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Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Dualism Essay

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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson emphasizes on the omnipresence of dualistic attitudes in the average men on a daily basis. Dualism is defined by the dictionary as the division of an item into two contrasted aspects. Throughout the novel, Stevenson elaborates on this duality of human nature by creating a character named Jekyll, a very successful and known doctor, who has a physical and metamorphic alter-ego whom he calls Mr. Hyde. In this novel: duality in the human nature, morality versus immorality, and right from wrong are aspects which are emphasized and implied on to demonstrate the overall human nature according to a Victorian perspective. Dr. Henry Jekyll is a chemist who is well-known in his town as a respectful and respected doctor. Although his life seemed to many as …show more content…

Hyde as a character whom cannot be recognized and whom no one knows the true identity of. In the chapter entitled “Search for Mr. Hyde”, Utterson encounters Mr. Hyde as he was entering the house of Dr. Jekyll. The first real description of Mr. Hyde goes as followed: “Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice.(The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 11&12)”. The mystery of Mr. Hyde’s identity is repeated several times throughout the novel to show the importance of the unknown.According to the Freudian theory, the reason behind the mysterious creation of Mr. Hyde is related to the id of Dr. Jekyll. The id refers to the urges associated to the subconscious of an individual. In the case of Dr. Jekyll, his urge is to take place in evil deeds without being judged and also without being persecuted as the important character of his social background in the

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