

    Read More

  • Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques to Portray Evil in Jekyll and Hyde

    3971 Words  | 8 Pages

    This essay will focus on how Robert Louis Stevenson presents the nature of evil through his novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Using ideas such as duality, the technique used to highlight the two different sides of a character or scene, allegories, an extended metaphor which has an underlying moral significance, and hypocrisy; in this book the Victorians being against all things evil but regularly taking part in frown able deeds that would not be approved of in a ‘respectable’ society. This links in with the idea of secrecy among people and also that evil is present in everyone. The novel also has strong ties and is heavily influenced by religion. Stevenson, being brought up following strong Calvinist beliefs, portrays his thoughts and opinion throughout the story in his characters; good and evil.

    Read More

  • Repression and Hypocrisy in the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    1911 Words  | 4 Pages

    Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel ‘The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ was deeply influenced by his family and social background. Stevenson was born in a family with a history of doctors, lawyers and other standard occupations. He was taught wrong from right from a very young age by his nanny who was a very faithful Christian. Therefore, he received a good education in his childhood. These well-educated experiences restricted his behavior and forced him to perform formally which is similar to Dr. Jekyll delineated in his novel. Another influencing factor is Darwin’s theory of evolution. ‘The origin of species’ was published in 1859 in which Darwin stated that men are descended from apes. This made Stevenson believe that we all have human nature within our physical body and it has rationality that cannot be strangled. Another factor which have significant influence on Stevenson’s portrayal of the duality of man was Sigmund Freud’s psychological theory. According to Freud, everyon...

    Read More

  • Human Nature in Rober Louis Stevenson´s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson explores many views on human nature. He uses characters and events in the novel to present his stance on the major theme: “man is not truly one, but truly two” (125). Branching from this major theme are many more specific views on human nature divided into good and evil.

    Read More

More about Allegory and Tone in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Open Document