Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Throughout the story of “The Strange Case Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, the author, Robert Louis Stevenson, presents his idea of the duality of man- where we all have a dark, wicked side within us, where evil is held in waiting to surface, but we hide it away, we pretend it does not exist, and we keep it tame. He presents this idea by using two protagonists, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, who are actually the same person. One of these characters symbolizes the normal side of a person represented by the respectable Dr Jekyll, who is a typical upper class Victorian, and the other, Mr Hyde, a deformed man, signifies the purest of evil. During the course of …show more content…
Hyde begins to appear merely when Jekyll remembers the wicked deeds he committed. His change from these two characters becomes so uncontrollable that at one point in the story he falls asleep as Dr Jekyll, and then wakes up as Mr. Hyde. Eventually he committed suicide as he could no longer control his actions. Stevenson uses many themes throughout this storyline to present good and evil. One of the main beliefs in the Victorian society shown in “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” is physiognomy. We can see this in the story when Stevenson’s describes Mr Hyde as “ugly”,”wicked-looking” and “evil”. We also see this when the innocent, good character in the situation, Sir Danvers Carew, is described as an “aged and beautiful gentleman with white hair”. This shows that Stevenson could have believed in physiognomy or he used it because it was a key part of Victorian society where the good character is beautiful and the evil character is ugly. Another aspect of Victorian society that is shown in the story is hypocrisy. Two examples of this during the novel are when two characters, Richard Enfield and Sir Danvers Carew, are wandering the streets of London in the early hours of the morning. This seems like they were up to something they shouldn’t have been doing. Enfield speaks of the incident when Mr Hyde trampled down the young girl, a figure
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 and Mr. Hyde” is a novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a Scottish author. Written and published 1886, this novella reflects on the individual, and societal behavior during the Victorian era. During the Victorian era people, were supposed to behave like a normal person. Certain behaviors were highly restricted for example, showing evil. Instead, they were expected to give respect for everyone. People who acted out against the norm during this period were usually sent to asylums because such behaviors were unacceptable. People in this society did just that, they behaved as if they were perfectly normal. This does not mean that their bad side did not exist. Instead, they hid their
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'.
to say that Dr Henry Jekyll is very much the best in what he does and
Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil
Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a complex and tricky novel to fully grasp, but the reader can come to understand many parallels to their own lives. Stevenson’s creation has stood the test of time because of its power to astonish; even if one previously new the outcome. This power has made Jekyll and Hyde, a pair that will continue to provoke thought in many readers in generations to
This story is also a way for Stevenson to have a go at hypocroisy and
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 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
The world as we know it is constantly moving and changing; events occur that can affect people’s lives even if they are thousands of miles away. Whether or not these happenings are good or evil can shape one’s mindset and outlook on the actions they take themselves. Both have distinct strengths and weaknesses; however, the real question one must ask is which side of the spectrum is more capable of influencing humanity. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a wealthy and well-respected doctor by the name of Henry Jekyll, who believes that man is not one but two separate people, constructs a potion which unearths his inner evil (Mr. Edward Hyde), and in the end is engulfed by the strength of his malevolent persona.
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
To what extent does the novella The strange case Of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde explore the notion that human nature is comprised both of good and evil, and how does the imagery support this theory? This essay will confront the issue of good and evil, and its usage and theories throughout the book "The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde". The story is based around Mr.Utterson's, a longtime friend of Dr.Jekyll, search for the truth and the connection between Jekyll and Hyde, ending in the realization that they are actually the same person. The story centers around the idea that there is a struggle between people's good and evil sides, it merely depends on which you nurture more. There is also this idea that one side of you will
Everyone loves the classic age-old battle of good vs. evil. Just watching until the very end to find out that good eventually prevails is arguably the most satisfying thing about the rivalry and why filmmakers as well as authors take on the theme so often. However, good vs. evil is also something that human beings simply cannot escape. As long as there is good in the world, there will be evil; also, as long as evil exists, there will be some good to stop it. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, he presents the reader with many different themes throughout. The main theme in Jekyll and Hyde is good vs. evil and the battle between the two. The second theme is repression and how repression affects the characters throughout the novel. Stevenson focuses on the battle between good and evil and the tendency to repress the true self in his classic work in order to emphasize that all people have within themselves these same struggles.