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Essay about the victorian era in literature
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The novel ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in the Victorian era, which had a very different culture from today. The book was first published in 1886 in England and it brought success to the author. The Victorians had strict moral codes to live under as middle class people and had to be well respected to be considered as a good person. The character’s reputation emerges throughout the novel as an essential tool to success in the society of the era. Another Victorian value expected of them was to live a life without any sin and to obey the Bible as literalists. However, this only prompted people to keep certain thoughts secluded, behind closed doors instead of eliminating them. Stevenson explains to the reader that humans have lots of different sides to each other and not just one. The final chapter of the novel, ‘Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement Of The Case’ explores the ways in which the author presents Victorian attitudes to the nature of humans. He also explains how duplicitous humans are, which means how people often have two separate approaches to their life. The duality of man means the two sides of the person’s mind and is most apparent in, as the title suggests, the characters ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. The separation of Jekyll into two beings, Jekyll and Hyde, is an analogy for humankind’s conflicting forces of good and evil. These characters bring to life the inner struggle between the two powers of the soul. Dr. Jekyll asserts that ‘man is not truly one, but truly two,’ within the book to illustrate the theme of the novel and to help describe Mr. Hyde to more rational people such as Mr. Utterson. Jekyll portrays the good side of human nature in this narrative. He is the protagon... ... middle of paper ... ..., but truly two’ could be considered with a number of meanings: civilisation versus savagery, good versus evil, or religion versus science. All of these were significant to Stevenson and are asked rhetorically throughout the novel. I think that the structure of the novel contributes to the development of the themes effectively, as they do not emerge fully until the last chapters. By giving us several narratives in the book, Stevenson provides stronger evidence that this is a realistic novel instead of being a one sided fantasy. Stevenson also does this to develop the characters independence and shows layers within the book where each character is missing parts of the information, leaving us to piece together the true story and answer the unsolved questions. He interconnects the duality of many characters and scenes of the novel to contribute to its dual theme.
The sense of conflict being created through disapproval portrays duality that the Victorians had at the period; it is almost as if they were in a dilemma and confusion in deciding which element of sanity to maintain. Stevenson wrote the story to articulate his idea of the duality of human nature, sharing the mixture good and evil that lies within every human being. In the novel Mr Hyde represents the evil part of a person and of Dr Jekyll.
Bland 's book aims to expound the culture in which Stevenson found himself writing, going on to argue that Stevenson 's writings are influenced by a Darwinism which precludes a "fall" but yet he equally draws on the poetic insights into humanity found in the bible. Bland fails to appreciate the nuanced synthesis of Darwinism with a religion which Stevenson himself describes as 'centred on the little rough-and-tumble world ' (Bland 2009, 15). This synthesis is part of Stevenson 's impetus to put into modern speech the writings of Paul; for him, the apishness descriptions of Hyde is the sign of Jekyll fallen nature. In this reading, when Adam and Eve fell, they did not 'be as gods ' (Gen 3:5) as the serpent promised, but became like the beasts. So, Darwin 's theories provided a vivid, modern image of the origin of humanity which Stevenson used to illustrate humanities fallen origin story in Genesis
In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde it is regarded that these identities are two different persons but this is not the case, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are one in the same. There is much confusion when reading this literary work by Robert Louis Stevenson; this piece is regarded as horrific and disturbing in many ways. But the biggest twist is when it is reveled to the reader that these two people are the same and that below the surface of Dr.Jekyll is an evil man who enjoys committing evil acts. Mainly that Dr. Jekyll believes he has no choice but to commit these horrid acts because he has no control over is evil side. I don’t believe this is the case, Hyde isn’t a real person and doesn’t exist, nor is he someone who commits Jekyll’s sins for him; Jekyll is in control of his own actions.
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 book Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, author Robert Louis Stevenson fabricates an absurd story to interpret his understand of human nature and psychology that humans are not single character, but they have double; for every person, the good and evil are separated; however, they are existing in one personality to form a dual nature. Throughout the strange case of Dr. Jekyll, the story is truly fantastic in the reality, there is no neither factual basis nor scientific basis, but a completely imaginative or fictitious character created the author. And the reason is that he wants to express a profound implication.
“The Strange Cases of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” is a very intricate story of the duality of man. The novel is based upon a tale of a man that is not happy in his current self, a higher class - good guy that everyone likes to be around. Dr. Jekyll is hunting a bad side, he wants to be an evil, dangerous man. His desire to achieve this second life takes him into a very strange psychological state. It remains a constant battle for Dr. Jekyll throughout the entire novel to try and become Mr. Hyde. Eventually, Dr. Jekyll feels as if he has successfully completed this goal. Once entered this state, Dr. Jekyll is now believed to be Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Hyde only. Dr. Jekyll is presumed to eliminated form the picture, or dead in Mr. Hyde’s eyes.
Mankind’s struggle between good and evil resonates throughout literature. In the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson examines this age-old theme in an innovative way. He depicts Dr. Jekyll attempting to distinguish scientifically between two personas. Through his experiments, Dr. Jekyll rationalizes that good and evil can be compartmentalized in all humans. Furthermore, he believes “that the two sides of his nature could exist without conflict” (Davis 11). Stevenson then proves the two cannot live separately in one mind. All that comes forth is dilemma.
Jekyll has realised and accepted his evil side although he as yet doesn’t desire to embrace it. Many of the other characters support this idea of inseparable good and evil, almost subconsciously it seems. For example the friendship between the "good" Utterson and the questionable Enfield seems to flourish rather than wither due to their complete opposites in personality. Lanyon, another "good" man, is also described as "somewhat theatrical", hardly a compliment in the uptight Victorian era in which the story is set.
In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the dual nature of man is a main theme. Jekyll says: "Man is not /truly one, but truly two"(125), meaning all people have both a good and a bad side. Dr. Jekyll creates a potion to fully separate good and evil, but instead it awakens a dormant character, Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, Stevenson uses society, control, and symbolism to tell the reader about human nature.
Society contains two types of people: the good and the evil; but, both types of people combat an inner battle, unable to decide which side should take control. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses humanity’s battle between pure and vile. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are essentially the same person, but they have been split by their personalities; good and evil. Hyde is evil, proving to be the complete opposite of Jekyll. He enjoys seeing innocents in pain and relishes the act of killing. Being the pure side of the person, Jekyll is caring, kind and helpful. Although he is different from Hyde, Hyde’s presence brings negativity to Jekyll’s good character. Stevenson illustrates humanity’s dual personality through the symbolism of the two personalities’ appearances, the two characters’ behaviors, and the
A wise man once said, “Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other.” The struggle between good and evil is a prominent theme in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the novel, Robert Louis Stevenson explores the idea that the quote is expressing. He discusses the duality of human nature, and how its effect is shown through the behavior and life of the character. It is shown that within each character there is purity and morality, but that there are also evil intentions and wickedness. In the novel, readers see the struggle between good and bad and how it affects the character. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, evil in the human soul wins, due to its great effect and impact, how it gradually became uncontrollable, and the satisfaction that Dr. Jekyll felt through evil, which eventually lead him to his demise.
Phrases such as “primitive duality of man” and “ the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness” express the speculation Jekyll faced from a young age towards the idea of good and evil. From these wordings the reader can interpret that Henry Jekyll viewed the world as either being good or evil, as it was hard to find a balance in between. Adding on, the terminology “nature”, “daydream”,and “consciousness” provide the passage with a feeling of spiritualness and a soul beyond the normalcy of life. In the Victorian time period, appearance wasn’t considered to be crucial to everyday life, so the fact that Jekyll had to ability to manipulate appearance and thought process was fascinating to him. Another expression “doing the good things in which he found his pleasure, and no longer exposed to disgrace and penitence by the hands of this extraneous evil” describes how Henry Jekyll was able to appear as good and do good deeds, but when desired he could switch to a darker side, a side where his reputation of being helpful, kind, and compassionate wouldn’t be tarnished. In conclusion, these passage aides the reader in understanding Jekyll’s point of view on the creation of Mr.Hyde and his role affecting the world of good versus
Due to their concealed yet present inner evil, humans are naturally inclined to sin but at the same time resist temptation because of influence from society, thus illustrating a duality in humanity. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde focuses on how humans are actually two different people composed into one. The concept of dual human nature includes all of Hyde’s crimes and ultimately the death of Jekyll. Jekyll proposes that “man is not truly one, but truly two,” and describes the human soul as a constant clash of the “angel” and the “fiend,” each struggling to suppress the other (Stevenson 61, 65). Man will try to cover up his inner evil because once it rises to the surface everyone will know the real...
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.
“I was still cursed with my duality of purpose; and as the first edge of my penitence wore off, the lower side of me, so long indulged, so recently chained down, began to growl for licence. Not that I dreamed of resuscitating Hyde; . . . no, it was in my own person that I was once more tempted to trifle with my conscience. . .( Stevenson p. 60)” When Robert Louis Stevenson set out writing his literary masterpiece The Strange Case of, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde he embarked on a voyage through the world of human nature, no easy task, but he did an excellent job of it as demonstrated by the former quote. Stevenson shows the reader through numerous specimens of his writing that human nature is not as his time dictated dichotomous; four excellent vessels through which the reader can explore human nature with, just as Stevenson did, are as follows: Dr. Henry Jekyll, Mr. Edward Hyde, Mr. John Utterson, and the polar opposite of Jekyll Dr. Hastie Lanyon