preview

Analysis Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde By Robert Lewis Stevenson

Decent Essays

As the cities in the nineteenth century grew and expanded, more and more people moved from the countryside to said cities. With an increase in the size and population of the city a individual 's anonymity increased as well. Both the Paris Morgue and the novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Lewis Stevenson portray the anonymity of modern city life. While middle class men often appreciated the anonymity of the city, because it allowed them to escape social class restrictions, they also feared some of the negative implications. The working class, on the other hand, might have enjoyed the new found entertainment options, however they also had to fear being victims of crime and ending as nameless corpses. Women, both from the middle class and working class, experienced more freedom through the entertainment and leisure time options available due to the anonymous character of the city. For the middle class man the anonymity of the city promised freedom from social restrictions, that hindered him from behaving in ways that were unseeming for a man of his standing. In his novella Stevenson writes about a wealthy middle class doctor, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who through a potion, could turn himself into a different person. This second personality of his being called Edward Hyde. Mr. Hyde represents the more sinister and evil part of Jekyll 's personality, which had been split after he first took his potion. Before making his potion Jekyll often had desires that were not

Get Access