Dr Jekyll And Hyde Duality Essay

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The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a captivating novel written by Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Published in 1886 where psychology and the exploration of the human mind was of growing interest. Stevenson used his fascination with psychology to craft a novel that delves deep into the characteristics of the human mind. The common theme of the book that is present throughout the whole book is duality. This story revolves around an established physician, Dr. Jekyll, who was very interested in the dual nature of humanity: good and evil. Jekyll’s main goal was to separate his good and evil selves, which he accomplished by creating his alter ego, Mr Hyde. Over time, he loses control of his evil side, which eventually leads to …show more content…

Generally, most people can predict an individual's persona from the way that they look. For instance, “Dr Jekyll is described as “ a large well-made, smooth faced man of fifty”. From these descriptions, we picture Jekyll as an embodiment of societal norms and expectations. He is depicted as a “well-made” and “smooth faced” person, suggesting that his physical attributes pair up with the Victorian ideals regarding physical health. In contrast, Mr Hyde is portrayed as “some damned Juggernaut”. This metaphor paints Mr Hyde as an unstoppable force, emphasising that there will be doom surrounding his actions. Reinforcing the notion that Mr Hyde symbolises the darker and sinister side of humanity. Mr Hyde is also described as having “a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness”. Hyde’s smile conveys both an unpleasantness and an unsettling quality. In addition, his demeanour towards the lawyer is characterised with a mixture of timidity and boldness hinting towards a potential danger. This depiction emphasises Mr Hyde’s malevolent nature, setting the tone for his character throughout the rest of the story. Stevenson uses these opposing bodily descriptions to highlight the constant notion that there is a good and evil aspect in human

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