Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
This novella, although unapparent, is intertwined with many
allegorical undertones. Stevenson uses the book to criticise Victorian
society and its hypocritical existence. The most significant thematic
concern of the novella is the continually revisited theme of the
duality of man and the camouflaged evil that lies deep within the
human race.
Stevenson was writing before the period in which the great
psychologist Sigmund Freud was researching the human mind, so in some
ways Stevenson was ahead of his time in resolving the 'mystery of the
mind'. Stevenson's novella, after being added to by his wife on the
book's revision, contained much evidence of these theories of the
human psyche.
Armed with this weapon, Stevenson used the novella to attack the
hypocritical ways of the Victorian society he lived in. The theme
plays on the idea of a part of the unconscious, the 'id'. The id is
the Hyde part of a human, which is of course repressed, undeveloped
and primitive, with the taste for hunting and sex. Then on the other
hand is the 'superego', your conscience and morality, with the
"floater" between the two, the 'ego'. Jekyll stresses that, "man is
not truly one, but truly two."
This all links to the theme of hypocrisy in Victorian society. Jekyll
admits, "...and it was as a secret sinner that I at last fell before
the assaults of temptation." Stevenson tries to reveal the double
lives that were being lived around this era. Some critics believe that
this is a self-confession of Stevenson's sinful past. Jekyll is the
perfect representation of hypocrisy, as he is described as the
"spotless Jekyll" yet continuously lying to Utterson and one could
argue, soci...
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...en to partake in his, "scientific balderdash".
One more symbol is apparent. The key to the laboratory is a symbol of
power and authority and in this case, the key holds satanic power,
therefore Hyde is the one who has the power to change back into
Jekyll. When Utterson and Poole search for the key and fail to find
it, they cannot overcome evil. This also means that they do not have
access to evil, as they are sinless in the story.
It is clear that Jekyll started with selfish intentions when he
strived for a better self, this is why the experiment only stripped
Jekyll of the Jekyll veneer, leaving the Hyde interior. And that
Jekyll is in fact a host for the constant bombardment of metaphors,
especially with hypocrisy as Jekyll represents hypocrisy and the
Victorian society itself.
"In Hyde, you have no Jekyll but in Jekyll, you always have some Hyde"
“There is a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line” (“Oscar Levant Quotes”).
Innocence is a trap. It is strangled with the ideals of perfection and suffocates the cravings of curiosity. Goodness is expectant and evil is poisonous. However, good and evil resides in even the most innocent of people. Both are nefarious and pestilent to easily corrupt targeted souls in sinister actions. Both equate to uncontrollable factors. Goodness tends to covet the sensations of evil since it depreciates its own purity. In the oscillating novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, goodness was trapped by evil just as Jekyll was trapped as Hyde. Jekyll’s pure spirituality desired the holy richness of evil and all its wrongdoings. His laboratory experiments discovered his desire to feel the sensation of evil without truly being evil. His laboratory experiments discovered a way for him to escape. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fought the battle between good and evil proving the apparent strengths and weaknesses that overall transformed two souls into a single corpse.
The functioning of the average human mind has intrigued and plagued philosophers and thinkers over centuries, one of the most curious and fascinating studies have been made into personages with dual personalities, schizophrenia being one of the factors. Similarly, in the book, The Strange Case, as well as in the film, Psycho, the books are taken place in late Victorian London, but Psycho is in late 60’s in the USA. The respective authors in these two texts portray that duality of human nature exists in society and humanity through the use of characterization and setting.
Sigmund Freud separated the mind into three parts, each having its own function. These are the Id, the Ego, and the Superego (Sigelman & Rider, 2009; pg.37).. Each of the three parts of the mind develops at a particular age and first to develop is the Id. When a baby is born its mind is bombarded by instinctual drives which are collectively called the Id. All the Id wants is to have its desires fulfilled and exists only for pleasure. The Id seeks immediate gratification and does not consider what is realistic nor does it ha...
During the nineteenth century, Nathaniel Hawthorne graced America with The Scarlet Letter. Out of all of his works, the commended author’s most enduring and well-known novel is The Scarlet Letter. The narrative was set in the 1600s around the same time as the historical Salem Witch Trials. Over the years, this classic story has been reviewed by numerous essayists. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most popular novel reflects the injustice of the Salem Witch Trials and received notable analyses from major literary critics.
In Frankenstein, Victor’s monster suffers much loneliness and pain at the hands of every human he meets, as he tries to be human like them. First, he is abandoned by his creator, the one person that should have accepted, helped, and guided him through the confusing world he found himself in. Next, he is shunned wherever he goes, often attacked and injured. Still, throughout these trials, the creature remains hopeful that he can eventually be accepted, and entertains virtuous and moral thoughts. However, when the creature takes another crushing blow, as a family he had thought to be very noble and honorable abandons him as well, his hopes are dashed. The monster then takes revenge on Victor, killing many of his loved ones, and on the humans who have hurt him. While exacting his revenge, the monster often feels guilty for his actions and tries to be better, but is then angered and provoked into committing more wrongdoings, feeling self-pity all the while. Finally, after Victor’s death, the monster returns to mourn the death of his creator, a death he directly caused, and speaks about his misery and shame. During his soliloquy, the monster shows that he has become a human being because he suffers from an inner conflict, in his case, between guilt and a need for sympathy and pity, as all humans do.
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1818 at the tender age of 18, it was often wondered how such a young
seem to be a positive way to help humanity. He wants to get rid of diseases so
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is widely hailed as literature’s greatest gothic novel, as well as its first science fiction work. Written by a young woman in answer to a challenge from a circle of male authors (which included her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley), the tale is drawn from her personal experiences as well as from the writings of other authors. The monster in the story is a multifaceted symbol for humanity’s fears, representing unchecked technology and the un-mothered child, among other things. As a representative of these fears, the monster itself may be described as a doppleganger.
First, Holmes is the first scientific detective. Second, all of his cases ended up solved so therefore there are no flaws in his method. Well after researching in and out of books and web sites, I finally found the "true" way Holmes solved crimes. The site I found such spectacular information is Sherlockian.Net. This sight was helpful and it made me understand most of the stories by Conan Doyle.
Sigmund Freud believes the id is innate in a child, it acts on pure immediate pleasure. As the child grows older, it develops the regulatory ego which confronts the self-indulgent id with logical choices. As some people age, their ego might not develop as expected. Lorelai Gilmore is Freud’s idea of the id, embodied. When she makes choices, logic is usually an afterthought as she generally thinks only of her happiness. Throughout ...
we deny our bad side. It looks at a doctor called Dr Jekyll who feels
In my personal reference, Romanticism is a kind of literature from the eighteenth century that put its focus on nature and imaginative ideals. The Romantic Movement was a reaction to the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. This movement consisted of many changes in society during the eighteenth century and it went against the ideals of urban environments that were popping up all around during this time by focussing on nature. The Romantic features that are seen in the book The Scarlet Letter are the ideals of individualism and truth, and not falling into society’s ways and judgements. This book was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the year 1850. This book was about Hester Prynne, a woman living in Boston, who commits a sin in her Puritan community. Hester is an adulterer, who sleeps with the town’s Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester admits to this adultery and has her child Pearl, but Dimmesdale hides in the shadows to live a life full of guilt and suffering. Little does he know, this suffering will be made worse and worse by Roger Chillingworth, the husband of Hester, who befriends him. Out of all of the characters in this book, Hester Prynne reflects the ideals of Romanticism the best.
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