The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

1267 Words3 Pages

Innocence is a trap. It is strangled with the ideals of perfection and suffocates the cravings of curiosity. Goodness is expectant and evil is poisonous. However, good and evil resides in even the most innocent of people. Both are nefarious and pestilent to easily corrupt targeted souls in sinister actions. Both equate to uncontrollable factors. Goodness tends to covet the sensations of evil since it depreciates its own purity. In the oscillating novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, goodness was trapped by evil just as Jekyll was trapped as Hyde. Jekyll’s pure spirituality desired the holy richness of evil and all its wrongdoings. His laboratory experiments discovered his desire to feel the sensation of evil without truly being evil. His laboratory experiments discovered a way for him to escape. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fought the battle between good and evil proving the apparent strengths and weaknesses that overall transformed two souls into a single corpse. Naturally the body fights the tensions of good and evil by justifying right from wrong. The body is persuaded by one side but ends up conquered by the other. It is a constant battle of pain and pleasure: a constant desire of imperfection from perfection. Dr. Jekyll wanted evil to be completely separated from his goodness. Hyde was not considered a human. He was a creation that possessed life only when Jekyll self medicated himself as a form of release. “Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde are not one person but two, not a single individual compounded like common humanity of both good and evil traits, with the one or the other in the ascendant at any given moment” (Sanderson). As two separate souls inhabited a single body, conflict w... ... middle of paper ... ...12&hid=119&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpd mU%3d#db=lfh&AN=103331MSW23949850001393>. Kerr, Calum A. "Literary Contexts in Novels: Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.'" Literary Reference Center. Great Neck Publishing, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. detail?vid=5&sid=3444e551-d8e2-4bca-a03f-8eded569a9f6%40sessionmgr110&hid=4104&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxp dmU%3d#db=lfh&AN=23177120>. Sanderson, Stewart F. "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde: Overview." Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420007716&v=2.1&u=cinn88186&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=726cdbcace38570e9a908f2902008de3>. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories. Pleasantville: Reader's Digest Association, 1991. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    2426 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    Read More

  • Perils of Addiction Exposed in Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    1761 Words  | 4 Pages

    Showalter, Elaine. "The Not So Strange Addiction of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The Haunted Mind in Victorian Literature. Eds. Elton E. Smith and Robert Haas. Landham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1999.

    Read More

  • Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Context Essay

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    Texts are a representation of their context and this is evident in Robert Stevenson’s novella: “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, where many values of late nineteenth century Victorian England values were reflected through the themes of the novel using language and structural features. These values included: technological advances, reputation and masculinity and are demonstrated in the text through literary and structure devices as well as the characterisation of the main character.

    Read More

  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    2677 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll Addiction To Mr Hyde Essay

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Is a story that took place in London and mainly focuses about three main charcters named Mr. Utterson, Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll and the murder case which leads to Mr. Hyde a suspect and Dr. Jekyll involved in the murder. Mr.Utterson was avle to save the case and finds a huge secret between Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll. Which Dr. Jekyll’s addiction lead to his fatal end.

    Read More

  • The Repression Of Desire In The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    Benjamin Franklin once said, “It is much easier to suppress a first desire than it is to satisfy those that follow.” This is certainly true in the situation of Dr. Jekyll, as the temptation of becoming Mr. Hyde becomes stronger as he continually surrenders to the wickedness that is constantly misleading him. Mr. Hyde is never contented, even after murdering numerous innocents, but on the contrary, his depravity is further intensified. The significance of the repression of a desire is a prevalent theme throughout the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, as the inability to repress one’s curiosity can lead to a fatal end, whereas the repression of a desire that can no longer contain itself, or the repression of confronting a guilty conscience, will conclude in a tragic ending and in this case specifically,

    Read More

  • The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

    2412 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Good and bad. Pure and evil. Right and wrong. Joy and despair. These are all themes Robert Louis Stevenson addresses in his novel, “The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” Robert Louis Stevenson presents the view that no human has the capacity to be completely good or completely bad.

    Read More

  • Repression and Hypocrisy in the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    1911 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stevenson Robert L., Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales. (USA: oxford university press, 2008)

    Read More

  • Allegory and Tone in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel about the good and evil of man has long been a topic of debate and study. Duality of the human soul has daunted humankind since the dawn of time; Cain was the antithesis of Able. Stevenson knew that all men had two natures, one good and one evil with his novel that transcends time, and although the story takes place over 100 years ago, its legitimacy is still pertinent. Perhaps Stevenson was suggesting that we are capable of even the most heinous wrongs even if we are the best of people, which Dr. Jekyll was in his prime. Through somber conversations and the volatility of the antagonist’s character Robert Louis Stevenson uses dark tone and allegory in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to underline the reality that humans have dueling natures.

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Essay

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Human Nature: The Double Character of Dr. Jekyll

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kiely, Robert. Robert Louis Stevenson and the Fiction of Adventure. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1964.

    Read More

  • Human Nature in Rober Louis Stevenson´s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the major ideas presented in Jekyll and Hyde is the need for both good and evil to live in coexistence within an individual’s conscience. Jekyll’s experiments prove that a balance between the two sides of nature is crucial to be content in the world. He realizes that the only reason he is able to be one of the two sides of his nature is because he has the capacity to be either as long as both are present within him. He makes this clear in the quote, “I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both” (125). Jekyll aims to segregate his good side from his bad side. He begins on his endeavor to create a potion that creates an entirely new identity for the evil element of his nature named Mr. Hyde. Jekyll is pleased with himself and feels that he has been successful in his undertaking. He maintains this happiness until Hyde begins to commit unspeakable crimes without Jekyll’s rationality and sense of morality to temper him. Jekyll becomes miserable trying to contend with his evil counterpart and it is then that Stevenson’s message is evident. It is difficult to maintain true happiness without both sides of nature present within one’s conscience to balance each other out and to coexist.

    Read More

  • Duality of Man and Soul

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    Due to their concealed yet present inner evil, humans are naturally inclined to sin but at the same time resist temptation because of influence from society, thus illustrating a duality in humanity. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde focuses on how humans are actually two different people composed into one. The concept of dual human nature includes all of Hyde’s crimes and ultimately the death of Jekyll. Jekyll proposes that “man is not truly one, but truly two,” and describes the human soul as a constant clash of the “angel” and the “fiend,” each struggling to suppress the other (Stevenson 61, 65). Man will try to cover up his inner evil because once it rises to the surface everyone will know the real...

    Read More

More about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Open Document