The archetypal theme that good and evil exist in all humans, and we live our lives struggling with these two forces is represented in the novella The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. While all humans have both good and evil living inside of them, some can handle and cope with both parts, while others show one side of them too much. The characters in Stevenson’s novella cope with their good and evil in different ways. Dr. Jekyll uses his power of knowledge to extract the evil out of him and put it into a whole different person to represent the evil side of himself and becomes Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson, tends to release his good side more than the evil, trapping it inside of himself. Mr. Hyde himself only seems
Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Concept of Evil in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Stevenson The substance of the Bible and Greek myths - the premise of the evil that is in man - sometimes lurking deep in the psyche, sometimes controlling and consuming like a wild beast, is explored in Robert Louis Stevenson's (1850-94) short Victorian novel of 1886. Rarely does the mere title of a novel have the myth-making depth to grip the imagination and ensure its place in our language for generations to come. Today everyone knows what is meant by a 'Jekyll and Hyde character'. A handful of other novels with this quality perhaps come to mind; including 'Frankenstein'.
Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil
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.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, good vs. evil is the biggest theme. This story is seen as a metaphor about the good and evil in everyone, and the struggle of the two sides in everyone’s personality. Since Hyde starts to take over, I could argue that evil is stronger than good. But, Mr. Hyde ends up dying in the end of the story, so I could claim that the good of someone can overcome the evil in you. Overall, Stevenson is trying to communicate with the reader about the balance of good and evil in humans, also that your balance of good and evil has different results/effects in your life.
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
“All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone, in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.” (Stevenson 45)
In the novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ Robert Louis Stevenson explores humankinds conflicting forces of Good and Evil. Through the central characters and the key theme of the duplicity of mankind Robert Louis Stevenson successfully portrays the theme of Good and Evil in the novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Questioned for years has been the idea that man is born evil.. It has also been brought up in discussions about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Was Hyde evil because of the potion or was his other persona, Jekyll, evil from birth and that came out through Hyde? This argument will never go away, but the answer is out there. Evil strengthens over time but it is within everyone as soon as they take their first breath of life.
The fight between good and evil has been a topic discussed and argued time after time. It is believed we have both good and bad in us, in a quote from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the character Sirius Black said, “We’ve got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” Mankind has been trying to make better with their actions, stay to the light side, to be good. An example of this is the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has inspired many other stories; people use it as a comparison as well. Courtney Davidson is just one of many. She and Dr. Jekyll may not have much in common, however, they would both agree on the quote, previously stated,
“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 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
This essay will focus on how Robert Louis Stevenson presents the nature of evil through his novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Using ideas such as duality, the technique used to highlight the two different sides of a character or scene, allegories, an extended metaphor which has an underlying moral significance, and hypocrisy; in this book the Victorians being against all things evil but regularly taking part in frown able deeds that would not be approved of in a ‘respectable’ society. This links in with the idea of secrecy among people and also that evil is present in everyone. The novel also has strong ties and is heavily influenced by religion. Stevenson, being brought up following strong
In this novel Stevenson's characters, Jekyll and Hyde, are stereotypes of people who are 'good' and 'evil'. The good is the friendly doctor (the caring profession) and the evil is the hunched, ugly murderer. These two stereotypes combine to create the average man who has the capacity to be both 'good' and 'evil', and they have both 'good' and 'evil' thoughts and emotions. All people
“The battle between good and evil runs through the heart of everyman” –Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Robert Louis Stevenson was “well known for his dark and sinister tales” he wrote during his lifetime (Torrey, 3). Robert encountered a lot through his life such as drugs. Through his short lifespan, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote novels, short stories, poems and various more. The novel and the two short stories illustrated the aspects of good and evil. In the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and two short stories “Markheim”, and “Will O’ the Mill” good and evil are both evident. The characters in the stories by Robert Louis Stevenson demonstrated their characteristics of good and evil throughout their destructive actions.