The Duality of Human Nature

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In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson expresses the concept of the duality of man. Using gothic literature, he depicts the idea of man’s doubled nature. Stevenson demonstrates through the character Henry Jekyll the duality of human nature and the constant battle of good and evil inside all individuals.
In Victorian society, maintaining a good reputation is of utmost importance (Perkins 207). For instance, Dr. Henry Jekyll always focuses on pleasing society to sustain his high social standing (209). He continually donates his time to his friends, church, and various charities (208). As most individuals do, Jekyll alters his personality to fit the situation he is in (Saposnik 88). As the novel progresses, Jekyll realizes, “With every day, and form both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I had been doomed…that man is not truly one, but truly two…” (Stevenson 68). Jekyll’s realization of possessing multiple personalities initiates his idea that there could be a way to separate his two sides (Oates 210; Saposnik 93). With a goal to remove evil from his community life, Jekyll initially seems to have good intentions; however, morality becomes a temptation (Perkins 208). The doctor quickly becomes consumed in his scientific work to create a way to completely isolate his evil. His longing to create a concoction to split his personality cause him to forget his loyal friends, who begin to think the Jekyll has gone mad (Stevenson 35). When Jekyll finally concocts the potion to separate his good and evil, this power becomes a temptation catalyzing the growth of evil within him (Perkins 208; Stevenson 73).
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... of the duality of man. Throughout the novel, Stevenson uses his character Jekyll to represent the good side of man and uses Hyde to stand for the unseen evil capable in all individual. Due to the fact that both sides of man, good and evil, are fused together, there is no way to successfully destroy either side, without the destruction of the one preferred.

Works Cited
Oates, Carol Joyce. “Criticism.” Novels for Students. Ed. Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 210-212. Print.
Perkins, Wendy. “Criticism.” Novels for Students. Ed. Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 207-210. Print.
Thomason, Elizabeth, ed. Novels for Students. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Print.
Saposnik, Irving S. Robert Louis Stevenson. Boston: Twayne, 1974. Print.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. London: Harper, 2010. Print.

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