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The strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde good and evil essay
The strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde good and evil essay
Victorian literary elements
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As a scientist, Jekyll also could not resist the temptation to attempt to separate the characteristics that made a person good and evil. He had long observed the dualities of Victorian society and seen how allegedly good people would take a piece of information regarding a misdeed of a fellow man and blackmail him so the knowledge would remain private. Instead of succumbing to this societal flaw, Jekyll wanted to determine for himself if good and evil could be separated inside of the mind of one human being. One of the taboos of science, regardless of what era a person is analyzing, is that a scientist never experiments on himself (Towheed 89). However, Jekyll ignores this taboo as he had several others to engage in his own vices and decides …show more content…
Jekyll had to his research, even knowing that his own health and mental well-being were at stake. It was too much of a temptation to prove his scientific theory correct that he made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of science. With that said the question then becomes what sacrifices for science is too much? It was common practice during the Victorian Era for medical doctors and scientists to experiment on the poor, even to the detriment of these people all in the name of science (Verrips 228). There were countless terrible acts committed against these involuntary guinea pigs such as lobotomies and other surgical procedures to test proposed treatments for medical as well as mental health issues, and very few people batted an eyelash when this was done. So if it was acceptable to perform these types of barbaric acts in the name of science, why would it not be acceptable to use oneself as a guinea pig as Dr. Jekyll did? Naturally there were negative consequences that were a direct result of the doctor’s decision to experiment on him, but ultimately it was the choice he made as a man and professional being of sound mind. However, it is the ‘sound mind’ portion of this statement that deserves further …show more content…
It is terrible to consider that a man who is considered an upstanding, moral citizen in society can reduce himself to such a monstrous existence. According to Dryden (88), this is an example of the literary double standard written about so often in Victorian literature which presents good moral citizens yet reveals a darker, more sinister side to them. Again the liberal interpretation of morality is important in this case since the Victorian Era is commonly full of double standards. One of the biggest fears that existed during the Victorian Era was that people would abandon their moral codes and act upon their own dark, terrible desires, and this fear is the basis of this novella as well as other well-known pieces of literature during this time period (Dryden 89). Taboos such as murder, cruelty toward others, unnatural sexual acts (including homosexuality) and drug use were amongst those habits that were considered taboo yet were regularly practiced during the Victorian
For this reason I’ll be explaining Jekyll’s mental health. Jekyll has as what we now call Multiple Personality Disorder; “I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could be rightly said to be either, it was only because I was radically both,” Stevenson 57.) The disease was first discovered by Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot. He would ask patients symptoms that he found common in MPD. Many patients know about their alternate personality but refuse to acknowledge it’s existence. In some cases they may even refer to it as a separate person entirely. In this case Jekyll is very much aware of his alternate personality, going as to so far as to willingly change into him. However despite this he also categorizes Hyde into a separate being. For example when Hyde does something unappealing or distasteful he blames it on a separate person. Consciously though he is aware that he is Hyde and Hyde is him. (MD, Arnold Lieber. "Multiple Personality Disorder / Dissociative Identity Disorder." PsyCom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986. Vertical Health LLC, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016).
In the first chapter of the book we are introduced to one of the main
“The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde” is a novella written in the Victorian era, more specifically in 1886 by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. When the novella was first published it had caused a lot of public outrage as it clashed with many of the views regarding the duality of the soul and science itself. The audience can relate many of the themes of the story with Stevenson’s personal life. Due to the fact that Stevenson started out as a sick child, moving from hospital to hospital, and continued on that track as an adult, a lot of the medical influence of the story and the fact that Jekyll’s situation was described as an “fateful illness” is most likely due to Stevenson’s unfortunate and diseased-riddled life. Furthermore the author had been known to dabble in various drugs, this again can be linked to Jekyll’s desperate need and desire to give in to his darker side by changing into Mr Hyde.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the author Robert Louis Stevenson uses Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to show the human duality. Everyone has a split personality, good and evil. Stevenson presents Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as two separate characters, instead of just one. Dr. Jekyll symbolizes the human composite of a person while Mr. Hyde symbolizes the absolute evil. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who are indeed the same person, present good and evil throughout the novel.
Naturally, it is human nature to yearn for some sort of evil. Sinning is common on a daily basis. Kids lean towards destruction. Countless people have the urge to gamble at casinos. Human beings are lustful creatures and have sexual notions constantly in their minds. Evil is not something that can be avoided. For those who appear perfect, their "evil" is well hidden. Thus, ."..humanity is...synonymous with the struggle of good and evil" (Abbey, et al. 328). Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde centers on the dual nature of the human personality through the good and evil facets of Dr. Jekyll's character.
To begin with, Stevenson shows duality of human nature through society. During the Victorian era, there were two classes, trashy and wealthy. Dr. Jekyll comes from a wealthy family, so he is expected to be a proper gentleman. He wants to be taken seriously as a scientist, but also indulge in his darker passions.“...I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality/ of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in/ the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said/ to be either, it was only because I was radically both..."(125).
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll, in grave danger, writes a letter to his good friend Lanyon. With Jekyll’s fate in Lanyon’s hands, he requests the completion of a task, laying out specific directions for Lanyon to address the urgency of the matter. In desperation, Jekyll reveals the possible consequences of not completing this task through the use of emotional appeals, drawing from his longtime friendship with Lanyon, to the fear and guilt he might feel if he fails at succeeding at this task. Through Jekyll’s serious and urgent tone, it is revealed that his situation is a matter of life and death in which only Lanyon can determine the outcome.
middle of paper ... ... one, but scientist Lewis Thomas says, "We cannot wish away the "Frankenstein Impulse"-we must instead try to channel it in a democratic and ethical direction" (Article Finder). The thirst for knowledge is a hidden evil that man can only see after it has destroyed his life. Had Frankenstein and Jekyll followed the advice of Thomas then maybe their findings would have turned out to be good rather than evil. Perhaps God grants the pursuit of knowledge to those he knows will abuse it in order to make an example of their irresponsible pursuit of knowledge and to prove that some knowledge is off limits to man.
Dr. Jekyll’s two personalities represent the extremely good and truly wicked side of human nature. When those personalities were split it created complete chaos. Dr. Jekyll needed both sides of his personality to fit in with society. When one side is stronger it creates an imbalance and brings up the true evil of his demeanor. He has to create a balance in both sides for him to live respectively. As he holds in his evil side of his personality it grows stronger and brings out a far more menacing persona than he was expecting. He did not understand how powerful his evil side could honestly be. When the evil becomes too strong his good side has lost all the ability to control both sides. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “At the sight that met my eyes, my blood was changed into something exquisitely thin and icy. Yes, I had gone to bed Henry Jekyll, I had awakened Edward Hyde” (Stevenson, p.139). This quote illustrates how the evil side took control completely. However, Jekyll could have easily avoided this mistake by maintaining the balance of good and evil in not creating the potion that separated his personalities. Even in the story of Romeo and Juliet good and evil were better together through the possession of love. When Romeo first saw Juliet all he could see was the good in her not the evil from her family’s hatred towards the Montagues. As their love grew stronger love and war intensified. In Romeo and Juliet Tybalt was a pure
After reading and watching The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, By Robert Louis Stevenson, Characterization played an important role on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In terms of physical appearance these two characters are seen to look different and even have different physical characteristics.
wrong, a lot like the way Mr Hyde was thought of. So to Mr Utterson,
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a story based in the eighteenth-century, displays the tension of science vs. religion and the fear of technology spiralling out of control. Dr. Jekyll throughout the novel combines science and the supernatural, which is regarded by those of traditional science as nonsense (Stevenson 12). An example of this is highlighted within a conversation between Mr. Utterson and Mr. Lanyon over the types of radical science Dr. Jekyll was pursuing. Lanyon calls Jekyll’s scientific methods “unscientific balderdash” (Stevenson 12) revealing that there is a divide between the two scientists. Lanyon is the embodiment of the traditional, as he places extreme importance on honesty and truth, whereas Dr. Jekyll can be looked at as the supernatural, someone who experiments with what is uncanny. This is important when understanding the fear of one’s morality or of one’s self as we see newer science separating from traditional science. However, the outcome of this is that Jekyll is unable to control the darker, supernatural side of his modern scientific methods, leading to death and
Jekyll experiences. For instance, Dr. Jekyll’s physical appearance begins to decline as he stops taking the draught. The text describes Dr. Jekyll’s physical characteristics as “looking deadly sick” when his is usually a “large well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness” (Stevenson 19-25). Not only does Dr. Jekyll’s health begin to decline, but also his behavior changes as well. Normally, when Dr. Jekyll would have a visitor he would greet his guest with a warm welcome, but as the text illustrates in Chapter 4, Dr. Jekyll did not have the strength to greet Mr. Utterson: “He did not rise to meet his visitor but held out a cold hand and bade him welcome in a changed voice”( Stevenson 25). Another example of Dr. Jekyll’s behavioral change is seen when he physically separates himself from his colleagues for days on end locked in his laboratory resulting in his friends to repeatedly check on him. This act of withdrawal connects to the reality an addict faces during rehabilitation. The said addict has to seclude himself from temptation in order to be successful in the recovery stage. The final behavioral change for Dr. Jekyll is shown through his reiteration of him cutting off all ties to Mr. Hyde and his outburst of violence. During a conversation Dr. Jekyll has with Mr. Utterson shortly after the murder of Sir
In this classic tale, various aspects of psychopathology, morality and sociology are represented through the use of direct and indirect symbolism and dramatic metaphor. Through these symbols, the author portrays the duality of man that hides behind moral standard to expose the social conduct hypocrisy of the Victorian era and the psychological effects of suppressing evil desires. The story highlights how Henry Jekyll, highly respected man and practiced medical doctor, secretly holds desires of murder and chaos within the depths of his inner conscious represented in the form of Mr. Hyde.
There is duality to human nature and character flaws in everyone that we meet in life. “All creatures are flawed, but out of the flaw may come the universe” by Marguerite Young is one of my favorite quotes that describes the characters so well. There are flaws to every creature and from all of our flaws we make up the whole universe. The characters in the novella aren’t perfect either. Mr. Utterson was a longtime friend of Dr. Jekyll and he was someone who never showed emotions, even though he was a trustworthy and honorable man. He was portrayed, as the ideal Victorian man who was a God-fearing man, wasn’t a man who enjoyed parties so much, reserved in his thoughts. Mr. Utterson was a high honored man on one side, but on the other side he has very strange walks with Enfield. Even the most ideal and “perfect” man has character flaws.