Theme Of Deception In Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Deception in ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’

‘The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ is a novella by the scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. Stevenson, born November 13, 1850, is also the author of the well known book; ‘Treasure Island’. Robert L. Stevenson, who died December 3, 1894,, was said to be influenced by authors such as Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe. This book is part of the gothic genre, a genre of literature that combines fiction, and horror, death and at times romance. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or simply Jekyll and Hyde is about a London lawyer named Mr, Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Jekyll and the evil Mr. Hyde.

Utterson and Mr. Enfield embark on one of their common Sunday strolls. They come across a jilted block of building. The writer describes the building as if it is simply an abandoned house. It shows this in the quote “a blind forehead of discoloured wall on the upper; and bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence.” By using vocabulary such as “discoloured” and “negligence” it gives us the impression of an abandoned building, having no interesting features. “Blind forehead” is a use of personification, by describing the face of the outer of the building as a human face. A blind face could suggest that the building bore no windows, giving the reader the impression that there is no one living inside. “Bore in every feature” emphasises the amount of damage that has been done to the building, and gives us the image of a broken down, jilted building. “Discoloured wall” tells us that the wall hasn’t been painted, and has been left alone for a long time. This furthers our image of an abandoned building. The writer gives the reader the impression that the person occupying the house doesn’t wish to be visited. It portrays this in the quote “equipped with neither bell nor knocker.” Bells and knockers are usually put on a door to notify that there is a visitor waiting outside, and since there is no “bell nor knocker” it shows us that the inhabitant does not want company. This is an example of deception in this novella as the

Jekyll is seen performing scientific practice, attempting to achieve a goal which can be argued to exceed his mental capacity. Dr. Jekyll wished to remove his dark side, tampering with the duality of man. He expressed hatred towards is his darker side. It shows this in the quote “many a man would have even blazoned such irregularities as i was guilty of;... I regarded and hid them with an almost morbid sense of shame.” Using “blazoned” describes how other men would display their lesser side prominently and vividly, whereas in comparison Dr. Jekyll “hides them.” This shows us the vast difference between Dr.Jekyll 's opinion,a dn the opinions of the majority of man. “Morbid” projects Dr. Jekyll’s disturbing thoughts, degregrading himself. This gives the reader the impression that the darker side appears as a foul excess which Jeckyll wishes to completely get rid of. “Shame” furthers our understanding of this, as it tells us that he is ashamed of having a dark side. This can also mean that Jekyll has mental self-esteem issues, as he criticizes himself over something that is natural and occurs in every human being. This could add to the reasons of how he so suddenly falls into depression further into the novella. Henry Jekyll utilised scientific research as he attempted to remove his darker side. This is insinuated in the quote “A side light began to shine upon the subject from the laboratory table.” A “light” is being used to signify an idea, such as how