Exploring the Duality of Human Nature in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Abstract

Evaluation of the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Human beings are imperfect and have double lives. An individual can try to hide their true identity but not in Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll's case. The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an exciting narration written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886, making it one of the famous stories. The novella is a depiction of duality in the human character. It provides integration between evil and good in Mr. Hyde’s and Dr. Jekyll’s personalities. Mr Hyde depicts the dark side; it is a story of the same man with two characters. Evil and good complement each other, but which one controls human nature? The controversy on which side to lean on leads to two personalities; evil and good. Stevenson’s story focuses purposely on the Victorian era, which saw the England transformation from economic growth, scientific works, and social life. The society was perfect until Mr. Stevenson spoke out after spotting the double life the Englishmen were living. According to (Mc Donald), Duality serves as a way for the modern reader to analyze late-Victorian literature and common late Victorian culture. The narration depicts Dr. Jekyll living a double life. Dr. Jekyll cannot afford to hide his identity as a monster and ends up in substance use to reveal the darkness in him. He is confronted with two personalities of good and evil for him to transform into a monster and a killer; Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde was out of consciousness and performed atrocities without fear of judgment from others. A respectable doctor lost his humanity to become a savage murderer. Society believes in perfection and is deemed a watchdog of conformity to morality. Individuals would rather hide their true selves and avoid a question from society. Dr. Jekyll is caught in a dilemma in the aftermath, whether to become Mr. Hyde or Dr. Jekyll. By becoming Mr. Hyde, he is freed from society's entanglement, the moral standards set. He can no longer fulfill his disreputable behaviour and noble ideas and become a sitting stool to his friends and social class. Dr. Jekyll suffers the melancholy of facing his desires and confrontations as a fence sitter and a struggle for a commonplace which he fails to find. The two sides of a coin of a single personality breed malice and mishap in the permissive society. This essay describes blackmail during the Victorian era and the duality of human nature in society. The Victorian era was framed as an epitome of exemplary morals and was regarded as a gem of England. The city of London was the bedrock for excellent morals and gained appraisal for its perfection. According to (Mack 2), In London, foreigners could see how wonderful it was to be a Victorian Englishman and experience it in all its grandeur. Unfortunately, this was a white elephant; there was something peculiar behind the Englishmen. The Victorian era failed to recognize the realities of human nature. People have different personalities and have hidden acts of violence, tremendous secrets, and mysterious undertakings in undercover concealing the rotten society. Mr. Hyde’s and Dr. Jelly’s characters do not conform to the Victorian Era. Victorian society emphasized cleanliness, honesty, respect, and purity. It was an enclosed society where it deprived freedom and free expression of personalities and ideologies. Reputation was highly valued and was associated with the profession, social status, and social conduct. According to (Saposnik), "Mr. Utterson the lawyer" is characterized immediately by his profession as well as by a somewhat bitter-sweet compound of surface harshness and internal sympathy. What person in his right thinking mind would purportedly trample a girl in the middle of the night without an apology or take any concern? Is this humanity? Where is, are the good people the Victorian Society boast about? Dr. Jekyll resorted to substance abuse to indulge in immorality in the absence of his conscience. Hyde attacks Sir Danvers Carew and beats him up using his walking stick. He died in cold blood, and atrocious Hyde disappeared. Hyde is the brutal embodiment of the moral, social, political and economic threats which shook the uncertain Victorian world (Saposnik). This purports that humankind is imperfect and the Victorian values are a hoax. The world is full of secrets. Stevenson keeps the story of the door undefined till the end, a story of an ugly man who made the doctor turn sick. He hides the identity of Mr. Hyde, who is the epitome of evil in the narration. Human nature has secrets, and when they come roaring out, they spit poison. Despite society’s position on morality, humans cannot hide their human identity. They are enslaved in certain appetites and desires that they live to sit upon only to manifest themselves ultimately. Stevenson points to Dr. Jekyll’s confession on harbouring secrets on certain wants. According to (Cohen 188), 'This Master Hyde, if he were studied,' thought he, 'must have secrets of his own: black secrets by the look of him; secrets compared to which poor Jekyll's worst would be like sunshine. The question that doubts the most is Dr. Jekyll’s decision to grant the atrocious Hyde access to his house and inherit it in the event of his death. This notion puts Mr. Utterson on his toes. He opts to be Mr. seek...