The Dominance of the Evil Nature
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is an exploration into the mind of a scientist and his particularly peculiar discovery. The novel begins with a story of a man who knocks down a little girl, and offers compensation for hurting her, in the form of a large check peculiarly drawn from Dr. Jekyll’s bank account. Following suspicion about Dr. Jekyll’s will, leaving all of his belongings to a Mr. Hyde, Mr. Utterson resolves to get to the bottom of this mystery. He hunts down Mr. Hyde and finds him purely evil. Dr. Jekyll refuses to comment about the will, which is put to rest until much later. Then, following the murder of a politician, Mr. Hyde is hunted down, but to no avail. Later, Jekyll and his friend, Dr. Lanyon, fall terribly ill. Dr. Lanyon dies, leaving mysterious documents in Mr. Utterson’s possession, to be opened only if Dr. Jekyll dies or disappears. Dr. Jekyll remains in seclusion. Finally, one evening, Dr. Jekyll’s butler visits Mr. Utterson at home because he’s worried about Jekyll. Together, they break into Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory to find Mr. Hyde dead on the floor, with Dr. Jekyll nowhere to be found. Mr. Utterson reads both Mr. Lanyon’s narrative and Dr. Jekyll’s narrative, which, it turns out, are two parts of the same story. The story is that by means of a potion, Dr. Jekyll was able to transform into Mr. Hyde and give in to a world of pleasure and self-serving crime. In his narrative, Dr. Jekyll writes that Mr. Hyde became ever more powerful and ever harder to control – in essence, the dominant personality. Many factors lead to Jekyll’s discovery and these factors lead him to succumb to the dominant personality of Hyde. Key factors that lead to t...
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...t around societal “rules”. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson proves; through his exploration of Dr. Henry Jekyll, and his evil other half, Mr. Hyde; that society plays a large role in keeping most peoples’ true selves restrained. Moreover, the book reveals that underneath the superficial disguise of all people, there lies a latent evil within all of us, as illustrated by Hyde. The only difference between other people and Jekyll is that this inner nature may or may not emerge. The fact that all of humanity has a dual nature goes to show how potentially frightening this inherent evil may be. By reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there is a realization of the importance that society plays in keeping order, and if this structure collapses, our world may be on the same “dreadful shipwreck” that Jekyll and Hyde faced.
Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic story published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is about a man who transforms between two personae: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This novel focuses on Mr. Utterson, a lawyer and friend of Dr. Jekyll’s. The novel starts with John Utterson talking with his other friend who has just witnessed an odd situation. A man identified as Hyde run over a girl, only to pay off her family later with a check from Dr. Jekyll. This situation is made even stranger since Jekyll’s will has recently been changed. Mr. Hyde now stands to inherit everything. Mr. Utterson believing that the two men are separate people, thinks that the cruel Mr. Hyde is some how blackmailing Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson questions Dr. Jekyll about Hyde, but Jekyll tells him to mind his own business. Unfortunately, Mr. Utterson cannot do that. A year later, Mr. Hyde attacks someone else: he beats a man with a cane, causing the man’s death. The police involve Mr. Utterson because he knew the victim. Mr. Utterson takes them to Mr. Hyde’s apartment, where they find the murder weapon, which is a gift that Mr. Utterson himself gave to Dr. Jekyll. Mr.
...ve duality of man;… if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both” Thus, Stevenson creates in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, two coexistent, and eternally opposed components that make up a “normal” individual. However, here, good and evil are not related but are two independent entities, individuals even, different in mental and physical attributes and constantly at war with each other. Evil now does not require the existence of good to justify itself but it exists simply as itself, and is depicted as being the more powerful, the more enjoyable of the two, and in the end ultimately it is the one that leads to Dr. Jekyll's downfall and death. Stevenson creates the perfect metaphor for the never-ending battle between good and evil by using Jekyll and Hyde. However, this novella is perhaps one of the few that truly show the power of Evil.
Chapter 10 is a letter on why Jekyll did what he did with his and how Hyde even came about. During Jekyll adult life, he realized he had two different personalities. This connect to the theme of the story good vs. evil. Jekyll felt as though if he had two different natures then why not make two different bodies as well. Since he was a scientist that is what he did. He begin to research ways to make that happen. After, finding a solution he began his experiment. The experiment worked and his appearance changed. According to Stevenson (1986/2004), Jekyll “saw for the first time the appearance of Edward Hyde” (p. 68). Jekyll finally found his evil side. After getting connect to his new evil appearance he then began to worry. Since this was his first test experiment he worried if he would every see Jekyll again or appear as Hyde for the rest of his life. Not knowing what would happen: he thought of all
The novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson was a frail person that often fell deathly sick but has grown into a excellent writer. Stevenson was eventually forced to move out of his home country (London, England) to California. He nearly died on the way there. But when he made it, he created the famous novella in 1886. That novella is called "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The novella itself was written in four days which proves Stevenson's extreme talent as a writer. Inside the novella, it contained immense details and rich diction that had given the story life and meaning. The story contains a lot of interpretations and meanings throughout the novella which raises the question of the true meaning of the story. Some are concerned with the religious aspect of sin and temptation that caused Dr. Jekyll to permanently transformed into Mr. Hyde. Others pry on the physiological aspects of Dr. Jekyll's decisions and thought process that caused him wanting to stay as Mr. Hyde. In "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Stevenson uses Dr. Jekyll as a representation of man falling into temptation, and Mr. Hyde as the one who stays in sin.
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.
... 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.
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dual nature of man is a recurring theme. Jekyll constantly struggles with good and evil, the expectations of Victorian society, and the differences between Lanyon and Jekyll.
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,
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...
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.
Penny Fielding highlights his point of view on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that the novel paints ‘a damning portrait of society defined by repression and its inevitable twin, hypocrisy’. Fielding also insists later that the relation between repression and hypocrisy is one theme of this novel that cannot be overlooked. This opinion can be approved of a truth after reading the novel. Repression and hypocrisy run through the whole story which reflect on descriptions of every character. In this essay, I will focus on the repression and hypocrisy that appear to be connected in the novel by analyzing the background and main characters. Especially, I will quote some fragments from the novel to discuss in details.
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.
Mr. Hyde and Dorian Gray are characters that nearly match each other in their symbolism and manner. However, it is the key differences that make them remarkably interesting as a pair. They symbolize the battles between good and evil, though they have differing interpretations of morality.