Duality In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Discuss Stevenson’s presentation of duality in ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’.

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson discusses the duality of human nature. Human nature is difficult to explore because it is ambiguous and difficult to describe by one attribute. We could not make conclusions by what we see because all humans conceal their false identities from others. people do this in order to impress people by making fake smiles, fake mannerisms, and pretend to care about others. The following is a discussion of characters, which Stevenson uses to support duality of human nature. This parts will includes Mr. Utterson's, Dr. Lanyon's, and Mr. Enfield's evil side of human nature, and psychogeography on Jekyll's house. Moreover, Dr. Jekyll was not capable to control his evil side because

From the beginning of time, humans have questioned the validity of intrinsic duality of man. Are humans born with both pure goodness and pure evilness or is the latter cultivated? In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one man, a scientist named Henry Jekyll, concludes that all men are both good and evil, so he decided to separate the two natures within one body. The outcome of his experiment resulted in the formation of a somewhat different product than he had imagined a creature by the name of Edward Hyde. Although Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the souls of one body, there are differences and similarities in their appearance and personality that illustrate the natural duality of good and evil within a man.

In the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson provides insight into the inner workings of the duality that exists within humans. Dr. Jekyll is a well-respected doctor in his community while his differing personality Mr. Hyde is hideous and considered by the public as evil based on appearance. As the novel progresses Dr. Lanyon begins to investigate Mr. Hyde, he begins to realize similarities between both Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll such as their handwriting which results in the discovery that they are the same person. Dr. Jekyll is able to transform himself into Mr. Hyde by drinking a serum he has created which was intended to purify his good. Stevenson stresses the duality of good and evil that exists

The key ideas in chapter 1 of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr

Utterson, Lanyon, Enfield, Jekyll... one of these does not belong. Clearly, within the context of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Henry Jekyll struggles to fit himself into the strict Victorian society. In the events leading to his demise, he longs to separate his firm, polished face from his true inner self; from here, Stevenson paints this juxtaposition with the use of several point-of-view techniques. When Utterson, the protagonist, “[stands] a while when Mr. Hyde had left him... putting his hand to his brow like a man in mental perplexity” (Stevenson 19), he clearly becomes the literal center of attention for the story’s opinions and perspectives. Rather than giving an omniscient style to the novel, Stevenson provides an external viewpoint in order to engage his audience. The use of point-of-view techniques in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reinforces the audience’s reaction to the story’s moral dilemma.

Within the same passage, Jekyll remarks that he became “conscious of a heady recklessness” and felt “more wicked, tenfold more wicked” (54). These subtle descriptions appear to be somewhat hidden as Dr. Jekyll’s euphoria overwhelming fills the page and, as a result, may fool the reader into believing that succumbing to certain desires is simply natural. However, Stevenson wittingly choses to add minute details to demonstrate that Jekyll is gradually, yet unknowingly, losing his “better half.” Through his joy, the author is able to reflect how humans can be unaware of the monstrous actions they are partaking in, bringing a sense of unease to the reader. By welcoming this monster, Stevenson is able to convey the notion that humans all have wicked desires hidden within. The moment one unleashes such desires out is the moment one loses their humanity.

Dr. Jekyll, the protagonist in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is the ultimate embodiment of the standards of morality by which the upper class Victorians claimed to abide. In the novella, Dr. Jekyll is a righteous, upstanding member of the elitist

Although Jekyll was initially in control and had all the means to stop turning into Hyde, Jekyll portrays himself as Hyde’s victim. By victimizing

The narrative, ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson is about a scientist who creates a drug that allows him to switch between two different beings. Stevenson's descriptions of London during the day and night and his use of pathetic fallacies, help create a tense atmosphere. As the plot progresses, we notice that Stevenson's descriptions become darker, as evil is taking over. He describes London during the day at a lighter judgement, and Dr. Jekyll’s purity is being represented by the atmosphere at the start of the novel. On the contrary, the shadows and casting fog represent Hyde and the evil that emanates within him.

the desire to do what he wanted, to go against the rigid rules of the

Duality is the ghost of man. It haunts man in unperceivable matters such as the right and left brain (Melina par 1). Although duality may not make complete monsters out of humans, as seen in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, which is the first science fiction work (Stableford par 7), it can still summon unimaginable evils from within us all. This is especially seen in the Gothic and fictitious novella known as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” This book contrast his previous works such as Treasure Island, an adventure tale (Robert Louis Stevenson par 9); however, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is also an adventure tale in its own right.

In Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the duality of human nature is portrayed through the contrasting personality traits of its double-minded character Henry Jekyll. During Dr. Jekyll’s confession near the end of the novella, the audience is introduced to the undeniably powerful temptation that Henry Jekyll must face in order to remain himself and not transform into his evil counterpart, Mr. Hyde (Stevenson 55). Dr. Jekyll states, when having to choose between his two alternate personas, that he “preferred the elderly and discontented doctor” as opposed to Mr. Hyde (Stevenson 54) However, after staying true to his resolution for two whole months, the mighty temptation grew to more than that of which he could

The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde was a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886. Romeo and Juliet was written by the great William Shakespeare, and is considered a piece of classic literature! So how are these two connected people may ask. The answer is duality. Duality is the dual state of man, both of these pieces of literature show duality, but they also contrast in some ways, but we’ll focus on the similarities.

Stevenson’s novel 'Jekyll and Hyde' contains many prominent themes, such as the duality of man, secrecy, and evil. In addition to this, there also some other themes, which are perhaps not as prominent as the others, such as conformity and social influence. Psychology is defined as the scientific study of the human mind, its functions and behaviour, so it doesn’t surprise me that we can find so many links between the novel and psychological knowledge. Solomon Asch was a researcher who was interested in the power of conformity, and in the early 1950's, conducted an experiment. Volunteers were told that they were taking part in a study of visual perception.