Characters Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde example essay topic

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The Purpose of Duality Robert Louis Stevenson illustrates the duality of human nature through the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll, an eminent scientist, hypothesizes that the human soul is made up of two separate and contrasting entities- fundamentally representing good and evil. Dr. Jekyll then discovers a potion that will separate the two beings, allowing him to transform into either one. His experiment comes to a tumultuous and tragic end when his evil self, Hyde, overpowers Dr. Jekyll; thus, eventually causing Dr. Jekyll's death. Robert Louis Stevenson builds up to his revelation that Jekyll and Hyde is an embodiment of one single person by developing the duality in other aspects of the book, including setting, characters, and ultimately, the duality of Jekyll and Hyde.

Robert Louis Stevenson subtly introduces the theme of duality through the setting of the story. As Mr. Utterson- Dr. Jekyll's lawyer- and his distant kinsman Mr. Enfield take a stroll, they walk down a street that has "an air of invitation... that [shines] out in contrast to it's dingy neighborhood". Yet, two doors from one corner, "a certain sinister block of building thrusts forward its gable on the street". The wall of the house is discolored with "marks of prolonged and sordid negligence". Having an unkempt building on a street that "pleases the eye of the passenger" with its "general cleanliness and gaiety of note" (3) shows duality because it exposes the street's contradictory sides. Dr. Jekyll's "dusty... dingy, windowless structure" (34) of a house compared to Mr. Hyde's elegant, "furnished with luxury and good taste" (31) apartment also depicts duality.

However, Stevenson expands the theme of duality by having the contrast between their houses reflect the duality of the characters in the novel. Duality existing between characters, as well as within the characters themselves, further develops the motif. Stevenson uses the character Dr. Lanyon, Dr. Jekyll's good friend, to act as a foil to Dr. Jekyll. While Dr. Jekyll feels open to theorizing about topics that could be labeled as controversial, Dr. Lanyon considers it "unscientific balderdash".

He also has an enormous sense of responsibility and loyalty towards Dr. Jekyll, regardless of the fact that he believes Dr. Jekyll is insane and "wrong in the mind" (12). Mr. Utterson is an example of inner duality, the contrast of dual parts of the human nature. Mr. Utterson is a man of "rugged countenance" that is never "lighted by a smile". He is "cold, scanty... embarrassed in discourse" yet somehow "lovable". Although he is austere with himself, he has an "approved tolerance" (1) for others and their errors.

Throughout the book, Robert Louis Stevenson has developed and focused the theme of duality for the purpose of leading up to the climax; the revealing of Jekyll's secret and the unveiling of the mystery behind the identity of Hyde. In Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case, Jekyll explains the duality of human nature through the example of himself. He has somehow manifested Hyde, his dual self. Hyde in many ways contradicts the nature of Dr. Jekyll.

While Jekyll is tall, lean and elderly, Hyde is short, younger in age, and apelike. Dr. Jekyll acts out of reason, contemplating everything he does; however, Hyde acts out of passion. Hyde murders Sir Danvers Carew out of a fit a passion causing him to leave half of the murder weapon in the street and the other half at his home in Soho. Jekyll tries to be morally ethical; he upholds the reputation that society has placed on him. Mr. Hyde is "wholly evil" (85); he commits ruthless crimes without the least twinge of guilt, he destroys "the balance of [Dr. Jekyll's] soul" (95), and ultimately takes over and controls Dr. Jekyll's identity. The duality present in the setting and in each of the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde supports the theory that duality is everywhere.

One of the most complex structures containing duality is the soul. Every human has a dual, subconscious self that is suppressed under the ego. For many years, Dr. Jekyll has no implication that there is another completely separate entity inside of him; that he has a pure evil such as Hyde inside of him. The truth of the matter is that everybody has a 'Hyde' inside of himself or herself.

However, Hyde is not the only doppelganger that exists within oneself, for the nature of the soul is much more intricate and cannot be categorized simply into good and evil, as Dr. Jekyll thought it could.