Symbolism In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde
Often throughout life, people are presented with the idea of good versus evil. In the novella, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, readers are presented with the idea that each person has a dual nature of good and evil through the symbolism throughout the book and the examples given by Dr. Jekyll. “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” contains many examples of symbolism for the dual nature of man, with the most prominent being Dr. Jekyll’s home and Mr, Utterson’s sobriety in the public, but indulgence in alcohol in his private life. In the beginning of the book we are introduced to Mr. Utterson. We are given a brief description of him, which includes the line, “He was austere with himself; drank
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Jekyll is the main example of dual nature in Jekyll and Hyde. This is not only because he is the focus of the book, but also because he is very divided in his nature, as we see in his letter to Utterson. Dr. Jekyll is the main focus of the book for one very large reason, he is both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a man of good nature, and a man that is, “alone in the ranks of mankind… pure evil” (Stevenson, 62). Jekyll is constantly made out by Utterson to be among the best men of mankind, being extremely amiable. He even later shows this through his dedication to good following the Carew murder. We also see Hyde’s evil through the accounts of the trampling of the young girl and the Carew murder. However, even though these two are extremely different, as Jekyll says, “I was radically both” (Stevenson, 60). Jekyll didn’t come to this conclusion solely from the appearance of Jekyll, however. He had inferred that he had two natures long before, saying ,“I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness” (Stevenson, 60). Jekyll realizes that he is in fact, two natures, one good, one evil, and he seeks to separate these two. They are both the same person, and that person had chosen to make the two natures of himself extremely prominent. This leads to the events in Jekyll and Hyde, spawning from the creation of Hyde. The story of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde contains a strong motif of good versus evil. This good versus evil is represented
Jekyll is the main example of dual nature in Jekyll and Hyde. This is not only because he is the focus of the book, but also because he is very divided in his nature, as we see in his letter to Utterson. Dr. Jekyll is the main focus of the book for one very large reason, he is both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a man of good nature, and a man that is, “alone in the ranks of mankind… pure evil” (Stevenson, 62). Jekyll is constantly made out by Utterson to be among the best men of mankind, being extremely amiable. He even later shows this through his dedication to good following the Carew murder. We also see Hyde’s evil through the accounts of the trampling of the young girl and the Carew murder. However, even though these two are extremely different, as Jekyll says, “I was radically both” (Stevenson, 60). Jekyll didn’t come to this conclusion solely from the appearance of Jekyll, however. He had inferred that he had two natures long before, saying ,“I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness” (Stevenson, 60). Jekyll realizes that he is in fact, two natures, one good, one evil, and he seeks to separate these two. They are both the same person, and that person had chosen to make the two natures of himself extremely prominent. This leads to the events in Jekyll and Hyde, spawning from the creation of Hyde. The story of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde contains a strong motif of good versus evil. This good versus evil is represented