Stevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature

The Victorian Age marked a period of immense transition in many aspects of human life. In 1859 Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, a work that opposed the traditional way of perceiving religion. Candyce Klin author of “Darwinism as A Cultural Issue”, states that The Origin of Species proposed the theory that all living creatures had to compete within their own preconditions in order to survive. This may be why the controversial issue of the duality of human nature has been found at the heart of many Victorian works. The theme of the duality of man can be found in the works of two famous English authors, Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad. Stevenson and Conrad both incorporate the theme of the duality of human nature within their own novellas. Stevenson employs this theme throughout his novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and similarly Conrad employs this theme throughout his novella Heart of Darkness. In both novellas the theme is found in the literary devices of symbolism and personification. Although both works embody the theme of the duality of human nature, each author takes their own individual approach in utilizing literary techniques to help preserve this crucial theme.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on November 13, 1850. From a young age Stevenson was fascinated with the darker side of human nature, reflecting his abiding interest in the concept of a double life (The Norton Anthology of English Literature 1643). Stevenson composed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1855, publishing it the follow year in 1856. Upon publication The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde expeditiously became a best seller in both Britain and America (The Norton Anthology of English...

... middle of paper ...

...ample of symbolism is ivory. In Heart of Darkness ivory symbolizes greed and the calamitous nature of man, or the evil side. All throughout the novella the agents and mangers of the Company are consumed by obtaining ivory, so much so that they abandon all their moral principles, instead apply any method necessary to acquire heaping shipments of ivory.

Works Cited

Conrad, Joseph. "Heart of Darkness." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. By Stephen Greenblatt and M. H. Abrams. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 1891 1947. Print.

Klin, Candyce. “Darwinism as A Cultural Issue” Cedar Crest College, 2 June 2001. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

Stevenson, Robert L. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. By Stephen Greenblatt and M. H. Abrams. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 1643-1685. Print.