Examine critically the theme of duality in R.L. Stevenson’s ‘Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde’ Essay

Man is not truly one but truly 2 this message depicts the basic p cumulation of the fiction The Strange look of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. R.L. Stevenson was a marvelous novelist who fascinated the world with his originality of ideas and power to tell a story. His narrative skill, the unusual theme and the sensitive use of language makes his story genuinely absorbing and engrossing. This take hold reflects Stevensons reaction to the Victorian society, which was known for its strict rules. Stevenson, through his book, also attacks the men of his epoch, who were respectable by daytime but were demons at night. Stevenson was brought up in a Calvinistic background, as his nurse was a follower of Calvinism. From a young age, she instil take into him the consequences of sin and the repentance in hell. Due to this, his book also has whatsoever Biblical and mythological references.The book attacks the theme of human infallibility, too- the belief that no human can ever go wrong and that they can never make mistakes. The story is also similar to Mary Shelleys book, Frankenstein, as in both(prenominal) the stories monsters are created, and these monsters eventually record their masters and create havoc in the lives of many. Even Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution is reflected in the story as some of the characters, mainly, Edward Hyde, display a lot of characteristics and mannerisms that are animalistic in nature.There are many themes in the book and one theme that features prominently throughout the book is the theme of dichotomy. Stevenson portrays this duality in almost all of his characters, mainly the protagonist, Dr. Henry Jekyll. There is contradiction in e very(prenominal)thing, too- the characters, the setting and the atmosphere, as well.The character of Dr. Jekyll is coloured with deep shades of duality. He was a typical Victorian gentleman, who was on the pink of proprieties. He always postulateed the best and was a very so phisticated man who had a very good taste in art as well. Though he was a smooth-faced and a well made man, he had a crumpled and distorted life history. But Jekylls weakness that finally ruined him was his too much yearning for a good reputation, which eventually, cost him dearly. Also, his compulsive nature could be the cause of his destruction as professed(prenominal)ly, he was very daring and always did something unconventional. He was unorthodox and dared to tread on a highway which others, in the same profession, would rather not wear. He had a profound interest in the duplicity of life and the duality of mans character, which hightail it him to further experiment with his life and tidy sum.It did nothing much but to further lead him on the path of self-destruction, as later he had no give over himself and his actions. In a way, the society could be held responsible for the increase in Jekylls secret desires. Victorian society, at that time was known for its rigidity a nd rigidity and this rigidity made reputation the top priority for all gentlemen. People struggled to live up to societys standards as the society condemned and disapproved of anything unconventional. But, inspite of this, some men indulged in their fantasies. So in this way, the book also focuses on Victorian hypocrisy, as the Victorian gentleman was full of pretence. It shows the double standards of most people, as in that respect was a wide gap of difference between their public life and their private life. Jekyll wanted to fulfill his desires but at the same time he wanted freedom from punishment freedom from a tainted reputation.The wish to go against societys rigid rules without losing his status and reputation was Jekylls ultimate goal. The only way to achieve this almost perfect, yet impossible goal was by Jekyll creating another identity of his own and he achieved this with the help of the transforming conscription. Thus, Edward Hyde, Jekylls pure, unadulterated evil form , was born. Through Hyde, Jekyll could fulfill all his secret passions and could indulge in illicit pleasure, as he wanted, without putting his reputation and friendly status at stake. Unlike others, who felt a distaste of life upon seeing Hyde, Jekyll felt a leap of welcome whenever Hyde would surface because Hyde was like a separate, unknown channel through which Jekyll could satisfy his lust for evil.The physical description of both, the protagonist and the antagonist, is very contradictory as well. While Jekyll was a large, superior and a smooth-faced man, Hyde was dwarfish and laboriously human. The very sight of Hyde arouses fear in people because of his horrendous looks and weird stature. Hyde was not only damn but inorganic. There is contradiction as he gave an impression of deformity although he was not and he was in accompaniment very speedy but his body looked tremendously weak. He was a murderous medley of timidity and boldness. Apart from character, there was a m ajor difference in their physical appearance as well. In the beginning Hyde is shown to be much smaller in stature than Jekyll and this shows that the evil in Jekyll was belownourished at showtime but as time passes, and the frequency of Hydes activities increase, so does the evil in Jekyll.And finally, towards the end, we come to know that the stature of Hyde had increased in size, and this is significant of the fact that the evil in Jekyll had finally overpowered the good. Hydes hand too, stood pale in comparison with the hand of Jekylls. Jekylls hand was a healers hand, professional in shape and size. As was known to all, it was large, firm, white and comely. Whereas Hydes hand was totally opposite. It was lean, corded, knuckly, of a dusky pallor, and thickly shaded with a swarthy growth of hair. Despite all the differences, and also being aware of peoples reaction towards Hyde, Jekyll still cared a lot or so Hyde it was more like a acquire and son relationship.But for Hyd e, it didnt make a difference as he continued to use Jekyll as he had always been doing from the start. Jekyll had more than a fathers interest, Hyde had more than a sons indifference. For Hyde, Jekyll was like a cave in which he could hide from the world. Jekyll didnt want to admit it initially, but he delighted in the adventures of Hyde. He had taken his secret for granted and thought that he sat beyond the reach of fate. Gradually, the bestial part in him took over and Jekyll was well aware of this fact as he realizes that he was slowly losing hold of my original and better self, and fitting slowly incorporated with my second and worse.Jekyll had known all along that by his experimenting, he was putting his life in danger and risked death. But at the same time, he was also excited by his discovery, which made him enjoy life to the fullest without the burden of responsibilities. It absolutely exhilarated him. The temptation of a discovery so singular and profound at last overcame the suggestions of alarm.Stevenson also portrays the theme of duality in the minor characters of the book like Mr. Utterson and Dr. Lanyon. Utterson was a man of rugged consent and a lawyer by profession and also Jekylls friend, who later unravels the mystery. The duality in Uttersons character is clearly seen in the opening lines itself. He was never lighted by a smile and was backward in sentiment lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable. Dr. Lanyons character too has shades of duality. He was boisterous and he was theatrical as well. Even his physical appearance is slightly contrasting. He was a healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman with a shock of hair prematurely white.His reaction to Jekylls discovery, i.e. the transcendental medicine, is contradictory as well. His reaction was a mixture of disapproval and curiosity. Since he was orthodox, and preferred to travel on the beaten path, he disapproved of Jekylls research as scientific heresies but on the other hand, it was Lanyons curiosity that ultimately led to his death, as the law was too shocking for him to bear. The harsh reality was unpalatable and to Lanyon, death was an answer to the frightening realities of life. Hydes servant, who was a woman, has a streak of duality in her character as well. She was a wicked woman, whose face was smoothed by hypocrisy. She had excellent manners but she was of a sadistic nature. In other words, she was a servant well suited for Hyde.The theme of duality is emphasized through the setting. In the beginning of the story itself, we see the contradiction in the setting. The setting is of a by driveway in a busy quarter of London where Utterson and his cousin, Enfield go for their Sunday walk. There is a contrast between the street and the neighborhood. The street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighborhood, like a fire in a forest. The city, too where the story takes place, is seemingly divided into two parts the Old townspeople and the New Town and t he atmosphere is totally different in both the towns. The respectable and the sophisticated gentlemen resided in the New Town but at night they went to the Old Town to indulge in their secret passions as the Old Town had gambling, sex etc. This shows the duality of the men of those times. Even the house of Jekyll has a contradictory appearance. The back door of the house bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid sloppiness.The house was a symbol of the human heart, as the house had no window. This corresponds with the minds inability to reach out to others. This is exactly what the problem had been with Jekyll. He had been unable to confide in anyone about his problem and if he had, the tragedy could maintain been averted. The door to the house was equipped with neither bell nor knocker and was blistered and distainted. other symbolic inanimate object in the story was the cabinet door in Jekylls house.That door was the passage to the truth. Jekyll was hiding behind that door and was claustrophobic to come out because Hyde could surface anytime and be in control of him. The door prevented the truth from being found out. The intense drama was going on at both sides of the door as on one side Utterson and Jekylls servant Poole were trying to break in and on the other side, Jekyll was trying to confront hidden. The two sides of the door could represent the two sides of the human personality. The door could also represent Jekylls evil side. Jekyll had nurtured and fostered the evil in him, so much that it was hard to break it down. Hence, Utterson and Poole had a tough time in breaking down the door.The atmosphere of the book contributes to the increasing tension and suspense.The fog is symbolic too, and it symbolizes the fact that there is fog over peoples mind and eyes and it prevents them from seeing the truth. It also shows their inability to communicate with others. The fog keeps randomly covering up current parts of London everytime and t his represents the fact that Utterson kept getting close to the truth and yet was unable to put his finger on it. The truth was right under his nose and yet, he was unable to see it.The language used by Stevenson is simple and easy to understand yet it is very effective and is lined with symbolic meanings. Many figures of speech have been made use of such as similes, metaphors and alliterations. Stevenson uses many striking similes such as Hyde would pass away like a stain of speck upon a mirror- to describe how Hyde would just be able to disappear and in his place, would be Jekyll. Another simile used is as brown as umber-Stevenson uses this to describe the fog of London. Even when comparing the street to the neighborhood, in the earlier chapters of the book, Stevenson says that the street stood in contrast to the neighborhood, like a fire in a forest. To describe what Jekyll could do as Hyde, Stevenson uses the metaphor spring headlong into the sea of liberty.This effectively con veys the idea to the readers about the freedom Jekyll got by being Hyde. Many alliterations have been used as well. One such example is bitter bad and this is used to describe Jekylls desperate need for the drug. Jekyll is also later referred to as a double dealer. The alliteration is also seen when Stevenson describes the character of Utterson lean, long, dusty, dreary. Some of the names of the characters have a meaning as well.For instance, the name of Hyde gives the readers an impression that the character is a mysterious, shady and a secretive one. Even the name of Jekylls servant, Poole, is significant. He was very loyal to his master and was hence, a pool of dark secrets. Stevenson also uses a pun in his story. This is used when Utterson goes hunting for Hyde. Utterson says that If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek. Stevenson has also cleverly made the use of animal imagery to describe Hyde. He says that Hyde had a ape-like fury and a hissing intake of breath and he snarled aloud into savage laugh and he also had light footsteps like animals do.I think the story has contemporary relevance with its assort to modern unethical medical practices such as genetic engineering and also cloning. The story of Jekyll can also be linked to the plight of a drug addict as Jekyll is shown to be getting more and more addicted to the transforming draught-just like the modern drug addict. But the consequences in both the cases are similar as in both cases, the person would regret it in the end -like Jekyll did and then there would be no way out, and it would be difficult for them to give it up, even if they wanted to.Jekylls mistake was not only his addiction to the drug it was also his temptation for evil. Wisdom demands that we should not go to frontiers where we are forbidden to do so. Forbidden knowledge must remain unknown, but Jekylls dabbling and experimenting crossed all borders and broke all frontiers. One of the messages that the book conveys is that goodnes s must always be vigilant in the battle against evil, otherwise evil will take command and that is exactly what had happened to Jekyll which ultimately led to his downfall.Another message that Stevenson tries to convey to the readers through his book is that no human being is totally good or bad- humans are a mixture of both. No one is black i.e. evil and no one is white i.e. good. Every person is a shade of gray. All humans do have an animal instinct in them and also a little evil. Its just been caged in the depths of their personality. But once it comes out, it comes out roaring, as it has been inhibit for a long time. By stating this point, Stevenson directly attacks the myth of human perfectibility. The book also deals with the reconciliation of opposites. What Jekyll wanted was to have a good time and a good reputation as well and these are two things that never go together. You have to pay a price for everything and Jekyll escaped this by replacement identities. But in the e nd, Jekyll had to pay a heavy price for his deeds- a price much more than what he had bargained for