Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, creates an atmosphere of constant suspense and perplexity. The context of the book promotes an intriguing plot that highlights a man with a struggle between his dual identities, one of these being Dr. Jekyll whose intentions are essentially for good, and the other being Mr. Hyde whom Jekyll is attempting to prevent from overtaking him completely. The exploration of this “dual identity” is truly the main aspect of what Stevenson tries to convey towards his readers. This thriller portrays the uphill battle Jekyll faces as he fights the inherent evil nature of man, the multiplex personality that enslaves him at times, and the uncertainty of the way that he perceives himself all contribute to the rise of Mr. Hyde and his reign of evil.
The obvious push-and-pull between Dr. Jekyll’s good intentions and Mr. Hyde’s desires to create corruption sparks an innovative conflict between the forces of good and evil within one’s self, specifically the inherent evil that exists within humans. This issue is evident in various parts of the book as Jekyll constantly tries to control his evil self, but fails frequently. Jekyll recognizes this evil is portrayed in himself:
It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date . . . I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements. (Stevenson 49)
Jekyll acknowledges this dual identity, himself as he depicts the natures ...
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...es that we might have, and accept who we are. The everyday hardships of life tempt us to do many things, but controlling our temptations and guilt is the key to making us successful in society.
Works Cited
Stevenson, Robert Louis, and Katherine Linehan. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: an
Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Contexts, Performance Adaptations, Criticism. New York: Norton, 2003. Print.
Gould, Stephen Jay. The Mismeasure of Man. New York: Norton, 1996. Print.
Myers, Frederic W.H. "Multiplex Personality." Proceedings of the Society for Psychological
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Kerr, Norman. "Abject Slaves to the Narcotic." Inebriety, Its Etiology, Pathology, Treatment and
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Symonds, John Addington, and Phyllis Grosskurth. The Memoirs of John Addington Symonds.
New York: Random House, 1984. Print.
...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.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886. It concerns a lawyer, Gabriel Utterson, who investigates the strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the reclusive Mr. Edward Hyde. This novel represents an ideology in Western culture; the perpetual conflict between humanity’s virtuosity and immorality. It is interpreted as an accurate guidebook to the Victorian era’s belief of the duality of human nature. This essay will explore Mr. Edward Hyde and whether Stevenson intended for him to be a mere character in the novel or something of wider significance.
Analysis of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. In an attempt to consider the duality tale, one narrative inevitably finds its way to the top of the heap as the supreme archetype: Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Immense disagreement permeates the pages of literary criticism relevant to the meaning of the story. Yet, for all of the wrangling focused on the psychology, morality, spirituality, and sociality of the story, it has remained, since 1886, a novella that according to the Reverend W. J. Dawson, gives Stevenson “a place apart, and high above all contemporaries, as an interpreter of the deepest things of the soul” (qtd.
Stevenson's Representation of Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this piece of coursework, I am asked to first of all, discuss how. The novel is mainly concerned with the struggle between good and evil. Next, I will be moving on to discovering the historical, social, and cultural aspects of the world.
Robert, Stevenson L. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Dover Publications, 2013. Print.
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a famous novel that is commonly read by many people. This novel was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a Scottish author. The novel was first published in 1886 (Singh & Chakrabarti, 2008). Medical professionals and other healthcare professionals often use this novel as a reference for the study of depressive illness (Dell’Osso & Ketter, 2015). This literature is mainly concern about a well reputable man, Dr. Henry Jekyll, having split personality, uses his knowledge to create a type of potion which allows him to have another identity, Mr. Edward Hyde, which is a person totally different from the original personality. The novel described the process of transformation of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde,
Page, Norman. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson." Encyclopedia of the Novel. Eds. Paul Schellinger, Christopher Hudson, and Marijke Rijsberman. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1998.
The idea of humanity is a complicated case when people begin to challenge the one of many definitions of being human. In the story of "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," we get a taste of someone having a split personality. I can argue that the split personality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are just one personality, but the other personality is just a cover up of his true self. The side of Mr. Hyde shows his anti-human side by doing many evil acts that hurt many people. Dr. Jekyll tries to keep the status of his reputation spotless while having a careless attitude in his anti-human side of being Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll chooses to have another persona in Mr. Hyde to do the hateful crimes that he does when Dr. Jekyll is in some type of an angry mood. This novel shows the theme of the duality of human nature as it goes through the two opposite personalities both into one human.
Robert Louis Stevenson's novella “The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” is the purest example in English literature of the duality of human nature, using Jekyll's split personality and body to represent this. The most obvious duality shown in the book is that Jekyll represents the conventional and more socially acceptable personality whereas Hyde is the uninhibited and criminal personality that isn't accepted in any case, which is shown throughout the
Stevenson focuses on two different characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but in reality these are not separate men, they are two different aspects of one man’s reality. In the story, Dr. Je...
The substantial demilia in the novella, Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, consists of the duality in human nature involving good and evil. The novella separates good and evil within one character supporting the theory, ”Man is not truly one, but truly two.” (Robert Louis Stevenson). The character, Mr.Hyde, consists of the evil embodied in Dr. Jekyll whereas Dr. Jekyll only portrays the goodness of himself. One can infer Dr. Jekyll illustrates a deeply repressed man who has hidden his violent side, not wanting to face any consequences for anything he has done. Although, the novella exhibits an interesting story about a man who turns himself into an evil human being, there are profound psychological implications within the theme of
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,
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.
To summarize, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a metaphorical looking glass into the duality of human nature. In the words of Romeo and Juliet’s Friar Lawrence, “Two such opposèd kings encamp them still/ In man as well as herbs—grace and rude will” (II iii 28-29). In everyone, there is good and evil, a Jekyll and Hyde. The decision is who will be allowed to take control. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel helps the reader to better understand the duality of human nature through Jekyll’s fascinating tale, and the true meaning behind the story that makes the reader sit back and reflect makes the story a timeless piece of literature.
Authors at times take personal experiences from their lives to help them craft their book or story. Likewise, Robert Louis Stevenson connected his personal issues with his bestselling novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The contrast between Mr. Hyde’s evil mischief and Dr. Jekyll’s naivety underscores the subtle narrative that the author is more than familiar with the situation described in the novel than meets the eye. Influenced by his own experiences with abuse, multiple personality disorders, and frightening dreams, Stevenson was able to formulate Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.