Duality In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde
Examine Robert Louis Stevenson’s Use of Duality in ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’
This novella is on the surface a gripping thriller; but if you delve deeper into the metaphorical and allegorical meanings then you will find an entirely different story, unlike most other stories from that period.
The novella follows the internal struggles of a man called Mr Utterson who sees his old friend Henry Jekyll suddenly change his habits, his friends, his life. Mr Utterson seems to vainly try and uncover the connection between the reclusive Dr Jekyll and the strange, malformed, evil Mr Hyde. The final connection is revealed when their mutual friend Dr Lanyon witnesses some awful change in Dr Jekyll which causes him such horror …show more content…
The way that Hyde is described as ‘pale and dwarfish’ automatically brings to mind the idea of mutation and alienates the audience, while at the same time drawing them in, intent on finding out more. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about his description is that ‘he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation’, thus implying his mutation as non-corporeal and in some way …show more content…
This book became famous for introducing the ‘Theory of Evolution’ to the public. Most people saw it as a direct assault on religion, because the theory discounted the idea that God had created the world in seven days. The basis of the theory which Darwin put forward was that all life on Earth, including humans, has evolved from more primitive forms. The release of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was at a time in history when the vast majority of people saw science and a belief in religion and the supernatural as being at odds with each another. Most thought that they had to choose between the two, and many others believed that science had become too advanced and was interfering in matters which only God should be able to
This novella is on the surface a gripping thriller; but if you delve deeper into the metaphorical and allegorical meanings then you will find an entirely different story, unlike most other stories from that period.
The novella follows the internal struggles of a man called Mr Utterson who sees his old friend Henry Jekyll suddenly change his habits, his friends, his life. Mr Utterson seems to vainly try and uncover the connection between the reclusive Dr Jekyll and the strange, malformed, evil Mr Hyde. The final connection is revealed when their mutual friend Dr Lanyon witnesses some awful change in Dr Jekyll which causes him such horror …show more content…
The way that Hyde is described as ‘pale and dwarfish’ automatically brings to mind the idea of mutation and alienates the audience, while at the same time drawing them in, intent on finding out more. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about his description is that ‘he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation’, thus implying his mutation as non-corporeal and in some way …show more content…
This book became famous for introducing the ‘Theory of Evolution’ to the public. Most people saw it as a direct assault on religion, because the theory discounted the idea that God had created the world in seven days. The basis of the theory which Darwin put forward was that all life on Earth, including humans, has evolved from more primitive forms. The release of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was at a time in history when the vast majority of people saw science and a belief in religion and the supernatural as being at odds with each another. Most thought that they had to choose between the two, and many others believed that science had become too advanced and was interfering in matters which only God should be able to