Robert Louis Stevenson tackles a few topics in his brilliant novella: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde. One of them being duality, the inner contrast of good and evil. Another theme that
branches from this is anger and the unfortunate repercussions of anger. The book takes place in
Victorian England in the 19th century, and focuses on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These two are of course
the same person, we find out that Dr. Jekyll takes a potion that transforms him into Mr. Hyde. Hyde is
his evil side, and eventually he loses sight of Jekyll completely. The battle of good and evil within
oneself glares in the book. An inescapable truth is magnified,that is that uncontrollable anger can lead
to serious problems. Three
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As was shown in the book, anger that spirals out of control leads to severe consequences. Dr. Jekyll
gives in to his rage and allows Hyde to take over. In the process he loses his friends, begins to act
violently, and even kills a man. James 1:19 reads, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person
be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger...” Anger is a very dangerous road to go down, self
control is a key virtue to be practiced. Asking oneself if the situation is worth getting upset about is
important, to pick your battles wisely. Anger so often leads to violence and violence is never the
answer. When dealing with others anger it is crucial to put yourself in their shoes. Unless you truly
know and understand their situation, you shouldn 't be quick to condemn. Anger is found in everyone,
but those who can control it are considered wise. Proverbs 29:11 reads, “A fool gives full vent to his
spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Holding the scriptures close to us is the best way to
Mr Hyde is the evil side of Dr Jekyll, but he is restrained from being
...(43). The reader is draw to the wishes of Dr. Jekyll, each person wants to better themselves and each person finds themselves straying from the correct path in life. In trying to better mankind, Jekyll destroyed the decent man he was before.
Jekyll unveils his story, it becomes evident that Dr. Jekyll’s efforts to keep Mr. Hyde, his immoral outlet, reticent are in vain. Dr. Jekyll succumbs to Mr. Hyde once and eventually the pull of his worse self overpowers Dr. Jekyll completely. His futile attempts to contain Mr. Hyde were more damaging than auspicious, as Mr. Hyde would only gain a stronger grip on Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll writes, “I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught… My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” (115). Dr. Jekyll’s inevitable passion for debauchery is only further invigorated by his repression of Mr. Hyde. By restraining a desire that is so deeply rooted within Dr. Jekyll, he destroys himself, even after his desires are appeased. Like a drug, when Dr. Jekyll first allowed himself to concede to Mr. Hyde, he is no longer able to abstain, as his initial submission to depravity resulted in the loss of Dr. Jekyll and the reign of Mr.
Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
In the novel “The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” a number of
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson during the Late Victorian era. Although "this horror story owes its allegiance to Gothicism rather than realism, many critics suggest that Robert Louis Stevenson 's tale of a man split between his respectable public identity and an amoral secret self captures key anxieties of the fin de siècle" (Norton 1669). The Late Victorian era was “the state of mind prevailing during the final decades of the nineteenth century” (Norton 1668). In the story of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there are some reflects of the breakdown of Victorian values that took there undergo of their citizen responsibility as a whole.
Mr. Hyde is the monstrous side of Dr. Jekyll from their book “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” In their story, Dr. Jekyll is a brilliant scientist who has created a formula that turns him into Mr. Hyde. It is stated that, at some point, Dr. Jekyll became addicted to the potion. Though it is unclear what would cause the addiction, since it would be Hyde who would experience the “high” and not Jekyll himself. Hyde is the contrast to Dr. Jekyll, and is considerably more brutal and immoral. Modern incarnations depict him as becoming incredibly muscular after the transformation, though in the original work it is only implied that Hyde is stronger, retaining his previous physique. It is consistent that Hyde is shown to be ugly, perhaps even deformed.
In conclusion, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, represent many themes of duality in human nature. This is represented by the characters of Henry Jekyll, Edward Hyde, Hastie Lanyon, and John Utterson.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is good versus evil as well as our bad side triumphing over your good side. Even if some critics may think that your bad side almost always triumphs because of movies or any other place that has happened, the yin and yang symbol is of perfect balance, and someone cannot possibly have a double-sided appearance where the two sides are opposite. It is clear to see that in Robert Louis Stevenson’s writing, a person can have two opposite personalities, the yin and yang symbol is not evenly balanced, and your bad side can triumph your good side. As Robert states, “All human beings are commingled out of good and evil” Hopefully those critics may now understand not to believe what they see or may hear about when dealing with good versus evil and evil triumphing over
Jekyll himself. 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. This guilt drives him to have “clasped hands to God…tears and prayers to smother down the crowd of hideous images and sounds that his memory swarmed against him” (Stevenson 57). As a whole, the text demonstrates that Dr. Jekyll’s alter ego, Mr. Hyde, is the mastermind of pure malevolence who participates in activities that Dr. Jekyll cannot
This demonstrates how a person can only take so much abuse before the irritability is too much and they need to lose their temper. To avoid theses outbursts, the people of the community find outlets to cope with irritations and by acting rebelliously.
Stevenson explains to the reader that humans have lots of different sides to each other and not just one. The final chapter of the novel, ‘Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement Of The Case’ explores the ways in which the author presents Victorian attitudes to the nature of humans. He also explains how duplicitous humans are, which means how people often have two separate approaches to their life. The duality of man means the two sides of the person’s mind and is most apparent in, as the title suggests, the characters ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. The separation of Jekyll into two beings, Jekyll and Hyde, is an analogy for humankind’s conflicting forces of good and evil. These characters bring to life the inner struggle between the two powers of the soul. Dr. Jekyll asserts that ‘man is not truly one, but truly two,’ within the book to illustrate the theme of the novel and to help describe Mr. Hyde to more rational people such as Mr. Utterson.
In this classic tale, various aspects of psychopathology, morality and sociology are represented through the use of direct and indirect symbolism and dramatic metaphor. Through these symbols, the author portrays the duality of man that hides behind moral standard to expose the social conduct hypocrisy of the Victorian era and the psychological effects of suppressing evil desires. The story highlights how Henry Jekyll, highly respected man and practiced medical doctor, secretly holds desires of murder and chaos within the depths of his inner conscious represented in the form of Mr. Hyde.
Tafrate , R. C., Kassinove , H., & Dundin , L. (2002). Anger Episodes in High- and Low-Trait-Abger Community Adults. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(12), 1573-1590.
This can either be a positive or negative thing and how you act on it, or do not act, can show how in control and effective you are with your feelings. According to the text, “just because you feel a certain way does not mean you have to act on it” and that “people who act out angry feelings actually feel worse than those who experience anger without lashing out” (Adler, Rosenfeld, Proctor II, year?). Even though acting on your feelings may seem uncontrollable, it is important to deal with them in a different and more productive way. Recognizing how you feel and using the right approach during a constructive conversation is always better than quickly lashing out without completely understanding the situation or how you feel besides angry. Furthermore, “recognizing the difference between feeling and acting can liberate you from the fear that getting in touch with certain emotions will commit you to a course of action” (Adler, Rosenfeld, Proctor II, year?). Understanding your emotions is important so that you will be able to experience feelings that may upset you and still be able to deal with them from a positive standpoint. Once you can separate your feelings from actions you will be able to make more rational