Examples Of Dualism In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Dr Henry Jekyll, the protagonist, is a reputable middle class gentleman born into wealth, with many male friends and a respectable profession. He is described as “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with…every mark of capacity and kindness.” Whereas, Mr Hyde, the antagonist, is first described, he is represented by Enfield as “a little man who was stumping along”. This is when the idea that

Hyde is a very dark and rude character. He provokes fear in all those with whom he associates. In an encounter with Mr. Utterson, Hyde acts coldly towards the lawyer. “Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath. But his fear was only momentary; and though he did not look the lawyer in the face, he answered coolly enough: “That’s my name, what do you want” (9). A reader can infer that by the way Hyde acts in social situations that he is not a likeable man. When describing the incident with the little girl, Enfield states “…for the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see” (2). Mr. Hyde does not show sympathy towards anyone. He is rude to people he encounters and that could cause people to dislike

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jekyll represents good and Hyde represents evil, Jekyll is tall, handsome, kind, and friendly while Hyde is mean, dwarfish, ugly, and devilish this being because Jekyll has been good for so long, his evil is weak and small. Robert Louis Stevenson uses archetypes and word choice to create a dark, mysterious, silent, and empty mood. There are many things we do in the real world that are similar to the things done in the book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, we can look at people and think, “that person looks friendly” or “that person looks doesn't look safe” just like in the book, we can use looks, feelings, and colors in the real world to create an impression of that person. There are many physical descriptions used in the book to describe the characters, Jekyll is described tall, handsome, nice, and friendly while Hyde is described as ugly, short, mean, devilish, and scary. This we can all conclude from the descriptions, colors, and how the character acts in the book, just as we do in real

If Hyde has been described as Hyde "savage, uncivilized, and given to passion…poorly evolved" (Shubh), then perhaps he represents the true, original nature of man, repressed by society, norms, and conscience. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde suggests that this restrained, amoral side of human nature, once given a chance to escape, cannot be controlled. Even in this 'height of western civilization', Victorian England, this tempting evil can overcome even the most virtuous of men. Jekyll is neither good nor bad, but a man whose deeply repressed urges motivated him to separate, but not remove, the evil parts of his nature. There is a misinterpretation that Hyde is an unwanted byproduct of trying to create pure good, that Jekyll is not in control as Hyde, and that Jekyll doesn't enjoy being Hyde. In fact, Jekyll loves being Hyde, he revels in the freedom that he brings him (Stevenson 54), but the problems with his dual personality starts when he has to face the consequences of his actions. Jekyll has a difficult time balancing Hyde's debaucheries and Jekyll's rational, refined side. However, Jekyll realizes too late that he has indulged in Hyde too much and has let him grow out of control. At the beginning of the novel, Hyde was the “smaller, slighter, and younger than Henry Jekyll” (Stevenson 57). His more youthful appearance represents how young and free Jekyll feels as Hyde, but also symbolizes how little his personality was seen before Jekyll drank his potion. Early in the novel, Hyde is easily controlled, Jekyll can use his potion to limit how often he transforms into Hyde (Stevenson 56). However, as he starts to morph back and forth, it starts to take more and more potion to control the switches until

Hyde’s appearance suggests, his behavior is also vicious. One night he tramples over a child’s body leaving her screaming and a sight “hellish to see” (Stevenson 3). Another night he breaks out in rage and beats a man to death with his cane for no apparent reason. As opposed to Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde has no conscience; he feels no remorse in his actions. Mr. Hyde is the embodiment of pure evil, which is why no one could recognize that this man is actually the other half of Dr. Jekyll.

Jekyll seems to be in control of his desires and temptations but as Hyde he can fulfil them and not feel guilty. Stevenson is stating that everybody has evil inside of the, wanting to get out and that everyone gets a thrill of letting it out sometimes.

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

Jekyll talks about the years before the creation of the potion that transforms him into Hyde. He summarises his finding of the dual nature, human beings are half good and half evil. Jekyll’s goal in his experiments is to separate two opposite elements, creating a person with only good characteristics and a being of only evil. He does this because he wants to free his good side from dark urges. He fails this experiment, in fact he only manages to create a whole evil person ‘Mr Hyde’. In the letter, Jekyll says ‘I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man . . . if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.’ The events of the novel inform the reader that the dark side (Hyde) is much stronger than the rest of Jekyll, this is why Hyde is able to take over Jekyll. This letter is really important for the reader so that the whole novel is understood. A lot of horror is created and it is all quiet in the reader's mind. The reader feels horrified by the way in which Jekyll seems to love and care for Hyde. Jekyll’s words make the reader angry that a man who was so good could enjoy becoming so

This shows both good and evil in Henry Jekyll, he is good in the sense that he wouldn’t put his profession to shame yet evil as although it is Edward Hyde who indulges in his pleasures, it is still Dr. Jekyll’s soul who is directing these actions. In the novel, although Dr. Jekyll does represent good he is not to represent only good but also evil.

“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,

and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil” (Stevenson, pg.77). But this is a false statement; it actually proves Dr. Jekyll to be the evil one. Because it was through his experiment that Mr. Hyde and the evil in him came forward in Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll could have controlled Mr. Hyde’s actions and turned them into good, but he was too consumed with the scientific experiment. The

Though Jekyll is fully responsible for his behavior and actions, Hyde is not. While Jekyll has the option to do good or evil, Hyde is completely focused on evil as this was the intent of the transformation. The fact that Jekyll chose to create a potion to bring forth Hyde rather than bringing forth someone who was concentrated on pure good shows that Even a respectable man such as Jekyll had unconscious urges to do bad. “If he had “approached [his] discovery in a more noble spirit,” willing the good to overpower the evil, he would have “come forth an angel instead of a fiend”. Hyde on the other hand has no choice other than to do evil, and therefore it is arguable whether he should really be blamed for his actions.

First, it is obvious that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an example of duality in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, the two characters are introduced as two different people. Dr. Jekyll is handsome and “good” in the eyes of society, and Hyde is ugly and “evil” through society’s eyes. Stevenson describes Dr. Jekyll as “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty” (19), and Mr. Hyde as “pale, dwarfish” (17) and not human like. The description of these characters is showing us the two sides of one man. Stevenson is trying to tell us that everybody has a good and evil side, and they also have a curiosity about their darker side. He believed that people know they have a bad side, but they refuse to accept the truth, as the ‘dark side’ is so unpleasant. The duality of good and evil associates with the modern-day reader because we see that an individual, even

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

Hyde. In this way, Jekyll becomes monstrous himself as he wishes to pass on his evil parts into another person. Jekyll’s concoction is a threat to cultural morals and values as it enables someone to set evil free. Consequently, there is no obligation and interest in adhering to any moral standards. In the end, he is a split person, one-half is represented by Jekyll and the other one by Hyde. Stevenson used the different standpoints in the story to create the feeling that Jekyll and Hyde are two different individuals: “‘The Master Hyde, if he were studied,’ thought he [Utterson],’must have secrets of his own; black secrets, by the look of him; secrets compared to which poor Jekyll’s worst would be like sunshine.” (Stevenson 22). Thus, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story where the line blurs. As Hyde and Jekyll are one and the same person, the reader realises that they together are both moral and immoral and both good and