The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is gothic novella which was published in 1886. Stevenson's novella explores the duality of human nature and behavior, as well as acknowledges the social norms and attitudes towards moral decay in the Victorian era. This well-known literary masterpiece narrates the strange circumstances surrounding Dr. Henry Jekyll, as seen from the perspective of his friend, Mr. Gabriel John Utterson. By following Utterson’s point of view throughout the majority of the novel, Stevenson is able to administer a balanced, non-judgemental, and rational perception on what is occurring. Mr. Utterson is a respected and trustworthy lawyer who represents the ideal Victorian gentlemen. Victorian society believed the ideal gentlemen …show more content…
Certain desires were considered to be extremely unacceptable such as addiction, violence and sexual tendences, like homosexuality. As a result of society’s thoughts on morality, men and women were expected to repress their true psyche while conducting a reputable outward appearance and reputation. Consequently, individuals lived as they were expected to by society rather than how they would have wanted to. Similar to Utterson, Dr. Jekyll, a distinguished and respected figure of society, confesses to being involved in some sinful activities during his youth, which he enjoyed, but was careful to keep a secret. Due to the suppression of his dual nature, Jekyll becomes restless and full of guilt knowing that his thoughts and desires were considered to be wrong. Desperate to find an alternative, Jekyll creates an alter ego, Mr. Hyde, to isolate the evil portion of his self. Through Mr. Hyde, Jekyll indulges in his wicked impulses without having to feel the guilt and shame for doing so: “... he woke again to his good qualities seemingly unimpaired… And thus his conscience slumbered” (Stevenson
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll’s struggle between two personalities is the cause of tragedy and violence. Dr. Jekyll takes his friends loyalty and unknowingly abuses it. In this novella, Stevenson shows attributes of loyalty, how friendship contributes to loyalty, and how his own life affected his writing on loyalty.
As Jekyll reached adult hood, he found himself living a dual life. He had become more curious in discovering his other side. Jekyll insists, “Man is not truly one, but truly two” (125). This eventually led Jekyll into the scientific interests of separating his good and evil side, and he finds a chemical concoction that transforms him into a more wicked man, Edward Hyde. At first, Hyde was of pure impulse, but in the end, he became dominate and took control over Jekyll. Jekyll had never intended to hurt anyone, but he was aware that something could potentially go wrong. Jekyll presumes, “I knew well that I risked death, for any drug that so potently shook the very fortress of identity… utterly blot that immaterial tabernacle which I looked to it to change” (127-129). One could say this makes Jekyll equally as menacing as Hyde. Jekyll couldn’t control the imbalance between the two natures. Jekyll foolishly allowed his evil side to flourish and become stronger. This is shown when Jekyll has awoken to find that he has turned into Hyde without taking the solution. Jekyll says, “But the hand in which I now saw, clearly enough in the yellow light of a mid- London morning…It was the hand of Edward Hyde” (139).
Despite being published in 1886, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson remains to be recognized and referred to as one of the initial studies of the duality of human nature and mans struggle between two natural forces – good and evil. The story takes place during the Victorian Era in which society is already somewhat constrained and cruel and explores the human struggle between being civilized and facing the more primitive aspects to our being. According to author Irving S Saposnik, “Henry Jekyll’s experiment to free himself from the burden of duality results in failure because of his moral myopia, because he is a victim of society’s standards even while he would be free of them.” Henry Jekyll, an English doctor faces duality when he comes into battle with his darker side. Creating a personification under the name of Edward Hyde in order to fulfill his desires, Dr. Jekyll feels as if he will be able to control the face that he wants seen to public vs. the one in which he wants to keep more private. “Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me, and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life.” (10.1) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story about how people are scared to acknowledge personal duality so they keep silent and in this case, create a personification in order to fulfill evil desires without thinking through the consequences of such actions.
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.
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.
Jekyll. Hyde commits acts of murder and assault yet can be seen as Dr. Jekyll’s id or deep desires. By trying to separate good and bad . Dr. Jekyll passed scientific and social borders to isolate his personality. In doing so, he lost control of who he wanted to be. As a last resort he created a poisonous potion that Hyde drank and died through act of suicide. Dr. Jekyll although not working with anyone took matters in his own hands which makes him seem like an outlaw hero. He did not turn himself into the police when he had control. However, Dr. Jekyll seems to have qualities of a official hero in his maturity in handling the situation. He knows how evil his alter ego is, so he isolates himself from others as a safety precaution. Jekyll tries to live a normal life, but is unable to. His status as a well distinguished doctor and sociability skills with his
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.
Addiction is a behavior that leads to actions that not only hurt others but is ultimately a path to one’s own self-destruction. From the beginning of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, it is clear that Dr. Jekyll never had complete control over the drug or Mr. Hyde; however, once Hyde commits suicide in order to dodge punishment, we know how awful Jekyll’s addiction to Hyde had been. Jekyll was so far out of control of Hyde that Mr. Hyde had the ability to end both of their lives simply because Hyde did not wish to be punished.
Jekyll himself. Dr. Jekyll is a symbol of both the good and the bad in mankind, while Mr. Hyde represents pure evil. For instance, when Dr. Jekyll is himself, he is seen as a respectable man who is adored by his colleagues: “he became once more their familiar quest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for his charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion” (Stevenson 29). However, when Dr. Jekyll transforms to Mr. Hyde his morals are quickly disregarded. An example of this occurs when Mr. Hyde murders Sir Danvers, shortly after Dr. Jekyll submits to the temptation of changing to Mr. Hyde: “instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me…with a transport of glee, I mauled the unresisting body, tasting delight from every blow” (Stevenson 56). Even though the carnal side of Dr. Jekyll enjoys the incident, this event also illustrates the conscience side of Dr. Jekyll because in the mist of this brutal murder, he begins to feel guilty for committing the crime. This guilt drives him to have “clasped hands to God…tears and prayers to smother down the crowd of hideous images and sounds that his memory swarmed against him” (Stevenson 57). As a whole, the text demonstrates that Dr. Jekyll’s alter ego, Mr. Hyde, is the mastermind of pure malevolence who participates in activities that Dr. Jekyll cannot
Page, Norman. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson." Encyclopedia of the Novel. Eds. Paul Schellinger, Christopher Hudson, and Marijke Rijsberman. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1998.
In the Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde can be seen as an analogy of good and evil that is present in every individual. Dr. Jekyll (who is a well-respected and educated doctor) secretly creates a potion to express his vile urges without the sense of remorse. As a result of drinking the potion, he forms into a pale, deformed, and younger individual- Mr. Hyde. As Dr. Jekyll's journey of two identities continues, Dr. Jekyll isn't able to control his transformation of Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.
Is Dr. Jekyll really considered the monster? This very question comes from the book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll is a town Doctor who encounters some emotional break downs, one of his break downs leads to him becoming upset and creating a chemical. This chemical creates a split personality of Dr. Jekyll. Soon we find out that the split personality of Dr. Jekyll, is causing problems for the town, and his name is none other than Mr. Hyde.
The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson published the gothic novella ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ on 5th January 1886. The novella set in London follows the story of a lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates the strange events that occur with Dr. Jekyll, an old friend, and the evil Mr. Hyde. In chapter one we explore the London streets as Mr Enfield, a good friend of Utterson, and Utterson gossip about a run in Enfield had with Hyde. London is presented a dangerous place in the opening chapter.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Drug Abuse The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an interesting example of how drug abuse affects people’s judgement and actions. Drug addiction and abuse has been an issue for a long time. Some people don’t realize how long it really has been. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde speaks on the good and bad side of humans.
Before science could dawn in the new era, curiosity had to infect the mindset and the culture and the professions of Victorian society; Stevenson bases the plot of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on the curiosity of the Victorian Era society. Dr. Jekyll admitted on the subject of his inspiration, “It was thus rather the exacting nature of my aspirations than any particular degradation in my faults, that made me what I was, and … severed in me those provinces of good and ill which divide and compound man’s dual nature” (Stevenson 54). Dr. Jekyll was more driven by curiosity of the unknown rather than the specific desire to be split, and this deeply reflects the general sentiment of the Victorian Era. Scientists in the Victorian Era were pioneers; they did not have a guideline of the best