Dr Jekyll And Hyde Compare And Contrast Analysis
Dr Jekyll and Hyde Essay (contrasts)
In this essay I will be exploring the variety of contrasts that Robert Louis Stevenson presents within the novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’.
Contrast is used effectively in the opening paragraph in the novel through Stevenson’s portrayal of Utterson. It is said that the lawyer ‘’was never lighted by a smile’’ and in discourse he is ‘’cold, scanty and embarrassed’’ This conveys him as an unsociable, introverted person. Stevenson uses alliteration to highlight his personality: “lean, long, dusty, dreary” emphasises his dull nature, but these seem to be at odds with the word ‘lovable’ .Nonetheless, this is contradicted towards the end of the same sentence where it states that in ‘’friendly …show more content…
The first chapter of Dr Jekyll and Hyde is titled “Story of the Door’’. The purpose of the door is to keep others from knowing what lies within; they are a way of hiding the truth under the cover of false appearances, this can also refer to the famous phrase “behind closed doors’’ as doors are the great secret keepers. They represent man’s desire of privacy and to hide his true nature from others by not ruining their reputation. As within the Victorian era, reputation was very important, receiving a bad portrayal from others was like dishonouring your entire life for good. There is a hint of all not being what it seems. This contradiction is reinforced in the description of Jekyll’s house. It seems to symbolize Jekyll’s moral nature, the two parts of the house with its two entrances reflecting his dual nature. The description of DR. Jekyll’s ordinary door is quiet meaningful. ‘’The door wore a great air of wealth and comfort, though it was now plunged in darkness except for the fan-light’’. The Jekyll side of his character is represented by the doors ‘’air of wealth and comfort’’ Jekyll’s name gathers the respect and admiration of English society. However, this contradicts the fact that he is a man ‘’plunged into darkness’’. The Hyde side of his character, hidden behind the ‘’blistered’’ and ‘’distained’’ cover of the laboratory door brings an evil darkness into his life chasing away the light of DR. Jekyll’s goodness. This prepares us metaphorically for the core meaning of the novel: a world of duplicity in which social acceptability disguising evil and hypocrisy are shown to exist in as close juxtaposition as Hyde’s door to
In this essay I will be exploring the variety of contrasts that Robert Louis Stevenson presents within the novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’.
Contrast is used effectively in the opening paragraph in the novel through Stevenson’s portrayal of Utterson. It is said that the lawyer ‘’was never lighted by a smile’’ and in discourse he is ‘’cold, scanty and embarrassed’’ This conveys him as an unsociable, introverted person. Stevenson uses alliteration to highlight his personality: “lean, long, dusty, dreary” emphasises his dull nature, but these seem to be at odds with the word ‘lovable’ .Nonetheless, this is contradicted towards the end of the same sentence where it states that in ‘’friendly …show more content…
The first chapter of Dr Jekyll and Hyde is titled “Story of the Door’’. The purpose of the door is to keep others from knowing what lies within; they are a way of hiding the truth under the cover of false appearances, this can also refer to the famous phrase “behind closed doors’’ as doors are the great secret keepers. They represent man’s desire of privacy and to hide his true nature from others by not ruining their reputation. As within the Victorian era, reputation was very important, receiving a bad portrayal from others was like dishonouring your entire life for good. There is a hint of all not being what it seems. This contradiction is reinforced in the description of Jekyll’s house. It seems to symbolize Jekyll’s moral nature, the two parts of the house with its two entrances reflecting his dual nature. The description of DR. Jekyll’s ordinary door is quiet meaningful. ‘’The door wore a great air of wealth and comfort, though it was now plunged in darkness except for the fan-light’’. The Jekyll side of his character is represented by the doors ‘’air of wealth and comfort’’ Jekyll’s name gathers the respect and admiration of English society. However, this contradicts the fact that he is a man ‘’plunged into darkness’’. The Hyde side of his character, hidden behind the ‘’blistered’’ and ‘’distained’’ cover of the laboratory door brings an evil darkness into his life chasing away the light of DR. Jekyll’s goodness. This prepares us metaphorically for the core meaning of the novel: a world of duplicity in which social acceptability disguising evil and hypocrisy are shown to exist in as close juxtaposition as Hyde’s door to