Stevenson's Use of Technique to Present Character and Atmosphere in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

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.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a classic mystery story, enticing to all audiences merely upon it’s suspense alone. When Stevenson first wrote the story (after recalling a dream he had) he had only the intentions of writing such an entertaining tale. Yet at the suggestion of his wife, he decided to revamp the mystery to comment on the dual nature of man and of society in general.

In this essay I am going to look at Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll, the first

with him again. Also in the later Dr Jekyll wrote that he was going on

The sophisticatedly-constructed novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was devised in 1886, during the revolutionary Victorian era, by the author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson developed a desire to write in his early life and ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ cemented his reputation. The novel is widely known for its shocking principles that terrified and alarmed the Victorian readers. ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ plays with the idea of the dual nature of man, his two identities. On the surface, Dr Jekyll is a conventional, Victorian gentleman, but below the surface lurks the primitive, satanic-like creature of Mr Edward Hyde. One of the elements that play a significant part in the novel is setting. Stevenson subtly uses the setting to

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

As the cities in the nineteenth century grew and expanded, more and more people moved from the countryside to said cities. With an increase in the size and population of the city a individual 's anonymity increased as well. Both the Paris Morgue and the novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Lewis Stevenson portray the anonymity of modern city life. While middle class men often appreciated the anonymity of the city, because it allowed them to escape social class restrictions, they also feared some of the negative implications. The working class, on the other hand, might have enjoyed the new found entertainment options, however they also had to fear being victims of crime and ending as nameless corpses. Women, both from the middle class and working class, experienced more freedom through the entertainment and leisure time options available due to the anonymous character of the city.

talked a lot to Stevenson about her views on what Hell is like and how

In Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the two main characters, Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde are depicted as contrasting and opposing in personality. In the opening chapters of the novella, Mr. Hyde is portrayed as the epitome of evil, while Henry Jekyll is seen to be genial and kind. Throughout the novella, each character develops and changes; Hyde is perceived to become more evil, while Jekyll to become weaker, distancing himself from his once close friends. In the final chapter of the novella, Jekyll’s personal testimony, when Dr. Jekyll is on his deathbed, he reveals his connection to Mr. Hyde. As the characters change throughout the novella, Stevenson slowly reveals their personalities to the unsuspecting Victorian reader.

	Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has evolved into one of the most acclaimed pieces of literature in modern American society. One aspect of a continual spark of interest with the novel is motion pictures. Various directors through the years have interpreted the book through their own eyes and the following is a depiction of that. One might question Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’s overwhelming success. Theme restaurants, Broadway shows and movies all have indicated a public interest in the classic. Americans especially have been fascinated with Stevenson’s portrayal of the split personality Dr. Jekyll whom many can relate too.

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

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson captured the readers of the Victorian era, and continues to awe in the modern age. Vladimir Nabokov, writer of “A Phenomenon of Style,” creatively interprets Stevenson’s famed work in a new light; one focused on the secrets of Jekyll, Hyde’s importance to the plot, and the method to Stevenson’s madness. Another exegesis of this novella is that it is a story depicting Jung’s philosophy, the shadow. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’s owes much of its immense success to its ability to be interpreted and analyzed in such various ways. Nabokov offers an eccentric opinion and fresh thoughts on Stevenson’s story.

that there is a "beast" in very man and he is determined to create his

he plays at being Hyde the more he is cut off from their good worth.

This book was written at a time of change in the world of fiction as a