...The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dr. Lanyon’s narrative: One of the central themes in this chapter of the book “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is split personalities, and how that everyone has an evil side to their persona. In this chapter we discover Mr. Hyde’s (Jekyll’s evil, ugly side) transformation back to Dr. Jekyll with the help from an elixir he brews at his college’s (Dr. Lanyon) house. Another theme this chapter consists is silence. Throughout the text we don’t get to know much. As the reader we are mostly left in the dark. It does not tell how the situation came about or what it actually is. The story fits well in its period (The Victorian age). The story is dark and is filled with horror. Mr. Hyde symbolizes the break of the norms and the individualism there was during this period. As Mr. Hyde, Jekyll feels free, he doesn’t have to go with the society as the doctor he is. As Jekyll he is destined to follow the rules. This also fits well with Robert Louis Stevenson’s background. He also broke the norms from his strict and authoritarian family. He chose to become and author instead of becoming a scientist or a lawyer though it wasn’t as acknowledged back then. As said “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is very critical about the society. As Jekyll through Hyde breaks through the norms he becomes more and more evil, and Hyde starts to take over there personality and in the end kills himself (we assume). This could mean that society’s norms in the end will...
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...Strange Cases of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Born November 13 1850 in Edinburgh Scotland. Robert Louis Stevenson started to have breathing problems at a young age and later it developed into tuberculosis. His father Thomas Stevenson was in the business of lighthouse design, so Robert enrolled at the age of 17 to the University of Edinburgh. The lighthouse design business wasn’t what Robert wanted to do but he wanted to help his family. After a short time in the lighthouse design program he decided to go into law school as a compromise with his father. He entered what was called the Scottish bar, which was an organization for lawyers. Around this time in his life he traveled a lot to places like France, Europe, and England all so he could be around young artists while he was still finishing law school. Robert graduated from law school in 1875, he never really put his law degree to use. Stevenson had a good eye for fashion. He adopted a wide brimmed hat, a cravat, and a boy’s coat, which got him the nickname of Velvet...
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...Jekyll and Mr. Hyde As we grow older and learn more about the world and ourselves, there is something inside us that has not fully understood the sole purpose of its creation. Something so very common, yet, so misunderstood--identity. In Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, we see that not only is an older man struggling with his identity, but that it was also decades ago when this story was written, suggesting that an identity crises is nothing new and that we all go through it at some point in life. “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” ― Oscar Wilde. I found this quote relevant to this particular story and that the two go hand...
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...Readings in Humanities 28 January 2012 The Stranger Within Ever wondered why a close friend or relative behaves a certain way around one person and then seemingly transforms into a whole new person when surrounded by other people? The belief that everyone has multiple personalities is one that is very common and can be seen amongst almost all in society. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the idea of dual personalities is taken beyond the normal circumstances, as the main character frequently morphs into an entire new persona. This new persona commits violent acts and often finds himself in a great deal of trouble. Although, in reality, extreme cases like the one presented in this novella are rarely heard of, the truth still lays in the fact that not everyone is whom he or she appears to be. When initially inquiring about secondary personalities, it makes the most sense to begin with how these second selves come about. The answer is quite simple in that everyone is born with many different “layers” to their personality, many of which either never show up or appear later in life. For that reason, the way in which one thinks or functions is not always discernable. This entire concept plays a large role in why each and every person on this Earth is so incredibly distinct in his or her own way. Having a dual personality is one side of the issue; the other is how one utilizes it. Life can become quite dull at times and this can...
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...the most help? Women are so stereotypically needy that the origin of the first word that is selected in the archetype of the damsel in distress is another word for woman. Yet, as represented in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a man can be the character in anguish. This unique book was written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886. The iconic plot, inspired by the fears of the Victorian era, has served as a template for modern books and films. The novel is about a man, Dr. Jekyll, who becomes addicted to transforming into a new persona, Mr. Hyde, and...
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...The Multiple Personalities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde “It's almost as if we each have a vampire inside us. Controlling that beast, that dark side, is what fascinates me” (Lee). In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, an old doctor named Dr. Henry Jekyll who is known for being a decent man creates a potion that is able to separate the good and bad of a person into two different personalities. Dr. Jekyll soon realizes that his very appearance changes along with the transformation into this other form and gives this form the name of Edward Hyde. At the beginning of these experiments, Dr. Jekyll is satisfied with the results, he feels more youthful and more energetic than ever before, however his alter ego, Mr. Hyde, enjoys indulging in acts of evil and malevolence and grows stronger with each passing moment until Jekyll is not able to suppress him any longer. Soon the conscious of Dr. Jekyll and conscious of Mr. Hyde fight for control of the body that they share. Stevenson uses characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to symbolize two core parts of human nature, good and evil, to depict the conflict that is experienced by an individual in everyday life. Character is a very prominent element throughout the story and is often used to depict the good and innocence of Dr. Jekyll or the evil and cruelty of Mr. Hyde. At one point, Dr. Jekyll is recounting the effects of the transformation potion and the fact that it has given him “two characters as well as two appearances, one was wholly evil and...
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...Chapter 7 Utterson and Enfield are taking their walk. They come to mr. Hydes door again, and they both thinks that they never will see Hyde again. Enfield also knows that Mr. Hydes house has a back exit, which leads right into dr. Jekylls house. They got into the home and look out of a window, where thet see Dr. Jekyll looking out of one of his windows as well. The persons begins a casual conversation when suddenly Jekyll gets a horrified expression on his face and is suddenly thrown back from the window, which is ”instantly thrust down”. Utterson and Enfield are in chok. Chapter 8 The scene begins with Poole, Jekyll’s butler, making a surprise visit to the home of Mr. Utterson. Poole proceeds to explain that he thinks "foul play" has occurred in the laboratory of Dr. Jekyll, in which he has kept himself isolated for the last two weeks. Poole tells Utterson that he thinks Hyde is involved, because the voice of the doctor has changed.Quickly Utterson and Poole return to the doctor’s house, explaining to the rest of the servants that they plan to break into the laboratory and find out what has happened to Dr. Jekyll. After knocking and being told to go away, Utterson and Poole force the door down, and witness the dead body of Mr. Hyde lying on the floor. Thinking that Hyde killed Jekyll and then killed himself, the two men frantically search the laboratory for the remains of Jekyll. Yet "nowhere was there any trace of Henry Jekyll, dead or alive."After searching the...
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...affect people every day in modern society. Alexander Solzhenitsyn writes, “Literature that is not the breath of contemporary society, that dares not transmit the pains and fears of that society, that does not warn in time against threatening moral and social dangers-such literature does not deserve the name of literature; it is only a façade.” The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, reflects Solzhenitsyn’s quote by warning the individual of the evils found in the duplicity of human nature and the threat this may pose to society as a whole. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reflects Solzhenitsyn’s belief that literature must inform readers about issues that society faces, or otherwise it is merely a superficial illusion. The story reflects this statement, by exploring the duplicity of human nature, showing how this duplicity can corrupt an individual’s mind, and revealing why humans have this dual nature. The duplicity of human nature is revealed in the book through various aspects of behavior displayed by the characters. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reveals the dual nature of humans in the form of an uncontrollable mental disorder. However, Stevenson is not necessarily giving a literal interpretation of this chemically...
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...The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the greatest examples in literature showing the faults of humankind. Many of Dr. Jekyll’s colleagues and other scientists warned against him pursuing the path of unknown science, however, he was careless and ignored all of them. Both Jekyll and Hyde suffered addiction and were too weak-willed to overcome their temptations. The two sides of one person, Jekyll and Hyde, representing the battle between good and evil. The body below shall prove the three faults of humankind that can be found in the novel. The first point shows that there were much carelessness and ignorance in the novel. In the novel, Jekyll explains how the science community advised against going through...
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...Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel made by Robert Louis Stevenson, which invokes a sense of urban terror and the problems that threaten a city in London. Terror is represented by Mr. Hyde, whom is the alter personality of Dr. Jekyll. Dr Jekyll is a respected doctor; Dr. Jekyll is well known, charitable and kind, however, since his youth. Dr Jekyll has secretly engaged in corrupt behavior, as well as dissolute. Jekyll becomes annoyed by this dark side he has, therefore he starts experimenting on himself. Through these experiments he brings his dark side Mr. Hyde into being. Mr. Hyde is the living manifestation of terror in the tale, his appearance emits an evil aura, Mr. Enfield states that Hyde is deformed, ugly, and inspires an immediate revulsion. Mr. Utterson suffers from a nightmare after seeing Mr. Hyde. In Utterson’s nightmare, Utterson is haunted by nightmares in which a faceless man runs down a small child and in which the same terrifying, faceless figure stands beside Jekyll’s bed and commands him to rise. Mr. Utterson is terrified by this and starts to...
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...Jake Klonsky 5/20/15 English Paragraphs Addiction: In the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson explains a terrifying story depicting the power of addiction. Stevenson uses Jekyll and his addiction to becoming Hyde as an exploration of physiological and physical addiction. There are many ways the novella shows addiction, one of the clearest being the conversation between Jekyll and Utterson regarding Utterson’s worry for Jekyll health. Jekyll explains to Utterson, “just to put your good heart at rest, I will tell you one thing: the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde’”(58). This is Jekyll paraphrasing the cliched phrase where addicts claim they can stop any time they want. Every time he attempts...
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...Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde delves deep into the topic of duality. It follows a London lawyer by the name of Gabriel John Utterson who investigates the odd circumstances surrounding his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and Jekyll’s evil counterpart, Mr. Edward Hyde. Like many other gothic novels from its time, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows a prevalent theme of duality, in that it centers on the polarity between good and evil. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde deals with a Dr. Henry Jekyll who is widely respected, successful, and possesses a brilliant intellect but is only too aware of the duplicity of the life that he leads, and of the evil that resides within him. Dr. Jekyll covertly...
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...The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde expresses the parallel inspirations between Stevenson and Freud. Stevenson’s greatest literary influences were Edgar Allan Poe and James Hogg. In 1839, Poe wrote William Wilson and Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. In both of his novels, Poe addresses the ideas of dopplegangers and dualism, ideas also expressed in Stevenson’s novel. In 1824, James Hogg wrote The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. Hogg’s novel also involved a character who had psychological issues. Even in the times of Hogg and Poe, fifty to sixty years prior to the publication of Stevenson’s novel, Freud’s theories were well known by these others and were incorporated into their writing. This pattern of writing...
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...The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde MR. UTTERSON the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable. At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye; something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner face, but more often and loudly in the acts of his life. He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years. But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove. 'I incline to, Cain's heresy,' he used to say. 'I let my brother go to the devil in his quaintly: 'own way.' In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of down-going men. And to such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour. No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Utterson; for he was undemonstrative at the best, and even his friendship seemed to be founded in a similar catholicity of good-nature. It is the mark of a modest...
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...Stevenson’s book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, duality is the main theme. Stevenson explores the concept of duality with the setting, events that take place throughout the story and this character’s dialogue. William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, also demonstrates the inherent duality of the world. The dualities in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde consist of the duality of human nature and the duality of society; Romeo and Juliet ties in with some of these dualities. Dr. Jekyll, a character in Stevenson’s novel, is used a common example of the duality in human nature. Dr. Jekyll was thought to be an entirely good person, by the Victorian...
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