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How is the duality of man expressed in dr. jekyll and mr hyde
Dr jekyll and mr hyde conflict within essay
Dr jekyll and mr hyde conflict within essay
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Stevenson's Use of the Concept of Duality in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' was written during the 19th century by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was written during a time where Victorian society had a lot of strong moral values. These values were very strict and controlled every aspect of the Victorian lifestyle. Aggression and fighting was looked down on and arguments were much preferred to be settled verbally. Hostile behaviour could even be seen as a sin and could transform the image of a person. The upper class society had a high status and stuck to these moral values in fear of losing their dignity. They didn't seen to cause any sins and looked down on and accused lower classed individuals. However during this period there was much hypocrisy around. Although there was a polite, well groomed exterior there seem to be a hidden interior which was evil and sin. Stevenson explores this issue in Jekyll and Hyde, and, taken from Darwin's ideas, gives us a message of the 'beast within us all.' Stevenson uses various techniques in order to keep the reader interested-but the concept and the contrast of duality is the main feature, which not only keep the reader interested but also keeps him/her thinking. He uses this double-sided personality not only in humans but also in places and objects also such as towns and houses. Although Charles Darwin's ideas of a man descended from apes were highly controversial at the time, Stevenson takes this idea further in the book and we discover that people tended to cover up their animalistic nature because of the restricted Victorian society. This type of duality is seen clearly in Mr. U... ... middle of paper ... ...d Mr Utterson. Both are well-respected men who try to control the 'inner beast.' However at all becomes too much for Jekyll who makes a potion that allows him to do good as himself and evil as Hyde. The reader may have mixed views about Jekyll, and the writer may have intended that. We may have sympathy for him because he was unable to control Hyde's behaviour as he came more and more obsessed with sticking to the high moral values expected. On the other hand we may feel that he got what he deserved for taking such a dangerous and unpredictable potion in the first place. Today people are not so wrapped up in making themselves have a particular image as nowadays we are accepted for who we are. Anyhow, one message Stevenson clearly wants to get across is that good and evil exist together in man, which is agreeable today.
Stevenson then went on to put a scary touch to the story by telling us
Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ the scene is set in London, yet based a lot on
Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of this novella has written it very cleverly, with certain techniques used that have a greater impact on the reader and ones that make it more than just any thriller/shocker. Every novella has a purpose to it and so does this story, the purpose of this novella has been made to narrative the reader and it is quite clearly reflecting the genre of the thriller/shocker. As well as this the novella has been made as a shilling shocker which depends on sensationalism and represents an immoral lifestyle that may include violence in extremity.
Stevenson uses many methods to achieve and sustain an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in the novel of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He does this by using a clever sense of setting, vocabulary, surroundings and the manner of his characters which are used to describe and slowly reveal the appearance of Hyde . Some of these are highlighted in the depiction of the Dr Jekyll’s house, such as Mr. Enfield's story, Henry Jekyll’s will and the meeting with Hyde.
Despite being published in 1886, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson remains to be recognized and referred to as one of the initial studies of the duality of human nature and mans struggle between two natural forces – good and evil. The story takes place during the Victorian Era in which society is already somewhat constrained and cruel and explores the human struggle between being civilized and facing the more primitive aspects to our being. According to author Irving S Saposnik, “Henry Jekyll’s experiment to free himself from the burden of duality results in failure because of his moral myopia, because he is a victim of society’s standards even while he would be free of them.” Henry Jekyll, an English doctor faces duality when he comes into battle with his darker side. Creating a personification under the name of Edward Hyde in order to fulfill his desires, Dr. Jekyll feels as if he will be able to control the face that he wants seen to public vs. the one in which he wants to keep more private. “Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me, and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life.” (10.1) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story about how people are scared to acknowledge personal duality so they keep silent and in this case, create a personification in order to fulfill evil desires without thinking through the consequences of such actions.
This essay will focus on how Robert Louis Stevenson presents the nature of evil through his novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Using ideas such as duality, the technique used to highlight the two different sides of a character or scene, allegories, an extended metaphor which has an underlying moral significance, and hypocrisy; in this book the Victorians being against all things evil but regularly taking part in frown able deeds that would not be approved of in a ‘respectable’ society. This links in with the idea of secrecy among people and also that evil is present in everyone. The novel also has strong ties and is heavily influenced by religion. Stevenson, being brought up following strong Calvinist beliefs, portrays his thoughts and opinion throughout the story in his characters; good and 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.
Duality is a recurring theme in literature; both modern and classic works reference in numerous ways. It is the idea that everything, no matter what, is two sided, hence it being called duality. There are two works of literature that are considered the best to represent what duality is and what it can stand for: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. These two discuss the effects of duality and the duality of the human nature.
a part in why the book as written. He uses lines such as “That is not
How does Stevenson maintain the reader’s interest in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Stevenson keeps the readers interested by using the supernatural and horror side of things to make it scary because when the story first came out, they weren’t used to scary stories. He also uses mysteries to keep the readers wondering, guessing and wanting to know more. He includes moral messages in the story to keep people/the readers questioning themselves, wondering if they are more similar to Mr. Hyde than they think. Stevenson sets all the action in the story during the night.
gentleman as it was boring to him. So the change into Hyde that he had
The Notion of Good and Evil in Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The book entitled The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was published in the year 2000. published in 1886. Although in the book Stevenson does not ever state the exact year, it was at the time recognized immediately as a grand. work.
we deny our bad side. It looks at a doctor called Dr Jekyll who feels
Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He developed a desire to write early in life, having no interest in the family business of lighthouse engineering. He was often abroad, usually for health reasons, and his journeys led to some of his early literary works. Publishing his first volume at the age of 28. After that Stevenson became a literary celebrity during his life when he worked on the Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novels which were released to eager audiences.
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...