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
“All human beings are commingled out of good and evil.” Robert Louis Stevenson was no fool when it came to understanding the duality of human nature evident within mankind. In his novella, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson is able to explore his interests concerning the dark, hidden desires that all human beings are guilty of possessing. In his story, a well-respected professional by the name of Dr. Jekyll experiments with the idea of contrasting personalities and successfully undergoes a physical separation of such identities—one which would soon wreak havoc upon his very existence. As a result of his success, Edward Hyde is born. Hyde, characterized as a miniscule and terrifying, apelike figure from the start,
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
In the story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde there are a lot of examples where they show the Duality of Man in their characters, showcasing good and evil in everyone. The Duality of Man is when people have a good and an evil side inside of them. Sometimes it can be hidden in plain sight, as shown in the story of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Chapter 2 shows that sometimes people can get a feeling that a person is untrustworthy even if they’ve done nothing in their knowledge. People can pretend that they haven’t done wrong and hide behind their good traits, but usually they can’t keep up the act for long and end up getting figured out for who they really are in the end.
What view of human nature does Stevenson present in the novel The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Question: What view of human nature does Stevenson present in the novel “The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”?
In the Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde can be seen as an analogy the good and evil forces that are present in every individual. Dr. Jekyll (who is a well-respected and educated doctor) secretly creates a potion that enables him to express his vile urges without the sense of remorse. As a result of drinking the potion, he forms into a pale, deformed, and younger individual- Mr. Hyde. As Dr. Jekyll's journey of two identities continues, Dr. Jekyll becomes unable to control his transformation of Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Duality Similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, all people struggle concealing their second nature. Everyone faces the problem of duality because of the need to explore and be someone that they have never been, and to cover up who they really are. People struggle concealing their second nature because of their need to let loose, and be someone that they never could have been in their everyday life. This is shown when Dr Jekyll transforms into Mr. Hyde and says that he “knew himself, at the first breath of this new life, to be wicked…” (Stevenson 64).
R. L. Stevenson has written many memorable novellas and novels. One of the most important from the Victorian Gothic Era would be “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” This novella deals with many themes that intertwine together to form a complex idea of dualism. It has aspects from personality division and the ultimate question of how good and evil can tie into Victorian society’s view of public and private life. Stevenson the personalities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with evil and good aspects as well as the public and private life to demonstrate a clear understanding of dualism.
The main focus of this novella is human nature. It is natural that people have different sides and you must maintain a balance between them. It is natural that everyone has different sides which consist of good and evil which everyone expresses through their day to day life. A person cannot live without a consistent mix of the two. The sides of good and evil are modeled by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The analysis of Stevenson’s depictions of human duality through characterizations of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows his perspective of human nature: “Man is not truly one, but truly two” (Stevenson 54). Dr. Jekyll is not unusual in wanting to maintain his veneer of morality while satisfying his immoral nature. His fundamental flaw, however, is not considering the necessities in maintaining both qualities and preserving his intrinsic humanity. He eventually loses touch with his reputable self and is overcome by his evil counterpart, Edward Hyde. Through the narrative, Stevenson shows that everyone struggles with instinct, reason, and will to transcendence.
"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
In the novella Stevenson draws attention to the idea of a good and bad personality. This dualism that is followed throughout the novella illustrating the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Jekyll says that dualism is a part of“man’s dual nature.” (Page 76). A fraction of this dualism is good and evil.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s archetypal novel, ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ is one which explores the many different aspects of evil in a variety of ways. Stevenson tells the tale of an eminent Victorian doctor – Henry Jekyll – who pushes the boundaries of science in order to separate the darker side of his character – which is innate in all of us – to form a being which he can use to indulge his more immoral pleasures yet, still leaving his reputation untarnished. However, he fails to notice the dire consequences of his actions on himself and those around him, which eventually lead to his demise. Through Stevenson’s characterisation of both Jekyll and Hyde we can explore the duality of man and how we recognise evil within society. Whereas his use of setting and imagery allows the theme of concealment and the hypocritical nature of evil to be explored.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde influence each other, Stevenson focuses on individual’s perspective. By illuminating on individual’s conflict and perspective, it makes reader to sympathize Dr. Jekyll’s dilemma. Because of social status, he can’t be free, but when people recognize Mr. Hyde as Dr. Jekyll, it will influence to his social status. Additionally, Victorian era time period affects to author’s perspective in the book a lot. It is unique for everyone to overcome internal conflicts, and the author portrayed it in extreme method. Stevenson ultimately claims that in reality, everyone has
The dual character combination of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the most well-known in literature and is arguably the most blatant example of duality Stevenson uses to try and get the theme of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde across. The dual personalities Dr. Jekyll possesses are stark examples of the animalistic and civilized sides of man that inherently resides in all men. The virtuous Dr. Jekyll serves as a portrayal of the more rational, human side of man. When Mr. Utterson attends Dr. Jekyll’s dinner party he paints a picture of a quintessential Victorian man when describing Jekyll’s appearance, “well
One of the most vital concepts incorporated into The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the representation and depiction of the duality of mankind. Jekyll works to find a solution which will separate him into his reckless, immoral persona and his respectable, Victorian self. After consumption, this potion causes him to completely transform into a man who is known as Hyde. As Hyde, he can express himself in immoral, evil ways. This not only includes moral and immoral wants but rational and irrational wants. Not only does this transformation enable him to keep his good reputation even while he does horrid, unacceptable things, but it allows him to do things which he most likely would not even