In Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it illustrates the significance of reputation in a Victorian era setting. There’s a prominent representation of reputable men and emphasizing the proper attitude that should be exhibited during this time. In the beginning of the story, Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield show a great example of this self-being. Stevenson’s consistent serious tone heightens the mysterious mood within the words of the speakers. It reveals that bringing out the horror side of Dr. Jekyll, the story conjures up murky imagery that highlights the darkness and evil, like revealing fog when Mr. Hyde verges close. In the beginning of this story, there remains a strong sense of respecting …show more content…
Their tone stays very calm and doesn’t navigate towards gossip as told in their words. These two men “not only set aside occasions of pleasure, but even resisted the calls of business, that they might enjoy them uninterrupted.” (Stevenson 10). While on his walk with his friend Mr. Enfield, they stay very formal and prioritize their voice and appearance to the world rather than being themselves and talking about what they would like to or even doing something other than being on the weekly walk. Even though they might not enjoy this walk it’s continues to remain a priority. As we would today, Mr. Utterson stays true to those whom reputation has been shattered. These values stay instilled in them and continue to be carried throughout the novella as it was in the Victorian …show more content…
Utterson visits the house of Dr. Jekyll it evidently shows that the reputation of Dr. Jekyll is diminishing in Mr. Utterson’s eyes. “This was the home of Henry Jekyll's favorite; of a man who was heir to a quarter of a million sterling. (Stevenson 29). In his tone, you could sense the shock of seeing this house, with the assumption already set inside his head. His descriptive imagery of his surroundings and the view he is looking at add to his disappointment because of his expectations. Mr. Utterson takes into account that he is a “heir to a quarter of a million sterling” which proceeds to convince him that his house should be luxurious. When the pressure becomes to high to handle you can crash, and that is exactly what happened to Dr. Jekyll.
“...I found it hard to reconcile with my imperious desire to carry my head high, and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public. Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me and take stock of my progress and position in the world...” (Stevenson 59).
The strength to keep up a reputation in their time did not over power who you actually are. Dr. Jekyll found it difficult to keep a smile on his face and show people what he is not. It is apparent in his voice that he couldn’t commit to it anymore, and needed guidance to show his duplicity. His other half couldn’t clench onto the Victorian era reputable
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a Scottish author. Written and published 1886, this novella reflects on the individual, and societal behavior during the Victorian era. During the Victorian era people, were supposed to behave like a normal person. Certain behaviors were highly restricted for example, showing evil. Instead, they were expected to give respect for everyone. People who acted out against the norm during this period were usually sent to asylums because such behaviors were unacceptable. People in this society did just that, they behaved as if they were perfectly normal. This does not mean that their bad side did not exist. Instead, they hid their
The importance of Dr. Jekyll keeping up his image of a respectable man, was more important in those times. London, and its society must have been very conscious of class and respectability. A secret of the nature of Dr. Jekyll would have created a scandal
The sophisticatedly-constructed novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was devised in 1886, during the revolutionary Victorian era, by the author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson developed a desire to write in his early life and ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ cemented his reputation. The novel is widely known for its shocking principles that terrified and alarmed the Victorian readers. ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ plays with the idea of the dual nature of man, his two identities. On the surface, Dr Jekyll is a conventional, Victorian gentleman, but below the surface lurks the primitive, satanic-like creature of Mr Edward Hyde. One of the elements that play a significant part in the novel is setting. Stevenson subtly uses the setting to
Just as the emotions between a parent and toddler can change any second from loving to embarrassed and angry, the two main characters in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, struggle through a family-like relationship. Throughout the novel, the relationship between Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde changes from a close, family-like relationship to one of hatred toward the end of the book. Changes in the relationship between Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde can be seen in: observations by Mr. Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s state of mind before and after the murder of Sir Danvers Carew, and Dr. Jekyll’s confession.
In the novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson emphasizes how secrecy is used to protect one’s self-image and ensure no destructive secrets of one’s past become public knowledge. In the book, the plot is constantly driven forward by deceit; Mr. Utterson does not know the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he wants to find out. Secrecy is one of the main themes in the book as it constantly surrounds the character of Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll's personality is serious and never unusual or abnormal, however his true repressed personality is revealed in the form of Mr. Hyde. This suggests that Stevenson is trying to show man’s repressed, inner nature, and how all men have aspects of their being of which they are ashamed and
The respectable doctor's house is at the front and has an "air of wealth". This clearly maintains the affluent reputation Jekyll has, as he is referred to the phrase "wealth". It is believed that in the Victorian Era, people with high reputations and money, gained independence and equality from the rich clients and that made them inexplicably reliable. On the contrary, the setting description of Jekyll's house clearly negotiates his inner charisma as there's a link to the back door of his house which is "blistered and distained". This could clearly epitomise that Jekyll is having a destruction within his body and that he's tenderly "blistered".
Being a purveyor of the law, he is in the position to oversee many "downgoing men" (Stevenson 1) and functions as an inspirational example of the refinement attributed to the upper class of which he is a member. However, Mr. Utterson is troubled when Dr. Jekyll, also a member of the upper class, wills his property to a then-unknown Mr. Hyde. He is "offended ...both as a lawyer and as a lover of the sane and customary sides of life, to whom the fanciful is immodest" (6). Utterson does not, however, pry into the affair until the inheritor is described as monstrous. This further demonstrates his sense of social obligation. Before hearing the story that Mr. Hyde trampled a young girl, Utterson is able to restrain his first impression of Dr. Jekyll's decree; but upon hearing the reputable account, he can no longer ignore his sense of social and moral obligation to make things right. Utterson suspects that blackmail is the reason for the atypical will, and whether for the purpose of legitimizing the monstrous story or having a primary account of Mr. Hyde, he seeks out this character before confronting his client, Dr. Jekyll.
Within the Novella – The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson depicts moments of graphic horror in order to convey the chilling story of duality and the ordeals of Dr Jekyll. The two moments where the theme of horror is particularly prominent are in the Carrew Murder Case and Dr Lanyon’s Narrative, where the character of Mr Hyde succeeds in being the epitome of evil in the reader’s eyes. Stevenson uses descriptive imagery, intense behavior (especially for Victorian circumstances) and the senses, of which I am going to be focusing on sound in order to instill this terror onto the readers. This combination of devices combined with the plot during these moments makes them so frightening and memorably so.
To begin with, Dr. Jekyll is a well-rounded, well-respected man descending from a highly intellectual and respected Christian family of doctors and lawyers. He is nothing short of the ideal Victorian gentleman: tall, polite, honorable and refined, physically portrayed as being “a large well-made man of fifty,” and as having a “large, handsome face” (Stevenson, 19). Opposed to this seemingly impeccable man is none other than Mr. Edward Hyde, a short, hairy, ‘troglodyte’ man with a horrific
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.
In the novel “The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde” there is a theme of good vs evil. Good being Dr. Jekyll and evil Mr Hyde they have the inner fight between themselves, because they are the same person.Robert louis Stevenson uses Diction,imagery,and details to contrast the character of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
In the Victorian Era, one of the most important parts of one’s everyday life was the need to protect his or her reputation. While some abided by the Victorian moral code of conduct, others kept their evil hidden in an attempt to secure their reputation. Because of this, creating excuses for one’s actions were commonplace. As seen in the last chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, titled, “Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case”. In this final chapter, Dr. Henry Jekyll writes a letter to his only good friend left, Mr. John Utterson. Throughout the novella, Mr. Utterson tries to uncover the mystery of Mr. Edward Hyde. Dr. Jekyll, in an attempt to save his reputation, makes excuses for Hyde’s
In the case of Dr. Jekyll in the story, his DID stems from being part of a Victorian society. This society emphasized social value ad reputation so Dr. Jekyll felt pressurized to maintain his
Jekyll and his alter ego, the devious Mr. Hyde, are proof of Stevenson’s obsession with the multiple identities of man. The occurrence of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is as well suited to the nineteenth century England as Brodie William’s tale in the eighteenth century. In 1879, almost exactly a century after Brodie Williams, a similar incidence happened. Charlie Peace, who was a proper violin player, owned many pets, was a regular attendee of his church, and was outspoken with the policies of the Turkish government, was also caught living a double life. He was well admired in his community. Peace was caught stealing from houses, and later confess to murdering two different people, one of them years before. Charlie Peace was also hanged for his crime, and now his violin is a popular display in a museum (“Dr. Jekyll”
In the opening chapters of ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, not only does Stevenson portray Mr. Hyde through his descriptions, but he also creates juxtaposition between Mr. Hyde and his descriptions, making the reader feel confused about the character of Mr. Hyde as is Mr. Utterson during the first few chapters. For example, in ‘The Carew Murder Case’, the interior of Mr. Hyde’s house is described as “... furnished with luxury and good taste.” This shows juxtaposition between Mr. Hyde’s house and himself, as Mr. Hyde would never be described as ‘luxurious’ or a man with ‘good taste’. Also, I think that Stevenson wrote this intending to give the reader a feeling of annoyance towards Mr. Hyde just as Mr. Utterson would be feeling at this point. The fact that Mr. Hyde’s house is being described as ‘luxurious’ makes the reader feel that it’s unjust that someone as horrid as Mr. Hyde could be so easily concealed by the interior of his house to a stranger. Stevenson’s intentions here were to have the reader feel more resent and hate for Mr. Hyde and to, again, show a different form and method of mankind’s dual personality being concealed. There is a saying that keeping your secrets or real thoughts bottled up for too long will only cause agitation and will result in the bottle exploding and leaving nothing but destruction