Dual Personalities in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson
INTRO
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a classic mystery story, enticing to all audiences merely upon it’s suspense alone. When Stevenson first wrote the story (after recalling a dream he had) he had only the intentions of writing such an entertaining tale. Yet at the suggestion of his wife, he decided to revamp the mystery to comment on the dual nature of man and of society in general.
I believe that Stevenson is suggesting that "All human beings…are commingled out of good and evil.", as spoken by Dr Jekyll.
HYPOCRISY & THE GOOD MAN
Stevenson is suggesting that good and evil are inseparable in human nature. By discussing such themes as the hypocrisy of society, and the suppression of passion he proves that Stevenson proposes that we must feed our evil souls as well as the good.
Throughout the novel Stevenson portrays the central characters Utterson, Lanyon, Enfield and Jekyll as, to put it plainly boring. Each of these characters appears to be a fine, upstanding citizen, yet inside they harbour deep desires they consider as blasphemous as a short skirt on Sunday. Utterson enjoys wine, whilst the other characters allude to prostitutes, betting halls and public houses.
All of these "indulgences" are deemed unacceptable, forcing Victorian society to subdue their urges, and focus upon being "good." Most of the noblemen succeed at this strange game of deception, throughout the novel Utterson is referred to as good, a "good man" on countless occasions.
Dr Jekyll also develops a guise of a pure "good man". Yet, he finds it hard to subdue his evil side, and in an apparent bout of ‘physicians curiosity’ he decides to develop a potion which decides the self into good and evil.
Jekyll has realised and accepted his evil side although he as yet doesn’t desire to embrace it. Many of the other characters support this idea of inseparable good and evil, almost subconsciously it seems. For example the friendship between the "good" Utterson and the questionable Enfield seems to flourish rather than wither due to their complete opposites in personality. Lanyon, another "good" man, is also described as "somewhat theatrical", hardly a compliment in the uptight Victorian era in which the story is set.
HYDE
I believe the most telling proof that good and evil is linked within ...
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...te is encountered throughout the novel does Jekyll have control of Hyde or is it something that is merely out of his control. The latter seems more true. I believe that Stevenson is comparing Jekyll’s dependence on Hyde to an the addiction of drugs for substance abusers. While those victims repeatedly say, "I could stop whenever I want," in reality, like Dr. Jekyll, they are not in control.
The singular enlightening moment is when Dr Jekyll realises himself that Hyde is part of him., "And yet when I looked upon that ugly idol in the glass, I was concious of no repugnance, rather, a leap of welcome. This, too, was myself." Although he fights Hyde consistently throughout the novel, this one moment of weakness, when jekyll Affirmates that Hyde, his evil side, is indeed appreciated proves conclusively that Dr jekyll and mr Hyde shows good and evil as linked in human nature.
Works Cited
Charyn, Jerome. "Who Is Hyde?" Afterword: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Bantam Books. Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1981. 105-114.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Bantam Books. Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1981.
Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. First Vintage Classics Edition. New York: Vintage Books, 1991.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Dover Publishing, Inc., 1991.
Good and evil exist in everyone and any attempts to repress your darker nature can cause it to erupt. Dr. Jekyll was more evil than he wanted to admit to himself or any one before he even separated his soul. Born into a world of privilege and wanting to keep the impression of goodness and morality, Dr. Jekyll really just wanted to indulge in his darkest desires, choosing to hide behind his serum like a coward. However this became his fatal flaw and at the end of the day he could longer hide his true self.
Robert, Stevenson L. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Dover Publications, 2013. Print.
In this essay on the story of Jekyll and Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson I will try to unravel the true meaning of the book and get inside the characters in the story created by Stevenson. A story of a man battling with his double personality.
Stevenson’s most prominent character in the story is the mysterious Mr Hyde. Edward Hyde is introduced from the very first chapter when he tramples a young girl in the street, which brings the reader’s attention straight to his character. The reader will instantly know that this person is a very important part of this book and that he plays a key role in the story. This role is the one of a respectable old man named Dr Jekyll’s evil side or a ‘doppelganger’. This links in with the idea of duality. Dr Jekyll is described as being ‘handsome’, ‘well-made’ and ‘smooth-faced’. On the other hand, Mr Hyde is described as being ‘hardly human’, ‘pale and dwarfish’, giving of an impression of deformity and ‘so ugly that it brought out the sweat on (Mr Enfield) like running’! These words all go together to conjure up an image in the mind of an animal, beast or monster. During the novel...
...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.
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.
Jekyll unveils his story, it becomes evident that Dr. Jekyll’s efforts to keep Mr. Hyde, his immoral outlet, reticent are in vain. Dr. Jekyll succumbs to Mr. Hyde once and eventually the pull of his worse self overpowers Dr. Jekyll completely. His futile attempts to contain Mr. Hyde were more damaging than auspicious, as Mr. Hyde would only gain a stronger grip on Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll writes, “I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught… My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” (115). Dr. Jekyll’s inevitable passion for debauchery is only further invigorated by his repression of Mr. Hyde. By restraining a desire that is so deeply rooted within Dr. Jekyll, he destroys himself, even after his desires are appeased. Like a drug, when Dr. Jekyll first allowed himself to concede to Mr. Hyde, he is no longer able to abstain, as his initial submission to depravity resulted in the loss of Dr. Jekyll and the reign of Mr.
The story takes place during the Victorian age, a time when there were only two categories of people: good people and bad people. There was no way that one man could be considered acceptable without suppressing his evil side almost entirely. The reason that Jekyll restrained his evil side for so long was because of this dichotomous Victorian society. Most people, including Jekyll’s friends, Lanyon and Utterson, are content to stay molded in this ideal. However, Dr. Jekyll soon became tired of this hypocritical mindset and stated that he “it was rather the exacting nature of my aspirations.
Secondly, Stevenson uses control to show duality of human nature. When Dr. Lanyon sees Hyde take the potion and transform into Jekyll, he loses his innocence. All his life he was nothing but control, telling himself he didn't have dark passions but when he saw this transformation, he realized he had his own Hyde."...As for the moral turpitude that man/ unveiled to me, even with fears of penitence..."(121). ...
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.
May Charles E. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Cyclopedia of Literary Characters. Ed. A.J. Sobczak. Eaglewood Cliffs: Salem Press, Inc., 1998.
Common with most fictional entries, this narration style gives the author of a piece of writing an individual voice in the work he creates. Such an author does not just rely on what he /her characters say, he/she actively becomes instrumental in them actually saying or doing them. In the text in question, Louis Stevenson uses this method to actively engage the readers about his own personal preferences in the debates ‘good’ and ‘evil’.... ...