Jekyll and Hyde practice In this extract, Robert Louis Stevenson has used his description of the setting to create mystery and tension. This can be seen with his use of “great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven” and “here it would be dark like the back-end of evening”. Stevenson’s use of pathetic fallacy and imagery in this extract sets up the mystery of the chapter, as his use of language portrays the gloominess and darkness of the area of London that Utterson is in. This adds to the mystery and tension, as the surroundings are obscured from vision by the weather, thus creating uncertainty within the reader of what is to happen.
In the beginning of Chapter 2, the author tells the reader about how in Dr. Jekyll’s will, he leaves everything to Mr. Hyde, ”... it provided not only that in case of the decease of Henry Jekyll, M.D., D.C.L., LL.D, F.R.S., etc., all his possessions were to pass into the
The book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is told mostly through the third person point of view. It follows the character Utterson, who is trying to solve the mystery of Jekyll and Hyde. Since we follow Utterson throughout the whole book, why not just write it in his point of view? Out of the 10 chapters in the book, eight are in the third person POV and two are in the first. The two that are in the first person POV are the last chapters.
But this was not his meditations about. Something weird has happened to him about a week ago, and it has been disturbing his mind. Maybe he just wasn’t born to live a life without mystery. “Why to Jekyll?” was the continuous and unanswerable question in his head. After all, Jekyll was his friend, a real friend, and accepting his terrible and uncertain end has been something more complicated than what he thought, and more when what he had bury was a monster called Hyde.
In the final passage of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jekyll attempts to distance himself from Hyde and his actions, speaking of him as a separate entity, highlighting his violent and atavism, pointing to Hyde’s very opposition to himself. By doing so, he is attempting to put the atrocities that have been committed, squarely at Hyde’s feet. Jekyll does not wish to claim responsibility for Hyde and his actions though it was he who brought him into being. Yet, Stevenson is ambiguous about the narrator here, the letter was dated with the day’s date, when Hyde had vanquished Jekyll and the final line “unhappy life of henry jekyll” show that Hyde is the author. The ambiguity of the identity of the narrator shows the ambiguity of
While reading this story it appears that Jekyll never really embraced the kind and loyal part of his personality the way he did with the destructive Hyde side of his personality. Part of this seemed to be because the Jekyll part of him was actually in two parts so it was a question of was he showing signs of the loving side or the side of him that longed for rebellion and freedom when he was displaying this part of his
The fact that reader can only get the lawyer’s perceptive of Mr. Hyde stimulates his curiosity, so that the ending becomes even more dramatic. Furthermore,
Good Vs. Evil or Good and Evil Would it be ideal if every choice someone made was considered to be good? Imagine a world without rules. A society without a moral compass. What would it be like?
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
The novella Jekyll and Hyde tells the tragic story of a battle between good and evil, a battle for total control over the mind and soul. The clash between the pure and impure sides of man: a fight to the finish. It explores the aspect of a person’s good and bad side; holy and unholy, the one who bathes himself in God’s light and the one whom plays with The Devil’s fire. The battle between the good-willed Dr. Jekyll, and his evil persona: the murderous Mr. Hyde. The author, Stevenson, presents this in numerous ways and describes the two conflicting sides well.
As Stevenson was fascinated by Darwin theory of evolution he decided to portray it in his work. Due to the fact that in Victorian times the idea of rationalism was popular and that people weren’t supposed to show their strong emotions their darker sides were repressed and The locked doors and curtained windows of Jekyll’s house form the imagery of a man locking away the truth that lurks inside; Jekyll turning into Hyde is a metaphor of what happens when the unconscious mind is revealed; the murder of Carew symbolizes the repressed mind striking out at the conscious mind. The whole narrative is about unpeeling the layers that hide the repressed desires inside Jekyll Stevenson also uses several narrative points of view to intensify the feeling of a frightening outsider. As Hyde is often narrated in a mysterious way through different characters perspectives which slowly reveals horror a feature used in gothics.
The Thought behind Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Stevenson brings to life a story of transformation, morals, and human understanding in the The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While the timeline of events takes the reader through a whirlwind of uncharacteristic events know to the Victorian Era, there are still many different way to interrupt the story and its true meaning. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will forever be known by many people of different time periods, because of its style and message.
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.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson is a gruesome tale which inflicts many possible perceptions on the reader. To be specific, my perception of the theme of the piece is that their are many moments which can be the cornerstones for ones theme. However, for me many of the references to the split person truly set the theme especially those which were very blunt such as when Jekylle says "man is not truly one, but truly two" which is more so of a question of ones perception that Jekylle poses to himself and the reader as he "exchanges places" with Hyde. Also, through out the piece Stevenson pays particular attention to showing the individuality amongst the two minds specifically how Hyde is essentially a criminal
Have you ever watched a movie or a tv show, or even read a book, in which any character has two different sides? It was probably..., the good one and the evil one? And those sides are always opposites… Right? If this plot is not a strange thing to you, have you ever thought why is this idea/theme so present in many ways inside the pop culture?
