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Tension and mystery in the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde
Mystery in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Tension and mystery in the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde
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Dr.Jekyll as a Victim of His Times In this book Stevenson contemplates certain ideas about man's nature including the double-sided personality, which all humans seem to have. Charles Darwin had published his book "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" in 1859.Darwin's theories were highly controversial at the time and the idea that men were descended from apes was particularly opposed by the church and large sections of Victorian society. Stevenson wanted to illustrate the dual nature of man, rational being and the more uncontrollable savage side. He also sought to show how people tried to hide the more animalistic side of their nature in the fairly restricted Victorian society. Perhaps also Stevenson's own Calvinistic upbringing provided some of the background for this story for instance the idea that the animal side of man's nature could only be let out secretly at night so as not to tarnish his reputation. In the first chapter of the book we are introduced to one of the main characters of the story, Gabriel Utterson. We are immediately told of his, "rugged countenance" and how he is; "lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable." We are immediately aware of his high moral standards and the strict Calvinist principles by which he was brought up. He is, "austere with himself" as was the Victorian way. He did not indulge himself; "though he enjoyed the theatre, he had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years." We begin to see this man as a successful and honourable man of Victorian society. Utterson seems to be the ideal Victorian man. However he is not perfect and does have a dual nature. When he is t... ... middle of paper ... ...that as Jekyll becomes weaker in his despondency, Hyde becomes stronger and more evil. In conclusion Victorian times were times of repression. Jekyll represents someone wanted to break out of this repression but still wanting to keep a good reputation. I think that Jekyll was a victim of his times but he went too far in separating the two personalities. It was his fault that Hyde was formed and that people suffered as a result of this man. It was the Victorian times and the Calvinist ideals of the times that set Jekyll off on his journey to separating our good and evil personalities. But when Hyde became very evil it was Jekyll's fault for not stopping his experiments, because he knew that Hyde was becoming more powerful all the time. So Jekyll was partially a victim of his times but he does not deserve our sympathy.
“That in the agonized womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling. How, then, were they dissociated?” (Stevenson 57). This is our main character, Dr Jekyll’s, continuous inner monologue. He constantly wants to know why he’s the way he is and who the “polar twin” really is. Dr Jekyll switches between himself and Mr Hyde; one good and one evil. This can be supported numerously throughout the book. Two reasons to support this being that Dr. Jekyll shared the same handwriting as Mr Hyde; the other being that Hyde walked right over a child, harming the child, and continued walking without caring (“The man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground,” Stevenson 11.)
In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the main character Dr. Henry Jekyll is a respectable doctor who experiments to separate his good and evil sides from each other. Dr. Jekyll eventually runs out of the contaminated potion and his evil side takes over. In The Monkey’s Paw the White family takes possession of a monkey’s paw that had a spell put on it granting three men three wishes. After not knowing what to wish for and the urging of his wife and son, Mr. White makes his wishes and realizes there are consequences for his choices. In The Demon Lover the character Mrs. Drover goes back to her old house in London to transfer items to her new home. She finds a mysterious letter and realizes she never knew her former fiancé completely and is terrified for the day she would see his face. While she was on the way back to her current home, she gets abducted by a taxi driver who she recognizes as the soldier she said goodbye to twenty five years ago. In The Possibility of Evil, the main character is an old lady who sends letters to clean her town of evil and eventually gets caught. The novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the short stories The Monkey’s Paw written by W.W. Jacobs, The Demon Lover by Elizabeth Bowen, and The possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson all have characters who experience a downfall because of a tragic flaw.
Profound Duplicity Exhibited by Jekyll as a Reflection of the Victorian Way of Life. Robert Louis Stevenson was a famous author during the Victorian era. He was born in 1850 and as a young child had many nightmares which he brought to life in his books. His nanny also influenced his stories. with her strong Calvinist beliefs.
The novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson was a frail person that often fell deathly sick but has grown into a excellent writer. Stevenson was eventually forced to move out of his home country (London, England) to California. He nearly died on the way there. But when he made it, he created the famous novella in 1886. That novella is called "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The novella itself was written in four days which proves Stevenson's extreme talent as a writer. Inside the novella, it contained immense details and rich diction that had given the story life and meaning. The story contains a lot of interpretations and meanings throughout the novella which raises the question of the true meaning of the story. Some are concerned with the religious aspect of sin and temptation that caused Dr. Jekyll to permanently transformed into Mr. Hyde. Others pry on the physiological aspects of Dr. Jekyll's decisions and thought process that caused him wanting to stay as Mr. Hyde. In "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Stevenson uses Dr. Jekyll as a representation of man falling into temptation, and Mr. Hyde as the one who stays in sin.
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the character Henry Jekyll can’t seem to control his alter-ego—Mr. Hyde. At the beginning of the novella, he had a decent amount of control over Mr. Hyde, yet as the novella progressed, the strange other self of Dr. Jekyll was the one who started to control him. The research he conducted became progressively addicting. Every time it was used, he travelled closer to death. A variety of significant events caused his decline from being the perfect Henry Jekyll, to a Henry Jekyll who has no control over his monstrous self.
From the beginning of time, humans have questioned the validity of the intrinsic duality of man. Are humans born with both pure goodness and pure evilness or is the latter cultivated? Or simply altogether is man an existence embodied with both? In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one man, a scientist named Henry Jekyll, concludes that all men are both good and evil. Through his own understanding of human nature, Henry Jekyll transforms and reveals himself to become and show the characteristics of both the protagonist and antagonist of the story.
As we progress though the novel, we a introduced to a variety of characters in the story like Rachel Turner
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.
There is evil inside everyone whether it is a small amount such as telling a lie once in a while or a large amount such as murder or drug dealing. There are two sides to every person that is expressed largely in the book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stephenson. Duality is also expressed in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In this essay I will compare the duality between The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the play Romeo and Juliet.
Today, people’s actions are influenced by the world around us. Even back in 1886 when the classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was released, the Victorian era had similarities to present day. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s mystery novella, Jekyll and Utterson’s actions are influenced by the Victorian era.
A biblical allusion stated after Jesus’s death “and behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). In ancient times, it was forbidden for a person to enter the temple because it was considered a holy and sacred place. After Jesus sacrifice everyone is allowed to enter into his presence not only the high priest as it was practiced. It is employed to illustrate Dr. Jekyll’s realization that what he has done is not simply just an objective he tried to accomplish. Instead, he comprehends the control that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have as two new and distinct identities. In this quote, Dr. Jekyll expresses his first suspicions that evilness has become more uncontrollable and was governing inside him.
There has always been two sides to every person since the start of human existence. Each side is caused by how the person decides to live his or her life and what decisions they make. Based on these decisions, others perceive them as good or evil. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hyde can be seen as the monstrous side of human existence. He is simply the dark reflection of the ugly side of humanity that each person has inside of them. There are two sides to Hyde’s good and evil. His evil side is held through his disruption of expected behavior, society’s laws, and drug addiction.
Certain social codes impact Dr. Jekyll negatively, but the effects of most social codes are, in fact, positive. Codes do cause Dr. Jekyll to contain the dark side of his personality but they also cause the community to remain at peace and let him maintain a picture perfect reputation.
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.
I was confused upon reading the book because I expected Bhonco, who you are first introduced to, to be a main character, but apparently the first chapter dealt with a more historic perspective.