Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Duality Of Man

Ashlyn Dsouza Mrs. Moore English II 26 March 2024 Duality of Man Different authors can discuss a common theme in their own, unique way. In the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, a lawyer named Mr. Utterson is investigating a peculiar case involving a mysterious man named Mr. Hyde. On the other hand, in the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, a painter named Basil becomes enamored with teenage Dorian Gray and seeks him out to develop a relationship with him. In Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the authors argue that the duality of man can be revealed by stressful situations because people unravel under precarious

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson explores the concept of duality in a more literal sense, with Jekyll and Hyde acting as foils for each other. In chapter four, Mr. Utterson hears about a case concerning a man who suddenly “ broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot” on a young child, leaving her crying. While this may seem like a sudden switch in demeanor for no reason, it is said that Hyde felt impatient right before the act. This demonstrates how a stressful situation caused him impatience and led him to immediately stomp on the little girl, a show of his duality in a matter of a few moments. Later on, in chapter seven, Mr. Utterson and Enfield are going on a walk when they visit Dr. Jekyll, who is staring out a window. When Dr. Jekyll spots the two, he tells them that he’s “‘very low,’” which indicates that he is in a stressful situation. A few moments later, Jekyll starts turning into Hyde and runs off, demonstrating how his duality was revealed under the stress that caused him to feel low. In an article titled “The strangely mobile Mr. Hyde,” Theresa Adams discusses how Hyde’s quality of life could also be a major factor in his quality of

In chapter two, Basil reveals his painting to Dorian, and Dorian becomes completely awed by it, so much so that he wishes the painting would “grow old.” This wish is what started Dorian’s journey of revealing his duality to the public because as he became more stressed, the painting grew older. The stress of navigating through his life while conforming to the secrecy of Victorian society forced his painting to deform, a situation similar to Hyde stressing over his living situation and causing his duality to become more apparent. In chapter eighteen, Lord Henry and his friends are at a shooting range when one of them accidentally shoots another man. Lord Henry, who is usually an upbeat man, calmly suggests for Dorian and his friends to “go home.” This immediate switch from a man enjoying a day at the shooting range to a solemn figure who has just witnessed a murder shows how the stress from the death caused Lord Henry to snap into his private self, a calm and timid man, like Jekyll’s sudden switch to