In Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ Stevenson presents to his readers a thrilling incident that illustrates the dangers of refusing to accept propriety. Stevenson successfully adapts a novel about adults into a murder mystery that challenges the reader to consider the ambiguity of human nature. The theory that an individual’s character is composed of two parts, a reasonable self and evil ‘twin’, which are constantly at war. Sharing one body and one brain, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde do not separate but undertake a change in form in which Jekyll is replaced by Hyde. Jekyll and Hyde present opposite views of reality. Dr. Jekyll’s has shown the reader he suffers from a personality disorder. He uses Mr. Hyde to portray his …show more content…
Hyde is gradually becoming someone who is a selfish, cruel creature who is consumed with the hatred of Jekyll. Meanwhile, Jekyll continues his separation from Hyde. He considers the option of ending Hyde altogether, accelerates his performance and refuses to accept Hyde as a part of him. Hyde is furious at Jekyll’s treatment and he becomes increasingly evil. He assumes control at will, and Jekyll, failing to understand that what he had attempted was impractical, continues to believe that the experiment could succeed if he could only obtain the right combination for the potion. In desperation, Hyde commits suicide, thus destroying both men. To strengthen his theme of propriety, Stevenson layers contrasts within the various points of view that form the narrative. The friendship of Enfield, the first narrator, and Utterson who is curious, because they are almost polar opposites. Although both regard Hyde himself with disgust, the mystery of Hyde’s identity provides a mere sketch for Enfield, while Utterson finds it very troubling. For Dr. Lanyon, who is more closely connected with Jekyll, the understanding of Jekyll and Hyde is fatal. Throughout the novel the reader finds various points of view, Stevenson highlights information that deepens the insight into the psychology of Jekyll. The characters in the novel continuously react with shock and …show more content…
People with multiple personalities usually have a variety of symptoms that can be confused with other common disorders. In order for doctors to say that a person has multiple personality disorder, they must see two or more different identities. Each personality also must become the dominant personality for a period of time. In some cases, doctors may talk to the patient for long periods or ask the patient to keep a journal between visits, in hopes of learning more about the different personalities. In Dr. Jekyll’s lab he creates a chemical potion that was intended to finish the separation of his personality and drinks it. After a “grinding of the bones” and a horrible nausea, he begins to feel “incredibly sweet” and free. Looking in the mirror, Jekyll observes not himself but Edward Hyde, a smaller and younger person than himself. Jekyll delights in the division of himself and in his new liberty. The acceptance of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has helped the spread of a determined view that it is a simple story of the division between good and evil that occurs in all human
Stevenson writes ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ with the intention of showing the reader the duality of man and explores this through the juxtaposition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this novella, Stevenson also uses the environment and setting of the story to represent the contrast between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll is benevolent and pleasant in his social interactions. He attempts to cover up his darker self by creating a courteous public persona. Everyone has a different persona when they are outside in the eyes of the public and when they are inside. Through Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll reveals his destructive side. Transforming into Mr. Hyde gives Dr. Jekyll a freedom to act and behave without caring about the public’s opinion or about the consequences of his actions. Dr. Jekyll is captured and locked up deep inside, he appears reasonably appropriate on the exterior but his inner reflections drives him towards immorality. As Dr. Jekyll privately turns into Mr. Hyde, not only is his appearance transformed, but also his behavior. This can be a similar caparison on people in today’s society. People with high status or popularity are always being watched with every move they make. If they make one small mistake, then that will look bad on
“It was for one minute that I saw him, but the hair stood upon my head like quills. Sir, if that was my master, why had he a mask upon his face?” (Stevenson 84 ). In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Mr. Utterson realizes that Dr. Jekyll has been acting strange and locking himself up in his laboratory. When Mr. Utterson meets Mr. Hyde for the first time he is weary of him. Mr. Hyde does many questionable things, such as killing a man and attacking a child. This leads Dr. Jekyll to write a note about his duality of human nature theory and how Mr. Hyde came about. In the letter he described how this theory had been his life’s work and that just by simply drinking a potion that he had compounded he became, the evil, Mr. Hyde. After writing this note Dr. Jekyll kills himself because he cannot stand to be Mr. Hyde any longer. Dr. Jekyll is in denial, he experimented with the potion, and because he is addicted to becoming Mr. Hyde, all of this makes Dr. Jekyll comparable to a drug addict of today.
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
Utterson saw Jekyll since they were good friends he saw that this person in front of him was not his good friend. Dr.jekyll the good the kind and Hyde is turning him into a dark, and evil person. All these things that are happening to Jekyll is making his body sick, deadly looking. “This master Hyde, if he were studied though he , must have secrets of his own:black secrets, by the look of him; secrets compared to which poor Jekylls worst would be like sunshine.” (18 Stevenson) This quote shows that Dr.jekyll is good,compared to Hyde he is good. Even Dr.Jekyll’s Darkest deepest secrets compared to Hyde’s secrets Jekyll’s look like sunshine, and cant even compare to Hyde’s secrets. “Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr.Jekyll.”(31 Stevenson)This Quote shows that Mr. Hyde is evil. Hyde’s evil influence on Dr.jekyll who was a good man and Mr.Hyde was turning him into something evil. With his evil influence gone Dr.Jekyll can be himself; a good man.”It turns me to think of this creature stealing like a thief to harry’s bedside; poor harry what a wakening!” (18 Stevenson)This quote shows that everyone had a bad feeling about Mr.Hyde, Utterson knew that Hyde was bad, and evil. Utterson hated to see his oldest friend Dr.jekyll get his life ruined by a a thief and and
On the other hand, the interaction between the immorality and integrity of Jekyll is characterized by his repeated expression of temptation and his inability to resist, ultimately resulting in the death of his persona. Similar to how the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” gains a new identity, Jekyll’s persona is gradually replaced by the evil persona of Hyde. Some psychoanalytic critics “see Jekyll and Hyde not as equal personalities, but Hyde as a suppressed version of Jekyll, undercutting Jekyll's idea that separation of the two personalities may be achieved” (Brackett). At the outset, the relationship between Jekyll’s immorality and integrity is lopsided in favor of the latter, but as Hyde commits worser crimes, Jekyll’s spirit deteriorates.
This novel can be interpreted in many different ways; from the duality of human nature to the loss of control of many things, such as loss of judgment and moral control which plays a huge role in this novel. Dr. Jekyll has the power to have two personalities because of this concoction, and he is fully capable of control his evil side but I don’t believe he wants to completely at first. Yes there is a clear difference between the two characters Dr. Jekyll obviously has a better demeanor and doesn’t commit horrid acts when he is playing this person; however, they are one person. (NCBI) This novel is interesting in the fact the main character transformation is clearly depicted Dr. Jekyll is described as this tall handsome, middle-aged, successful man while Mr. Hyde is described as short, fat, angry man who no one liked. Jekyll and Hyde communicate by writing letters or notes to one another which helps predict what is going to happen next when the next
In the story of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886), the character Dr Henry Jekyll develops an alter ego called Mr Edward Hyde while trying to separate the two consciences he believes everyone has inside of them. This Mr Hyde ego is the evil half of Dr Jekyll and performs horrendous acts like murder feeling no guilt, but when Dr Jekyll regains control of the body they share he is overcome with regret. This wonder about multiple consciences was popular at the time of the story’s writing with double personality being “one of the most widely discussed clinical disorders” (Armstrong 189). This essay will discuss the ‘reverse transformation’ found in the novel and how
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll desires to relive his past events that are considered unfit of society, creating Mr. Hyde to do so without getting caught and losing his high reputation. Dr. Jekyll allows his evil side develop as “his temptation of a discovery so singular and profound, at last overcame the suggestions of alarm” (44). Dr. Jekyll lets his curiosity take over his moral judgments by creating a potion that allows him to switch bodies from himself to Mr. Hyde. The emphasis on his temptations being his only and most important ambition gives him reason to create another persona to satisfy his desires. Consequently though, Jekyll acknowledges that “a current of disordered sensual images running like a mill-race in my fancy, a solution of the bonds of obligation, an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul” will be the cost of breaking the rules of society (44). His decision alludes to chaos through the imagery of disorder when being free from responsibilities, but he sees the disorder as something positive and enjoyable. For him, it may be a way to get out of his
Hyde and Dr. Jekyll's experiments with separating evil impulses from his psyche and personality so that he might fully indulge in those impulses without ill effect to his profession or reputation.Dr, Jekyll’s good nature is left to continue to shine in the community unimpeded and unthreatened by secret vice. “He began to go wrong, wrong in mind; and though of course I continue to take an interest in him for old sake's sake, as they say, I see and I have seen devilish little of the man. Such unscientific balderdash…..." Dr. Lanyon says as he and Mr. Utterson discuss the weakening friendship between the two. This separated evil persona took on a physical manifestation very different from Jekyll's own appearance. "There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable, I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify the point.”."Enfield, describing Mr. Hyde to Utterson as he is telling the story of the door, In this evil persona, Mr. Hyde stomping upon the fallen body of a girl whom he had collided with in a bystreet, and then left her there, screaming, lying on the street to die. Showing no remorse, only fear of discovery and punishment, he went on from there to commit more and worse acts of evil. His final act of evil being the brutal causeless murder of a high ranking dignitary for
the case of Dr. Jekyll, he is using his divided self to "Hyde". Jekyll is able to “Hyde” his forbidden pleasures like killing or sexual desires from the public because he created his own dark side. This dark
A regarded specialist and companion of both Lanyon, a kindred doctor, and Utterson, a legal counselor. Jekyll is an apparently prosperous man, entrenched in the group, and known for his conventionality and magnanimous works. Since his childhood, on the other hand, he has subtly occupied with unspecified debauched and degenerate conduct. Jekyll discovers this dull side a weight and attempts examinations expected to partitioned his great and shrewdness selves from each other. Through these investigations, he brings Mr. Hyde into being, figuring out how to change himself in a manner that he completely turns into his darker
A noteworthy theme of “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is the natural duality of human beings. Dr. Jekyll is in a constant struggle to conceal Mr. Hyde from the world because he considers him to be indecent and capable of evil. Throughout the novella we are lead to believe that Mr. Hyde is some sort of deranged killer who has fled London after murdering a man. It isn’t until the final chapter that the reader learns from a note from Dr. Jekyll that Mr. Hyde is a persona of Jekyll. Jekyll claims that he allowed himself to become Hyde when he felt unacceptable impulses. This allowed him to act, free of morals, and later return to being the respectable Dr. Jekyll. This arrangement didn’t hurt his reputation, and satisfied his darker half. Therefore, he would drink a self-created potion to become Hyde whenever he wanted to. Dr. Jekyll clearly had two personalities that were battling to be dominant. The theme of human duality is represented in the upstanding, well liked
his mystical portrait. Dorian Grey’s portrait prevents him from suffering the mortal consequences for his deeds, including the natural process of aging. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde there is not only two identities, but two individual persons. These individuals are aware of one another’s existence, and set out to protect one another. This scenario does not last long. Jekyll seeks to separate the good and evil within himself, and believes he has ejected the evil completely from himself. Dr Jekyll can prosper without the burden of shame, while Mr. Hyde can go about himself, fulfilling his desires without restrictions. As the story develops Jekyll’s conscious becomes “slumbered” (Stevenson 53), while Hyde grows in stature, and malice.
Every person has different personalities locked away from others within themselves.the identities come forth at different times during certain situations. The influences or the causes of these identities may come from friends, family, or the society. In Stevenson’s nineteenth century novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, he wrote a fictional story describing split personalities of a Doctor. These characters represented the battle a person faces everyday; however, the evil side becomes dominant at times. The characters within the story described Doctor Jekyll and his alter ego as separate people. Along with these descriptions, Stevenson included the appearances of the buildings which reflected the dweller. All of this will prove that Doctor Jekyll’s other persona is a satanic character.