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Duality In Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde By Robert Louis Stevenson

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The theme of duality in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" suggests that all humans have both good and evil within them, and that attempting to completely suppress one's dark side can have dangerous consequences. In Robert Louis Stevenson's Gothic novella "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," the author explores the theme of duality by using the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to represent the two sides of human nature. Through the characters' struggles and the consequences of their actions, the novel suggests that all humans have both good and evil within them, and that failing to acknowledge and balance these two sides can lead to destruction and chaos. In "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," the author uses various details to support the theme of duality and …show more content…

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde explores the duality of human nature, highlighting the idea that every individual has both a good and an evil side. This theme statement is relevant because it reminds us that we are not one-dimensional beings, and that we have the capacity for both positive and negative actions. It also emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and accepting both sides of ourselves to achieve a sense of balance and inner peace. I personally connect to this statement, as I have witnessed as well as experienced myself the multi-dimensions a person has. For example, during my stay at the psychiatric ward, there was this one girl, who was extremely intelligent and a very kind and empathetic person once you got to know her. However, occasionally she would experience these out of nowhere outbursts that were very extreme. She would throw chairs and yell at innocent people, for simply losing a board game. I do not believe she was a bad person in any way, she simply had a side to her that wasn’t purely good, just as every other person. This goes to say that humans are capable of experiencing and showing more than good vs evil. The theme statement of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which explores the duality of human nature, matters because it is a universal concept that applies to both the film and real life. In the film, the theme matters because it drives the plot and character development, highlighting the consequences of suppressing one's darker side. For

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In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , the dualities reflected of the Victorian times. Where people lived a double-life because the norms society set for honourable individuals to comply with were to high for people to come after . Double standards created along of this and fuelled the deception of the middle-class . As society allowed , they lived superficially respectable , moral lives . Alternatively , at night , when doors was closed , that was when people started showing who they really were , showing their dark and desires from the deepest part of their mind .

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Duality in "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde": In Stevenson's novella, the theme of duality is prevalent through the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll represents the respectable, socially acceptable side of human nature, while Mr. Hyde embodies the dark, repressed desires lurking within individuals. The duality between these two characters serves as a metaphor for the internal struggle between good and evil within all human beings. Through the character of Dr. Jekyll, Stevenson explores the consequences of suppressing one's darker urges, ultimately suggesting that denying one's true nature can have devastating effects.

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“The man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground” (3). Mr. Hyde ran over a young girl late into the night without feeling any guilt. Robert Louis Stevenson shows the archetypal theme of good and evil exists in all people in the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. Good and evil exist in all people and we struggle with these two forces. This is shown through Jekyll because he is good with a little bad in him, this is also shown through Hyde, who is evil with some good, and it is lastly shown with the lab because it brings good and evil into Jekyll’s life.

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Good and evil exists in everyone. Everyone lives their lives struggling with deciding to which personality to let through. The novella, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a perfect example of this. The archetypal color red, winter season, and good versus evil themes clearly show how good and evil not only exist in everyone, but also can tear a person apart inside. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde struggle with their two different personalities stuck in the one body.

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Overall, Stevenson’s presentation of the duality of man is conveyed by the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde because towards the end of the novel. Jekyll begins to realise that the schism which once caused them to despise one another, help them understand each other situation. Jekyll even begins to ‘pity’ Hyde toward the end of novel, praising his ‘love for life’ by calling it ‘wonderful’, as his creator he consequently acknowledges the condescending attitudes towards Hyde, unfairly for his appearance, however rightfully so for his actions. Moreover, like Darwin’s theory, Hyde could never be accepted into society, often being characterised as a ‘brute’. Additionally, Jekyll’s actions would be condemned by the Victorian readers, as he was

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Adding on to this, Patricia Comitini agrees with the subject letting the reader know, “This critical focus on the double has also become part of popular culture in that many versions of the story present Jekyll and Hyde as the representation of the struggle between good and evil that occurs within everyone.” Jekyll’s addiction to the drug is what caused him to transform into Hyde, and it is this addiction that leads him to commit evil actions. Hyde is also a symbol of addiction because he represents Jekyll's inability to control his darker impulses. Alyssa Valentine from the Clearbrook Treatment Centers describes these impulses. “Addiction doesn’t care where you’ve come from, what accomplishments you have achieved, or how nice you are.

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Hyde and Dr. Jekyll is prevalent, not only because they are, in the end, the same person but within their psyche. Dr. Jekyll has a passion for science and discovering the unknown therefore it is no surprise that he would go deeper into the understanding of indulgence within the human psyche. This is shown when Jekyll creates this potion to turn himself into the physical form of his deepest desires which give him the freedom to do whatever he pleases without consequence. This is prevalent when Hyde kills Sir Danvers, “And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman” (pg 17). This side of Dr. Jekyll is the side of dominance and power over the goodness in people that he wishes not to show as his true self, so he sees the need to do it in another form, as Mr. Hyde.

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In the novel, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson explores the complexity of human nature. He uses characters and events in the novel to present his stance on the major theme: “man is not truly one, but truly two” (125). Branching from this major theme are many more specific views on the idea that human nature is divided into good and evil. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are two very different people who occupy the same body. Human beings struggle with good and evil and Stevenson goes to the extreme to to show this relationship.

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde contains extremely violent scenes. In each instance, the culprit is Mr. Hyde and the victim is an innocent. For example, in the first chapter, we learn how Mr Hyde literally trampled young girl in the street and later on we learn that Hyde unprovoked, mercilessly beat Sir Danvers Carew to death. Even worse, we find at the conclusion of the novel that Hyde enjoyed committing this violence and afterwards felt a rush of excitement and

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Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" brings the double personality theme, but, the story itself is about the mystery behind Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's connection. The whole story goes around Mr. Utterson - a decent lawyer - trying to find out what is wrong with his dear friend, Henry Jekyll, and what is his relationship with the devilish man, also known as Mr. Hyde. On the end of the story, the reader finds out that Mr. Hyde is Jekyll's evil side: the doctor was fascinated by the duality of human nature and decided to do some experiments to separate his two sides, the good one and the evil one. Henry Jekyll wanted to do things that he couldn't because of his reputation and social morals, therefore, the best and only way of doing what he really wanted to was to have another side that no one knew. On the other hand, he didn't know how evil his other side could be: Mr. Hyde was purely evil and Dr. Jekyll wasn't purely good.

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Good, however, is shown to overcome evil, by the actions and events taken and that had occurred within the novel. The "evil", Mr. Hyde, being born of good, the evil deeds only present while the novel 's "good," Dr. Jekyll is not, and the novel’s end, where Dr. Jekyll deciding to not let his darker half kill any longer and makes a decisive and sacrificial decision. All of these point to this concept that good prevails and triumphs evil no matter the cost and no matter the strength or power of evil whether it be an overwhelming gap or a tiny little crack. Dr. Jekyll was a good man and a good surgeon, doctor, and scientist, but he was not without his own vices and set of foreboding dark impulses. These he found a hassle to deal with and also big troubles.

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