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. Marxism is a method of analysis based around the concepts developed by the two German philosophers Karl Marx and Fredrich Engel, centered around the complexities of social-relations and a class-based society. Together, they collaborated their theories to produce such works as The German Ideology (1846) and The Communist Manifesto (1848), and developed the terms ‘’proletariat’ and ’bourgeois’ to describe the working-class and the wealthy, segmenting the difference between their respective social classes. As a result of the apparent differences, Marxism states that proletariats and bourgeoisie are in constant class struggle, working against each other to amount in a gain for themselves. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde features a setting based in various locations throughout Victorian London, including a variety of areas in different ends of the economic class spectrum. The primary characters, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, represent these opposite ends: Dr. Jekyll’s home is located in Soho, on a “dingy street” (Ste... ... middle of paper ... ...d Mr. Hyde, despite being placed in a setting where it would have been difficult to disregard, generally depicts the lower class as nonexistent in humanity, ignored in favor of characters higher on the scale of living. He gives the antagonist a home and appearance similar to how the impoverished would live to contrast the “good” of the protagonist, who is well-educated, prosperous, and accepted by society. Robert Louis Stevenson failed to give the poor in Victorian London society proper representation within the novel, and rather made the appearance of an educated male to be one of the only accepted individuals within the Victorian society. Works Cited "Robert Louis Stevenson Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. Robert, Stevenson L. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Dover Publications, 2013. Print.
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”.
Perils of Addiction Exposed in Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The values, standards, and expectations of the upper-middle class in the 19th-century Victorian society were conservative and strict; the pressure to earn prestige and achieve upward mobility in social rank required men to sustain an image of propriety and respectability in public. These obligations often created a longing to divert from the personality facades they had to keep, and from the ideal behavior and polite manners that were expected of bourgeois society men. Some would fulfill their wishes by leading a secret double life that allowed them to temporarily escape from societal responsibilities and restrictions. In more private settings, men would partake in sinful pleasures, such as alcohol or drug abuse, and they were free to behave more loosely than they could under the rigid public persona they were forced to hold in order to protect their reputations. In the introduction to the Oxford edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Emma Letley describes the desire to escape from the "Calvinistic confines of nineteenth-century bourgeois" society, and relates that Mr. Stevenson himself "would use a benign doubleness to deal with the pressures of high bourgeois existence" and assumed an alias to become one of the "heavy-drinking, convivial, blasphemous iconoclasts. . ."
Everything in this story has a Dual side, including the setting in London, London had streets that were respectable and others that were made of squalor and crime. In the story of Dr.Jekyll and Hyde characters hid their side and showed only one certain side, as a matter of fact a quote from the book that says “an ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy: but her manners were excellent..” (Stevenson Chapter 4 P 54). This quote is trying to convey a message of Mr.Hyde's keeper being oh so well mannered, but don't let her fool you she was an evil person. That quote was also trying to demonstrate good versus evil and how it is conveyed through the book. Hyde was taking control completely over Dr.Jekyll , Dr.Jekyll was sure that there was no way for him to regain his identity, and his only option was to flee. “I lingered but a moment at the mirror; the second and conclusive experiment had yet to be attempted; it yet remained to be seen if I lost my identity beyond redemption and must flee before daylight from a house.” (Stevenson Chapter 10 P 112) Dr.Jekyll’s
Stevenson’s Portrayal of Good an Evil and the Dual Nature of Men in Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde
The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a story set in nineteenth century England and focuses on Doctor Jekyll and his alternative personality, Edward Hyde. Robert Louis Stevenson was born in the year 1850, in the midst of the Victorian era. Victorian Morality is the term that represents the moral of the people living in this time period. This concept supported sexual repression, low tolerance of criminal activity, and a strong social responsibility.
It is captivating, the thought of being able to have something no one else could. This read explores the possibilities of how those events might play out. In the award winning novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Mr. Hyde’s ominous, mysterious nature intrigues the curious Dr. Jekyll as Hyde allows Jekyll to lead a double life void of consequences, live the gift of youth once again, and indulge in vile pleasures.
As more people in London set out to impress one another readers find that what we see is not always what we get. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde exploits the well-to-do men and women, who come across as fine and upstanding citizens, to be hiding secrets from one another in attempt to maintain their reputations. An example of this behavior is found in the very beginning of the book as Enfield detail the account of Hyde running over the little girl. After this incident the girl’s doctor and family chased her to make sure she was okay then after seeing Hyde and his horrifying appearance they took the opportunity to blackmail him. With all of this taking place late at night it was easy for these community members to treat Hyde this was because there were few witnesses however if the incident took place in the daylight with many people around they may not have reacted the same way. The text provides many opportunities for readers to self-reflect on what he/she may have done in the situation and what the outcome may have been while also thinking of times when his/her actions may have been just as
Stevenson, Robert Louis. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Norton, 2003.
The final chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is unique in the story as it is the only chapter from Henry Jekyll's point of view. Written as a letter addressed to Mr. Utterson the chapter is titled 'Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case' and is written over the week of Jekyll's self-imposed isolation. The important note of this chapter is that not only is it in first person point of view, but that Jekyll has written it himself and the language of the text suggests his recount is unreliable. Furthermore, Jekyll has the motivation to be an unreliable narrator, that is, to appear innocent of the crimes committed
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.” The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella that tells the story of a troubled man, Dr.Jekyll. In the novella, The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson presents symbols such as the door and character names along with conveying a theme of duality regarding good and evil.
Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde" depicts the notion of the exploration of good and bad that resides in human nature. The main character, Dr.Jekyll/Mr.Hyde, is shown to struggle between those two forces. However, it is only until the very last chapter "Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case" where the theme of good versus evil is fully transpired. There, the theory of the duality of human nature is revealed within the Jekyll-Hyde relationship after witnessing the events prior to the character's death. This theme is central, as it forces us to contemplate the management of our own battle with these two forces that fester beyond our control. In addition to Jekyll and Hyde's support of the theme of human nature,
Stevenson uses many methods to achieve and sustain an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in the novel of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He does this by using a clever sense of setting, vocabulary, surroundings and the manner of his characters which are used to describe and slowly reveal the appearance of Hyde . Some of these are highlighted in the depiction of the Dr Jekyll’s house, such as Mr. Enfield's story, Henry Jekyll’s will and the meeting with Hyde.
The schism between mind and heart is conveyed throughout Stevenson’s novel ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. The disagreement between the desires and expectations of man are highlighted throughout the text, especially through the different personality of ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Jekyll thought he was able to control Hyde, stating he can be ‘rid’ of him at any given ‘moment’. However, it is evident in ‘Jekyll’s full statement on the case’, the shackles that once restrained Mr Hyde were broken, and it was Hyde who was in control of
Hyde illustrates that his internal evil reflects on his external exterior. Mr. Utterson, a London lawyer, and Mr. Enfield, a London gentleman, are discussing an odd occurrence nights prior in the same neighborhood that they are taking a Sunday stroll. In this unusual incident, Enfield describes a horrid, ghastly man that harmed an innocent child: “He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable…” (Stevenson 12). Mr. Enfield describes the abnormal man as if there is a sense of some unnatural and repugnant features this man embraces. This characterization of the loathsome man, Mr. Hyde, from Mr. Enfield’s use of words indicates Mr. Hyde’s unpleasant actions correspond with his
Stevenson’s most prominent character in the story is the mysterious Mr Hyde. Edward Hyde is introduced from the very first chapter when he tramples a young girl in the street, which brings the reader’s attention straight to his character. The reader will instantly know that this person is a very important part of this book and that he plays a key role in the story. This role is the one of a respectable old man named Dr Jekyll’s evil side or a ‘doppelganger’. This links in with the idea of duality. Dr Jekyll is described as being ‘handsome’, ‘well-made’ and ‘smooth-faced’. On the other hand, Mr Hyde is described as being ‘hardly human’, ‘pale and dwarfish’, giving of an impression of deformity and ‘so ugly that it brought out the sweat on (Mr Enfield) like running’! These words all go together to conjure up an image in the mind of an animal, beast or monster. During the novel...