Relationship Between Good And Evil In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

878 Words2 Pages

The line between good and evil is so thin it’s almost transparent and frighteningly easy to cross. Robert Louis
Stevenson explores this idea extensively in one of his most famous short stories. Through his Victorian London setting and symbolic use of doors and potions, he masterfully describes the precarious balance between good and evil. In “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, Stevenson effectively uses symbolism, setting, and descriptive language to convey the contrast between good and evil—and to make readers aware how easily the line between the two can be blurred.

Among Stevenson’s more meaningful symbols are various doors that link good and evil, and a powerful potion that tempts Jekyll and creates Hyde. Two very different doors …show more content…

Stevenson’s setting for the novel is perfect, because Victorian London is as two-sided as Jekyll and Hyde.
London is known for being quite foggy and Stevenson uses fog throughout his story. The fog has become a constant part of people’s lives. For example, the “procession of the town's life” continues “through the muffle and smother of
… fallen clouds” (ch 5). The fog is so pervasive that it “lies thickly” “even in the houses” (emphasis added). The fog represents confusion and clouded thought. Many of the people in Victorian London society know about Hyde and the evil that he brings, but instead of figuring out how to deal with such evil, they suppress and ignore it. As Mr.
Enfield says, “You start a question, and it's like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the

stone goes, starting others; and presently some bland old bird (the last you would have thought of) is knocked on the head in his own back-garden and the family have to change their name” (ch. 1). They don’t ask questions, they don’t acknowledge evil, and most characters can’t recognize the close connection between Jekyll (good) and

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