Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr....

Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Throughout the story of â€Å"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 â€Å"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 â€Å"ugly†,†wicked-looking† and â€Å"evil†. We also see this when the innocent, good character in the situation, Sir Danvers Carew, is described as an â€Å"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 figureShow MoreRelatedIdeas Of Good And Evil Follow From The Earliest Of Days.847 Words   |  4 PagesIdeas of good and evil follow from the earliest of days. Robert Louis Stevenson’s parents lived devout in their Christianity, but Stevenson did not follow their ideas. G.B. Stern suggests that â€Å"Although he had rejected the Calvinist doctrines his parents taught him, the focus of the interplay of good and evil continued to influence his imagination† (Stern). Stevenson forced his parents away, but their ideas stayed in his thoughts and even affected The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. His pastRead More Robert Stevenson Essay1629 Words   |  7 Pages Robert Louis Stevenson began writing during the Victorian era. His style was unlike anyone elseamp;#8217;s and his stories are still popular today. Robert Louis Stevenson was an author of many classic novels and his literary success became popular when he wrote the mystery called The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1886 at the young age of thirty-six. He was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. HisRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Where Dr. Jekyll 1163 Words   |  5 Pages(Aronson 2) Being from Edinburgh, Stevenson was surrounded with the well-known tales of the past and a history of duality in his hometown. Deacon Brodie and Dr. Knox were both from Edinburgh and both lived â€Å"double-lives†, this undoubtedly had a major impact upon Stevenson’s imagination and later his writings. (Stefan 5) â€Å"While growing up Stevenson had a friend and the son of Sir James Simpson, the developer of medical anesthesia, the two friends would â€Å"experiment† with chloroform, for the enjoymentRead MoreHow Good and Evil Are Portrayed in the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ( Not Finished Completely)852 Words   |  4 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 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. In the novel good is portrayed by Henry Jekyll and Gabriel Utterson. Mr. Utterson is a London lawyer and anRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1675 Words   |  7 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,† is a type of Gothic literature. In the beginning of the story when Stevenson is describing the lawyer, one â€Å"Mr. Utterson,† the mood is a bit dull. At first glance the reader may think that this story would be a bit boring and drab. Stevenson’s story is far from being another dull piece of British English literature. The setting and mood of this novella are more complexRead MoreStevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature 778 Words   |  3 Pagesfound at the heart of many Victorian works. The theme of the duality of man can be found in the works of two famous English authors, Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad. Stevenson and Conrad both incorporate the theme of the duality of human nature within their own novellas. Stevenson employs this theme throughout his novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and similarly Conrad employs this theme throug hout his novella Heart of Darkness. In both novellas the theme is found in the literaryRead More The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay514 Words   |  3 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Jekyll and Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson during the Victorian era. This is significant because during this period, society is very different from today’s society. When looking at this novella it is also important to consider the ideas of good and evil in the characters of Jekyll and Hyde. During the Victorian era men were more powerful and the women had a lower ranking. The belief of society were such that people were covered completelyRead MoreHuman Nature: The Double Character of Dr. Jekyll Essay1696 Words   |  7 Pagessort of evil. Sinning is common on a daily basis. Kids lean towards destruction. Countless people have the urge to gamble at casinos. Human beings are lustful creatures and have sexual notions constantly in their minds. Evil is not something that can be avoided. For those who appear perfect, their evil is well hidden. Thus, ...humanity is...synonymous with the struggle of good and evil (Abbey, et al. 328). Robert Louis Stevensons The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde centers onRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1326 Words   |  6 Pageswriters began resisting this sense of order and questioning accepted roles and beliefs. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published during the late Victorian era, but he clearly brings into question the acceptance of Victorian philosophies, especially the belie f that one truth exists and that we can identify good and evil as separate entities. The names Jekyll and Hyde have become synonymous with multiple personality disorder. This novel can be examinedRead MoreThe Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1052 Words   |  5 Pagescriticized in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Apart from being an exceptional Gothic work, Stevenson’s novella is an excellent critique of the hypocrisy that dominated the Victorian era. In his novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to expose the double standards and moral pretensions that governed Victorian society. Dr. Jekyll, the protagonist in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr