Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde
Brianna Warsham
Ms Wilson
Advanced English 12
8 November 2010
Double Brain Theory during the Victorian Period in Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Each individual has a little evilness deep down inside of them, whether one would like to admit it or not. One critic states that, “Mr. Stevenson’s idea, his secret (but a very open secret) is that of the double personality in every man” (Lang). Dr. Jekyll finds out that a man can be one person, but have two totally different identities. One could say that Mr. Hyde would be like Dr. Jekyll’s shadow (Stevenson). There is a problem with having two different identities, people would go practically insane and lose their mind. A cause of insanity would be from the right side of the brain to overthrow the duties of the left side of the brain (Stiles). Another critic said that, “there is a split in man’s psyche between ego and instinct, between civilization and nature, and the spilt can never be healed” (Oates). This book was set during the Victorian time period (Perkins). In The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Stevenson uses the dual brain theory to reflect the utilitarianism and evangelicalism with parts of Victorian Science. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll drinks a potion that turns him into Mr. Hyde, his alter ego. When he takes the potion he gets a sense of freedom that he has not had before. Dr. Jekyll gives the reader some good insight into his darker side of nature. During the Victorian time period, nineteenth century, there were two main ideologies utilitarianism and evangelicalism. Jeremy Bentham, created his own philosophy about utilitarianism, which was the one that the Victorian people used during this time period. The people who believed in utilitarianism are mostly concerned about their happiness and they try to avoid anything to cause pain to themselves. Evangelicalism is slightly different, they mostly focus on their lives and
Ms Wilson
Advanced English 12
8 November 2010
Double Brain Theory during the Victorian Period in Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Each individual has a little evilness deep down inside of them, whether one would like to admit it or not. One critic states that, “Mr. Stevenson’s idea, his secret (but a very open secret) is that of the double personality in every man” (Lang). Dr. Jekyll finds out that a man can be one person, but have two totally different identities. One could say that Mr. Hyde would be like Dr. Jekyll’s shadow (Stevenson). There is a problem with having two different identities, people would go practically insane and lose their mind. A cause of insanity would be from the right side of the brain to overthrow the duties of the left side of the brain (Stiles). Another critic said that, “there is a split in man’s psyche between ego and instinct, between civilization and nature, and the spilt can never be healed” (Oates). This book was set during the Victorian time period (Perkins). In The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Stevenson uses the dual brain theory to reflect the utilitarianism and evangelicalism with parts of Victorian Science. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll drinks a potion that turns him into Mr. Hyde, his alter ego. When he takes the potion he gets a sense of freedom that he has not had before. Dr. Jekyll gives the reader some good insight into his darker side of nature. During the Victorian time period, nineteenth century, there were two main ideologies utilitarianism and evangelicalism. Jeremy Bentham, created his own philosophy about utilitarianism, which was the one that the Victorian people used during this time period. The people who believed in utilitarianism are mostly concerned about their happiness and they try to avoid anything to cause pain to themselves. Evangelicalism is slightly different, they mostly focus on their lives and
Cited: Lang, Andrew. “Review of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Robert Louis Stevenson: The Critical Heritage. Ed. Paul Maixner. London, England: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981. 199-202. Rpt. In Children’s Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns. Vol. 107. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. Oates, Joyce Carol. “Jekyll/Hyde.” Hudson Review 40.4 (Winter 1988): 603-608. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Elizabeth Thomason. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 5 Oct. 2010. Perkins, Wendy. “Critical Essay on ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’.” Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 5 Oct. 2010. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Watermill Classic. Print. Stiles, Anne. “Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde and the Double Brain.” Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 46.4 (Autumn 2006): 879-900. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 126. Detroit: Gale,2010. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 30 Sept. 2010. Warsham