ipl-logo

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

657 Words3 Pages

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

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Archetypes In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

    1143 Words  | 5 Pages

    With the division of the id and the superego, Robert Louis Stevenson combines these archetypes in the Victorian-scientific fiction novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, Stevenson displays these archetypes through the personas of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde. In the storyline, Dr. Jekyll concocts a potion that subjects his persona to transform into Mr. Hyde, a grotesque, demonic creature that becomes the city of London’s perpetrator. This personality of the id overthrows the value of the superego that Dr. Jekyll truly is. Robert Louis Stevenson uses dualism in human nature to convey the characterization of both opposing and coinciding characters throughout Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

    Read More

  • Dr Hyde Good Vs Evil Essay

    1108 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll Conflicts

    695 Words  | 3 Pages

    As he witnesses the increasingly violent and criminal actions of Mr. Hyde, Jekyll starts to feel guilty and ashamed of what he has become. This leads to a period of self-reflection, as Jekyll tries to understand the motivations behind his actions and regain control over his dual nature. Through this process, Jekyll develops a deeper understanding of himself and the world around him, and he becomes more self-aware and introspective as a result. In the end, despite the tragedy that unfolds, Jekyll's growth and development as a character are evident, and he is left with a deeper understanding of the human condition and the complexities of good and

    Read More

  • Duality In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

    779 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Mr Hyde Duality

    1058 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Jekyll And Mr Hyde Human Nature Essay

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the major ideas presented in Jekyll and Hyde is the need for both good and evil to live in coexistence within an individual’s conscience. Jekyll’s experiments prove that a balance between the two sides of nature is crucial to be content in the world. He realizes that the only reason he is able to be one of the two sides of his nature is because he

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Good Vs Evil Analysis

    728 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Jekyll And Mr Hyde Good Vs Evil Analysis

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Duality In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

    515 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Repression In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

    525 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” because the story takes place in Victorian England we see that the characters have no room for expression of emotions or violence. Everything they do is secret, so the more Dr Jekyll is repressed, the more he wants to be Mr Hyde. The original characteristics of Henry Jekyll are reflected as “...life of effort, virtue, and control” (pg. 172) because, most of his life his vice activities were maintained a secret. According to Jekyll, when evil is separated into one body, one will not know right from wrong because there is no conscious in a being of complete evil which was Hyde for

    Read More

  • Is Mr Hyde Inherently Good Or Evil

    1640 Words  | 7 Pages

    Unlike Hyde, Jekyll does not do bad things because they are bad. Jekyll adds, “I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end” (Stevenson 401). Even if Jekyll had been doing wrong for the satisfaction of it, he still has a principled moral compass. Dr. Jekyll’s immoral behavior has weighed heavily enough on his conscience to the point where he would rather take his own life than let Mr. Hyde continue to exist. Joyce Oats argues, “When Jekyll returns to himself after having been Hyde he is plunged into wonder rather than remorse…

    Read More

  • Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde: The Balance Between Good And Evil

    411 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novella, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Henry Jekyll had the belief that there were two sides to everyone. One side being good. One side being evil. There is a purpose for the two coexisting.

    Read More

  • Jekyll And Hyde Duality

    151 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Duality In Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

    855 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Research Paper

    1065 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

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

Open Document