Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ affirms that texts are a reflection of their contexts. Stevenson displays the implicit values of Victorian society through the characters, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Stevenson, inspired by the double life Deacon Brodie led – a Scottish cabinet-maker and Edinburgh city councillor – addresses the elements of good and evil in every person’s nature. Jekyll, like his prototype, is enamoured by the separation of these elements into two different entities and thus conducts a scientific experiment to assume the figure of Hyde in order to release his repressed evil side without affecting the decorum of his other side. It explores in depth the distinction of social class, controversy between science and religion and sexism inherent in Victorian Society. These ideas are effectively conveyed through the use of literary devices to show the different aspects of the Victorian period.
‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ encompasses the social stratification of Victorian society. A Victorian sentiment was that economic reputation and social was considered the central and utmost value in Victorian society that was not to be tainted. It comprised the bourgeois class, middle class and working class which were distinguished by wealth, occupation and living standards. The novella delves into class differentiation from a Marxist perspective, construing the interaction between the social classes. The prevalence of this valued system is evident in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The fact that Jekyll is referred to with the title ‘Dr’ indicates that he is a man who is born “to a large fortune, endowed besides with excellent parts” who possessed a respectable, eminent image among society. Wh...
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... where “at the horror of these sights and sounds, the maid fainted” they were portrayed as people who brought upon great concern from the people around them and expected them to be at their aid. Stevenson evidently illuminates the sexist society of the Victorian period through the representation of the female characters.
In conclusion, through Stevenson’s use of language techniques in ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ it enhances that texts are in fact a reflection of their context. Stevenson illustrates how the sharp division of class, conflict between science and religion and the sexist society prevalent in the Victorian era profoundly affected Victorians during that time and are integrated into his novella through the characters of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Readers can deduce that context can greatly influence the ideas and topics an author writes about.
Within every being exists temptations, whether it be quiescent or dynamic, which fluctuates from one individual to another. Commonly negative, temptations ascend from lesser qualities of man and expose an individual to develop even more reprehensible ambitions. The story of a one man’s dark wishes is explored in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. Properly termed, Stevenson perused the unnerving case of a respectable, proletariat-class doctor, who becomes associated and obsessed with Mr Hyde. It is this presence of the “duality of human nature that is created consistently throughout the Gothic Literature”.
“The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde” is a novella written in the Victorian era, more specifically in 1886 by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. When the novella was first published it had caused a lot of public outrage as it clashed with many of the views regarding the duality of the soul and science itself. The audience can relate many of the themes of the story with Stevenson’s personal life. Due to the fact that Stevenson started out as a sick child, moving from hospital to hospital, and continued on that track as an adult, a lot of the medical influence of the story and the fact that Jekyll’s situation was described as an “fateful illness” is most likely due to Stevenson’s unfortunate and diseased-riddled life. Furthermore the author had been known to dabble in various drugs, this again can be linked to Jekyll’s desperate need and desire to give in to his darker side by changing into Mr Hyde.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde takes place during a time in London when people flocked to the city for jobs which resulted in great competition and deceit. As the city grew in size with powerful men there became issues of appearance and reputation where men of high status began to dance with the devil allowing their evil nature to show itself. The social scene at the time required people to hide this evil nature so men and women began to create two sides of themselves so that they could maintain and uphold their reputation hypocritically. The text of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde reveals human nature to have two sides; one represented by what a man claims and the other represented by how he/she acts.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde cannot be understood without first studying the cultural views of the period in which the story occurs. The obsession with morality in Victorian England was a reactionary response to the rise of secularism and atheism, and the newly popular philosophy of utilitarianism significantly influenced the attitudes of the times. When Henry VIII split from the papacy in the sixteenth century and created the Anglican Church, subsequently resulting in civil wars between Protestant and Catholic monarchs, like Edward VI and Mary I (Bloody Mary), he created a longstanding tradition of tying the country’s national identity to its religion. Therefore, when the world was increasingly turning away from religion, Queen Victoria reacted strongly against this and reinforced the importance of religion in Britain. Furthermore, utilitarianism greatly shaped the Victorian elites’ views on morality and the role of mystery in society. Ironically, many famous Victorians like “Carlyle, Tennyson, Macaulay, Thomas Arnold…and [Charles] Dickens” actively opposed utilitarianism, yet the moral views of the philosophy permeated their worldview and shaped their outlook on life (Madden 460). These thinkers and Queen Victoria viewed “mystery” with “widespread hostility,” viewing it as “daemonic,” sharing a strikingly similar view on the issue with their Utilitarian counterparts (Madden 460). Therefore, when Jekyll was secretly attempting to create a potion to separate himself from Mr. Hyde, his “scientific studies” were leading towards “the mystic and transcendental,” two things vehemently opposed by Victorian England (Stevenson 42). Jekyll was operating on the fringes of society and took great lengths to conceal his works because he knew the dire consequences if others were to discover his mystic experiments. Dr. Lanyon, one of Jekyll’s closest friends, represents the traditional rational, moral, and honorable Victorian man. Upon witnessing
This paper highlights several problems that emerge during the Victorian age, a time of many changes and difficulties in England. During the Industrial Revolution, living conditions changed dramatically; as a result the economy to change from agricultural to industrial. The Victorian Era was also marked by immense progress and tremendous achievement. New values were placed on religion and faith in a society that was unrealistic for women. Robert Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is being told through a third party, Mr. Utterson, who is the lawyer for Dr. Jekyll. There are no major female characters in this story. While women struggled for liberation from a male dominated society, Victorian men felt threatened by the feminist who sought personal liberties. Stevenson’s novel was influenced by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Stevenson pays homage to her at various points in his novel. Mr. Hyde’s rebellious nature threatened the balance of equality in English society. The escalation of horror in The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mr. Hyde depends on the oppression of women. The more oppressed women became, the more horror the characters experienced. In Robert Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he channels Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, by leaving the voice of a woman character absent which alienates femininity, showing hypocrisy through the male characters and the influence of purity and sinful.
Within the text of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson portrays a complex power struggle between Dr. Jekyll, a respected individual within Victorian London society, and Mr. Hyde a villainous man tempted with criminal urges, fighting to take total control of their shared body. While Dr. Jekyll is shown to be well-liked by his colleagues, Mr. Hyde is openly disliked by the grand majority of those who encounter him, terrified of his frightful nature and cruel actions. Throughout Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson portrays the wealthy side of London, including Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll, as respected and well-liked, while showing the impoverish side as either non-existent or cruel.
Victorian morals are significant in the establishment of duality due to the moral conflict it initiates. Stevenson introduced the theme of duality not merely because of contrasting characters and an appealing storyline. Present evidence indicates that Victorian society was constantly disturbed by an inescapable sense of division (Saposnik 88). The presence of two opposing personalities conflicted with the Victorian conscience. Likewise, Victorian society feared the type of behaviors and person represented by Jekyll and Hyde. Hyde is considered the "brutal embodiment of the moral, social, political, and economic threats which shook the uncertain Victorian world" (Saposnik 100). Everything about Jekyll was eerie and defied the Victorian ethics from his physical appearance to his inconsiderate actions. The setting also played an important role with Victorian morals. London was a location where virtue and vice was most clearly present. This is where evil battled the good of Christianity. London was the center of the Victorian world and was the great arena of moral conflict as well....
... 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.
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.
“As far as the plot is concerned, in the community of celibates Stevenson created, none of the male characters has the slightest relationship with a female friend or relative. The few female characters appear only ephemerally and their names and background remain mysterious to readers.” (Shuo 124) The women that are shown, happen to have no names, and are in professions such as maid and housekeeper. The audience is introduced to no female characters in relation to any of the male characters, no wives, no sisters, no mothers.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson primarily to portray the ‘dual’ nature of man and presented in numerous perspectives and point of views. These various methods of presenting a story all have particular uses and benefits which Stevenson exploits to the full in presenting a story that seeks to establish the fact of the duality of man and argues how if not properly harnessed and controlled, one of the ‘parts’ would ultimately subdue the other and collect more authority on the life and actions of the person whom they interplay. However there are 3 major types of narrations that are clearly indicated in the story of Dr.jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These are the third person narrative, framed narrative, and the personal narrative.
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.
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.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a riveting tale of how one man uncovers, through scientific experiments, the dual nature within himself. Robert Louis Stevenson uses the story to suggest that this human duality is housed inside everyone. The story reveals “that man is not truly one, but two” (Robert Louis Stevenson, 125). He uses the characters of Henry Jekyll, Edward Hyde, Dr. Lanyon, and Mr. Utterson to portray this concept. He also utilizes important events, such as the death of Dr. Jekyll and the death of Mr. Lanyon in his exploration of the topic.
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a scientist, Dr. Jekyll, creates an alter ego using a draught in order to escape the harsh views of society. As Mr. Hyde, he commits heinous crimes against citizens and becomes addicted to the perception of freedom from Victorian laws. Best stated by Norman Kerr about addiction, “there is an inebriety derangement of the mental faculties, so that the consciousness, perception, reasoning, power, and conscience are impaired” (Kerr 138). The character Dr. Jekyll illustrates the condition of addiction in the Victorian era through the motifs of the obsession with appearance and duality. Dr. Jekyll’s obsession with appearance causes him to become addicted to the character Mr. Jekyll himself.