“Two personalities — opposite and antagonistic — mesh within one body, and as such the novel has a rich potential for psychoanalytic criticism”(Ruwe). In the book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the truth about human natures is exposed from the authors view. Stevenson reveals some things that people back then and maybe even know thought to be grotesque and not at all human behavior. Once in a while there are people that recognize the dark truth behind true human nature, the good and the bad, In the story they aren't two different people but two different 'personalities' Jekyll is able to blur the lines between what's right and wrong, become Hyde and leave behind his conscience. “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is perhaps the purest example in English literature of the use of the double convention to represent the duality of human nature.” (May). The exposure level that Stevenson show on his novel is quite extensive for he chooses to describe and use words that normally wouldn't really blend together but manage to make sense to try to explain human nature. “Dr. Jekyll represents the conventional and socially acceptable personality and Mr. Hyde the uninhibited and criminal self is the most obvious aspect of Stevenson’s story.” (May). Charles May talks about how Stevenson talks about Hyde but all through the book doesn't give any solution or what could be done to stop what's happening to Jekyll until the very end that is, then he bring up why this happened to Jekyll and May bring up the Super Ego and how it affect the story and Jekyll himself was able to separate said super ego from his id. Donelle Ruwe bring up human ambition, there are appropriate levels of it, that are healthy but too much of said a... ... middle of paper ... ...ol and killed the guy. According to Ruwe the novel has a great psychoanalytic value he explains that it contains two personalities who clash and are exact opposites (Ruwe). Human nature is given exposure according to Stevenson's view. Back then more things were thought to be grotesque and horrible pertaining to the acts of human beings which still apply sometimes to human nature now. There is that person that once in a while recognize the dark truth of human nature, the good and the bad are exposed, in truth there is a part of both sides in all people but some choose to not recognize it, Dr. Jekyll blurs the lines between good and evil leaving behind his conscience . According to May the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the best example in English literature that uses a double meaning or personality to represent both sides of human nature (May).
For this reason I’ll be explaining Jekyll’s mental health. Jekyll has as what we now call Multiple Personality Disorder; “I learned to recognize 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 be rightly said to be either, it was only because I was radically both,” Stevenson 57.) The disease was first discovered by Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot. He would ask patients symptoms that he found common in MPD. Many patients know about their alternate personality but refuse to acknowledge it’s existence. In some cases they may even refer to it as a separate person entirely. In this case Jekyll is very much aware of his alternate personality, going as to so far as to willingly change into him. However despite this he also categorizes Hyde into a separate being. For example when Hyde does something unappealing or distasteful he blames it on a separate person. Consciously though he is aware that he is Hyde and Hyde is him. (MD, Arnold Lieber. "Multiple Personality Disorder / Dissociative Identity Disorder." PsyCom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986. Vertical Health LLC, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016).
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll’s struggle between two personalities is the cause of tragedy and violence. Dr. Jekyll takes his friends loyalty and unknowingly abuses it. In this novella, Stevenson shows attributes of loyalty, how friendship contributes to loyalty, and how his own life affected his writing on loyalty.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson uses diction, imagery, and details to characterize both sides of his main character
“The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde” is a novella written in the Victorian era, more specifically in 1886 by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. When the novella was first published it had caused a lot of public outrage as it clashed with many of the views regarding the duality of the soul and science itself. The audience can relate many of the themes of the story with Stevenson’s personal life. Due to the fact that Stevenson started out as a sick child, moving from hospital to hospital, and continued on that track as an adult, a lot of the medical influence of the story and the fact that Jekyll’s situation was described as an “fateful illness” is most likely due to Stevenson’s unfortunate and diseased-riddled life. Furthermore the author had been known to dabble in various drugs, this again can be linked to Jekyll’s desperate need and desire to give in to his darker side by changing into Mr Hyde.
Addiction is a behavior that leads to actions that not only hurt others but is ultimately a path to one’s own self-destruction. From the beginning of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, it is clear that Dr. Jekyll never had complete control over the drug or Mr. Hyde; however, once Hyde commits suicide in order to dodge punishment, we know how awful Jekyll’s addiction to Hyde had been. Jekyll was so far out of control of Hyde that Mr. Hyde had the ability to end both of their lives simply because Hyde did not wish to be punished.
Stevenson uses the malaise of Schizophrenia to characterize Dr.Jekyll and his dual personality Mr. Hyde. In the above quote Dr.Jekyll realizes that he has done in justice the whole time without realizing it. Mr. Hyde’s actions have been proven to be inhumane and he has been characterized a “human juggernaut”; Dr. Jekyll is not solely responsible for his actions because of his dual mindset that precludes an individual from a rational thought process. In the quote above Dr. Jekyll had everyone’s respect and love, and now society labels him as a murderer: “clubbed him to the earth…with ape-like fury…shattered…the body.”(Stevenson 9) Mr. Hyde is malevolent in nature, “alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil”(Stevenson 45) whereas, Dr.Jekyll is a calm character. He uses “ape-like fury”, from that he shows embodiment of a murderer. In Psycho, Norman Bates is a maniac with a dual personality. Although...
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.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the author Robert Louis Stevenson uses Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to show the human duality. Everyone has a split personality, good and evil. Stevenson presents Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as two separate characters, instead of just one. Dr. Jekyll symbolizes the human composite of a person while Mr. Hyde symbolizes the absolute evil. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who are indeed the same person, present good and evil throughout the novel.
To begin with, Stevenson shows duality of human nature through society. During the Victorian era, there were two classes, trashy and wealthy. Dr. Jekyll comes from a wealthy family, so he is expected to be a proper gentleman. He wants to be taken seriously as a scientist, but also indulge in his darker passions.“...I learned to recognize 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..."(125).
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.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the theme of the duality of man. The idea that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are one man in two bodies rather than two men sharing one body suggests that man itself is a combination of both good and evil. In distinguishing the female characters as inferior beings, Stevenson begins to suggest that women are victims of the evil side - the sadistic unconscious - of men. Each time female characters are mentioned in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, they are victims of violent and unfortunate circumstances. The culprit of these violent circumstances is always Mr. Hyde. Because Mr. Hyde represents the evil side of man and because Mr. Hyde is the one who is directly hurting the women in the novel, Stevenson suggests that men has a sadistic unconscious. In other words, all individuals are both good and evil. Included in the evil side of man is a subconscious desire to hurt other individuals, especially women. Throughout the novel, individuals continuously suffer physically at the hands of Mr. Hyde. For example, the first appearance of a female in the novel results in a “horrific” situation. On his walk with Mr. Utterson, Mr. Enfield recounts being a witness to a strange scene, “All at once, I saw two figures: one a little man who was stumping along...and the other a girl of maybe eight or ten who was running as hard as she was able down a cross street...the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground” (Stevenson, 9). The female child is clearly the victim of male violence, specifically that of Mr. Hyde. Because Mr. Enfield claims that the man trampled “calmly” over the young girl, he suggests that the culprit shows no remorse for the female child, who is left “screaming on the ground.” Furthermore, this implies that the man ran over her with ease, further demonstrating the imbalance of power between men and
Personality and the Beast Within in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Everyone has a dual personality, two sides, good and evil. Robert Louis Stephenson uses the book to explain this, he wanted people to. realise that not only does Dr Jekyll carry a double personality, but the other characters in the book, too. Also the people reading it must see that they too, are a part of this frightening, uncontrollable fact.
The reader is drawn to the plot of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde through the literary devices Stevenson employs. Foreshadowing displays the sense of mystery throughout the novel, the foreshadowing of the actions of Mr. Hyde leaves the reader wondering what will happen next. The ironic nature of Dr. Jekyll relates to the reader as a person, no person is completely perfect and Dr. Jekyll exhibits the natural wants and desires of humans. The irony behind Mr. Hyde adds an enigmatic side to the plot. These two devices expose the readers to the complexity of the novel and reveal the inner meaning of the hidden details.
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...
This guilt drives him to have “clasped hands to God…tears and prayers to smother down the crowd of hideous images and sounds that his memory swarmed against him” (Stevenson 57). As a whole, the text demonstrates that Dr. Jekyll’s alter ego, Mr. Hyde, is the mastermind of pure malevolence who participates in activities that Dr. Jekyll cannot Jekyll experiences. For instance, Dr. Jekyll’s physical appearance begins to decline as he stops taking the draught. The text describes Dr. Jekyll’s physical characteristics as “looking deadly sick” when his is usually a “large well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness” (Stevenson 19-25). Not only does Dr. Jekyll’s health begin to decline, but also his behavior changes as well.