It is know that the human-self has conflicting counterparts that are hidden from the rest of
the world. Sigmund Freud stated that there are three parts of the human psychic parts, which are
super-ego, ego, and Id (Mitchell, n.d.,). The super-ego is the human counterpart where it is highly
conscious of moral values, and Id is described as the darkest human desires that are kept away,
while ego serves as a mediator between super-ego and Id to balance both parts. Although these
psychological phenomenon are better researched in these modern times, they were not widely
understood in the old days, for example, the 19th century Victorian Era. People back then did not
understood the odd psychological disorders deeply, thus many people
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Presenting the concept of the hidden self, the two main characters are somehow similar but they
have different attitudes towards morality. This essay will evaluate both characters' personalities,
starting from Dr. Jekyll then Dorian Gray, and also how these characters are different from each
other.
Firstly, it could be seen that Dr. Jekyll was the ego and Hyde was the projection of Jekyll's
Id. Dr. Jekyll was described as an elderly but handsome man with a high social standing and
everyone was fond of him. In contrast, from Enfield's recount, Hyde was described as a deformed
human being, from the line "It wasn't like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut." (Stevenson
1886, p. 40) He further emphasised the loathing people had for Hyde at first glance by describing a
doctor's reaction in the child trampling incident "Well, sir, he was like the rest of us; every time he
looked at my prisoner, I saw that Sawbones turn sick and white with desire to kill him.". This
portrayal of Jekyll and Hyde fits the stereotype where good people are described as beautiful and
graceful creatures, while evil beings are described as hideous and repulsive. Because Hyde was
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Also, in terms of self realisation, Dorian Gray is
considered to be more self-accepting than Dr. Jekyll. Even though both characters enjoys doing bad
deeds, compared to Dorian, Jekyll tried to suppress Hyde from taking over his mind. He hated the
idea that Hyde might endanger anyone because he is still and foremost a victorian gentleman. This
hatred of Hyde could be seen from the line "I still hated and feared the thought of the brute that
slept within me, and I had not of course forgotten the appalling dangers of the day
before." (Stevenson 1886, p.77). Different from Jekyll, Dorian unleashed his devil within without
having to hide them from the public. He fully accepted the idea that he is doing nothing wrong at all
and he was merely satisfying his curiosity in life. Nevertheless, he was still unconsciously ashamed
of his tainted soul, thus he hid his portrait. However, both characters also had different impacts
towards society. Dorian's bad deeds had an effect to a number of people in the society, causing
people to sneer and avoid him, while Jekyll was still loved by his friends and all around him.
For this reason I’ll be explaining Jekyll’s mental health. Jekyll has as what we now call Multiple Personality Disorder; “I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could be rightly said to be either, it was only because I was radically both,” Stevenson 57.) The disease was first discovered by Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot. He would ask patients symptoms that he found common in MPD. Many patients know about their alternate personality but refuse to acknowledge it’s existence. In some cases they may even refer to it as a separate person entirely. In this case Jekyll is very much aware of his alternate personality, going as to so far as to willingly change into him. However despite this he also categorizes Hyde into a separate being. For example when Hyde does something unappealing or distasteful he blames it on a separate person. Consciously though he is aware that he is Hyde and Hyde is him. (MD, Arnold Lieber. "Multiple Personality Disorder / Dissociative Identity Disorder." PsyCom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986. Vertical Health LLC, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016).
The story illustrates this in the two characters of Dr Jekyll. and Mr. Hyde. Mr Hyde is on the evil side of Dr Jekyll, but he is restrained from being. wholly evil by Victorian society. Looking closely at Dr Jekyll.
assumed he was an average man who was being blackmailed by Mr. Hyde for some misdeed that he had committed in his earlier years and that was their only connection.
Everything in this story has a Dual side, including the setting in London, London had streets that were respectable and others that were made of squalor and crime. In the story of Dr.Jekyll and Hyde characters hid their side and showed only one certain side, as a matter of fact a quote from the book that says “an ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy: but her manners were excellent..” (Stevenson Chapter 4 P 54). This quote is trying to convey a message of Mr.Hyde's keeper being oh so well mannered, but don't let her fool you she was an evil person. That quote was also trying to demonstrate good versus evil and how it is conveyed through the book. Hyde was taking control completely over Dr.Jekyll , Dr.Jekyll was sure that there was no way for him to regain his identity, and his only option was to flee. “I lingered but a moment at the mirror; the second and conclusive experiment had yet to be attempted; it yet remained to be seen if I lost my identity beyond redemption and must flee before daylight from a house.” (Stevenson Chapter 10 P 112) Dr.Jekyll’s
Mr. Hyde was pale ad dwarfish; he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and some what broken voice,—all these were points against him; but not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him. (10)
Jekyll is respectable man with a very good career. He is a doctor that is highly regarded in his community for what he does as far as charity and his manners. As young man growing up, he was secretly involved in weird behaviors that made him a bit questionable. Dr. Jekyll finds his other side to be quite bothersome and he decides to experiment so he could try a separate the good from the evil. He creates potions and other things that really do not help. After so many attempts of trying to restrain his evil side, he brings forth Hyde through his failed experimentation. Therefore, he only accentuates his evil self to come forth. Hyde is an extremely ugly creature that no one could stand the sight of. He is deformed, violent, and very evil. Throughout the story, he fights against Jekyll to take over his life eventually causing Jekyll to murder one of his good friends, Mr.
... man. Society in the Victorian era was consisted of two classes, trashy and wealthy. Jekyll was expected to be a gentleman, but he wanted to have fun. This was the reason he created Hyde, so he could both be respected and have fun. He was delighted at the freedom he now had. Lanyon was overly contolled, but Utterson knew all men had both good and bad within them and could control it. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the dual nature of man is a main theme.
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.
As Jekyll says, " `both sides of my were in dread earnest,' " he is right. Jekyll, in public and in private, acted as virtuously and honest as can be. Hyde also acted the same in public and in private, mean and rude. Poole, for example, observed this, " `Have I been twenty years in this man's house, to be deceived about his voice? No, sir; master's
Jekyll was originally more evil than good because when he created the potion he was concerned about pleasing himself than actually thinking the consequences that would happen by the creation of his experiment. The argument of reputation dealing with the novel of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde it is able to bring pros to it because would be able to describe the characters and show what they are good at. Based on the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde centers upon a conception of humanity as the deal of nature. Later on, Dr. Jekyll states that "men is not the truly one, but truly two", he also imagines that the human soul as the battleground for an angel and the fiend struggling for their own mastery. (Sparknotes Editors "Sparknote on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Sparknotes.com LLL.2003 Web 03 May 2016) Maria M Struzziero states that Dr. Jekyll is hiding a dark mysterious for emerging for the first time in Enfield 's words. It also shows that he admits that is not easy to describe adding that there is something wrong with his appearance something displeasing, downright and detestable. (Struzziero, Maria M "Dualism and Dualities- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Themes." Dualism and Dualities – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Themes N.P ND wed 04 May 2016) Another description could be that Mike Arnzen said A lot of emphases was put on "credit" or the reputation of the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Also said that "If each, I told myself, could but be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all the unbearable, and the unjust might go away" (Arnzen, Mike "The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Swe nightingale. N.P...11 Aug 2009. Web 04 May 2016) The analysis of data its ability to describe how the reputation of Jekyll and Hyde is. Shows that it 's allowing the readers to understand the insides of what they as being the protagonist and the antagonist. They are differing opinions that say that the angel gives ways permanently to Dr. Jekyll 's
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).
How Robert Louis Stevenson Represents Evil in Jekyll and Hyde? Robert Louis Stevenson intended this tale of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a penny numbers story, which gave us the sense that this was a simple and cheap novel, yet, it is far more. sophisticated than its audience expected. Robert Louis Stevenson - "The 'Ro captive audience were the Victorians. They were zealots, repressed and highly moral but living through an age of change.
Unfortunately, Dr. Jekyll had a strong desire to "perfect" himself by splitting his good qualities from his bad by separating himself into two separate identities:
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...
Dr. Jekyll being an eminent doctor, with a powerful social and educational background, has an extremely sophisticated and refined appearance “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty” (44). As the quote suggests Dr. Jekyll has a majestic and renowned persona. The charity he does for the society, and his living Standards are all visible through the appearance he manifests. On the other hand, Hyde being Dr. Jekyll’s contrivance, to carry out evil purposes has an unattractive appearance and a repellent demeanor. “There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable” (35). As per the quote Hyde looks very ugly. His deeds are uglier and compliances suitably to his physical self. Dr. Jekyll is subjugated by the Victorian rules and regulations to lead his evilness in disguise. In Victorian era, a quintessential gentleman is well dressed and is on highly social ranking, which Dr. Jekyll very well fits in. He cannot satisfy his unexpressed desires in his original self. Therefore Jekyll transforms himself into Hyde, to keep his reputation and self-image intact. The appearance is not just subjected to their physical self, it also reflects through their living environment. Dr. Jekyll lives in a well-furnished mansion with “a great air of wealth and comfort” (42). This depicts the quality of the home and the morally right actions that conspires in the house, whereas Hyde lives in a laboratory with “the dingy, windowless structure…distasteful sense of strangeness” (50). The imagery in this quote is used to describe the condition of Hyde’s poor living environment. The look of Hyde’s house and his own appearance is all against the typical Victorian society’s standard. This makes Dr. Jekyll to pr...