In the spooky mysterious novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson we start our journey with the main character, Mr. Utterson, and his companion, Dr. Lanyon. The two men talk about their colleague Dr. Jekyll and this mysterious figure named Mr. Hyde. In doing this Stevenson introduces the four characters that prove to be pillars in the investigation and resolution of the book. Throughout the book we experience plenty of conflict between these four characters and society. Stevenson sets up the theme through the conflicts that arise between the characters in the book. In the end the author wraps it all up by the use of his unique point of view and ends the confusion by allowing the us to finally solve “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. …show more content…
All three of these conflicts help explain why certain characters in this novel act the way they do around others. The conflict provided by Stevenson is also used to assist with setting up the theme of the book. The theme most easily interpreted from the book is the never ending conflict of good vs. evil. Through the conflict we see a recurring theme of good vs. evil. For example, whether it was a good side of a person vs. the dark side, an evil person vs. the innocent civilized society, or a wretched scientist vs. a practical ethical doctor, we see it used in all three previously given examples of conflict. Another example is although there is good in Dr. Jekyll, we see as the book goes on that he cannot hide his dark and evil alter ego. Even through science it is deemed to be impossible to erase the devilish and foul urges the doctor possesses. It seems that evil seems to win more than good which is why the book tends to give off a creepy dark vibe. Robert Louis Stevenson likes to use an array of point of view by choosing to use different narrators and different types of speech. For example, in the last chapter Stevenson uses a narrative written by Dr. Jekyll to resolve the climax and the mystery of the character named Mr. Hyde. Stevenson does this because it is the most direct way to understand why Dr. Jekyll has caused all this madness. The second example of the unique point of view is that the narrator is changed from
Stevenson writes ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ with the intention of showing the reader the duality of man and explores this through the juxtaposition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this novella, Stevenson also uses the environment and setting of the story to represent the contrast between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a complex and tricky novel to fully grasp, but the reader can come to understand many parallels to their own lives. Stevenson’s creation has stood the test of time because of its power to astonish; even if one previously new the outcome. This power has made Jekyll and Hyde, a pair that will continue to provoke thought in many readers in generations to
Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The psychological thriller novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson, has a variety of themes, motifs, and symbols, the most important and most prominent being reason vs. the supernatural. This theme can be interpreted as logic against religion, making the idea even more applicable. Reason against the supernatural is the salient theme of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it is a theme depicted throughout the novella. The personages in the novella, as well as the general public of the Victorian era, were extremely illogical in their reasonings. Scientific theories had not been established at the time, leading many to remain unreasonable on the topic of the supernatural. With the most pertinent idea of the book being reason vs. the supernatural, it is mentioned in every chapter of the novella, proving the importance of this theme.
In this essay on the story of Jekyll and Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson I will try to unravel the true meaning of the book and get inside the characters in the story created by Stevenson. A story of a man battling with his double personality.
Explore the ways in which Stevenson creates an effective horror story in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
Using the central characters and the key theme of the duplicity of mankind Robert Louis Stevenson strategically uncovers the broad theme of good and evil in the book. By the use of the character Dr. Jekyll, the author is able to symbolize “good”. Mr. Utterson who is a lawyer based in London, also an old friend of Dr. Jekyll, has the quality of being loyal to his friends and also concerned about Dr. Jekyll. With this loyalty, he asks him about his pal Mr. Hyde whom he had left his luggage in his will (Cresser N.P). "You know I never approved of it," said the doctor. Mr. Utterson believes that the doctor bed them by lies possession to a man whom he meet but rather than being annoyed. Dr. Jekyll he shows concern like a true loyal friend would have, from Mr.
Torn between the natures of “good” and “evil, Robert L. Stevenson uses his novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a representation for the duality of the human mentality. The human nature portrays itself as “good” in the presence of man, but allows its dark side to lurk freely in the absence on others. As the novel progresses, Stevenson uses suspense along a gothic setting to capture the reader’s attention. The moral of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde proves that if our blackened nature is subconsciously feed, our uncorrupt nature will starve and wither away. Stevenson uses his novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to open his reader’s eyes to their own corrupt nature, witness how one nature thrives upon the other and as a connection to all of mankind.
“No one takes my life away from me. I give it up of my own free will”(John 10:18). In the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll makes the decision to create another identity for himself through the use of his own concoction in order to freely take part in malevolent activities without feeling remorse or ruining his reputation. The doctor is fascinated with his theory that people have a good and evil side, which drives him to conduct the experiment in order to create an outlet for his dark desires. He is unwilling to get rid of Hyde despite knowing the consequences of his actions. Additionally, he underestimates the power of Hyde, and so he is taken aback when Hyde gets stronger. Therefore, Dr. Jekyll is at fault for his own death in the end because he himself sought evil in the first place.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a gothic horror novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson creates a riveting story. He uses themes of good vs. evil, repression of oneself, and curiosity. Through these themes he creates complex characters with questionable morals. He also creates a steadily rising plot filled with mystery even to the very last page.
In Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ Stevenson presents to his readers a thrilling incident that illustrates the dangers of refusing to accept propriety. Stevenson successfully adapts a novel about adults into a murder mystery that challenges the reader to consider the ambiguity of human nature. The theory that an individual’s character is composed of two parts, a reasonable self and evil ‘twin’, which are constantly at war. Sharing one body and one brain, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde do not separate but undertake a change in form in which Jekyll is replaced by Hyde. Jekyll and Hyde present opposite views of reality. Dr. Jekyll’s has shown the reader he suffers from a personality disorder. He uses Mr. Hyde to portray his
In the book "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," the author Robert Louis Stevenson shows us that one person can have many sides. At first, Dr. Jekyll is a good person and a successful scientist until he makes a potion that transforms him into a seemingly different person. This unfamiliar person in Dr. Jekyll is an evil person who has no empathy.The lesson here is that people are not always as they seem. Stevenson gives us the idea that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are different people, but the deeper meaning is that they are actually two different sides of the same person. This can be displayed in society today through the observation of friends, family, and other important people.
One might question the extent to which Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are in fact a single character. Until the end of the story, the two seem nothing alike. Stevenson uses this marked contrast to make his point: every human being contains opposite forces within him or her, an alter ego that hides behind one's front. Correspondingly, to understand fully the significance of either Jekyll or Hyde, we must consider the two as looking at one single character. When viewed separately, neither is a very interesting personality. It is their relationship that gives the novel its power.
The book of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was written nearly over a century ago. The fictional novella was written the year of 1885 in England, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The author wrote a gothic mystery story, told by a narrator that follows Mr. Utterson’s point of view. Mr. Utterson is the attorney of Dr. Jekyll, and his point of view comes from the outside of the home. Stevenson accomplished tremendous success, ensuring his fame as a writer for his previous works and, for “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Moreover, decades later, a successful writer known as Valerie Martin wrote the novel “Mary Reilly”. Author Valerie Martin’s ‘Mary Reilly’ is retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ from the trusted housemaid, living in the home. The books have different insights, but also similarities. These stories portray a good and evil character, who lives a double life. Stevenson and Martin distinguish distinctive perspectives in each book; in addition, the loyalty the narrators acquire to Dr. Jekyll is described through their characterization.
Doane and Hodge's article starts by acknowledging that Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a "male dominated story," however it has feminine characteristics within the story that challenge the masculine and feminine roles "at a time when gender roles were shifting" in the Victorian Era particularly with Hyde (p.63). It first argues Stevenson's idea's about marriage and gender expectations based on his marriage with wife Fanny and how Stevenson states "if I were a woman" (p.64), he is inviting a women's perspective that is the transformative power of how men can hold feminine attributes and women can hold masculine attributes.