Dr. Jekyll Essay - 1067 Words

In the Victorian Era, one of the most important parts of one’s everyday life was the need to protect his or her reputation. While some abided by the Victorian moral code of conduct, others kept their evil hidden in an attempt to secure their reputation. Because of this, creating excuses for one’s actions were commonplace. As seen in the last chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, titled, â€Å"Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case†. In this final chapter, Dr. Henry Jekyll writes a letter to his only good friend left, Mr. John Utterson. Throughout the novella, Mr. Utterson tries to uncover the mystery of Mr. Edward Hyde. Dr. Jekyll, in an attempt to save his reputation, makes excuses for Hyde’s†¦show more content†¦Through the sympathy that Utterson feels, the blame is effectively pushed unto Hyde, saving Jekyll’s reputation. In order to make his point more believable, it is important that Jekyll includes a back story explaining exactly why he created Hyde to begin with. Jekyll is an intelligent, well-respected man in his community with large sums of money, yet he turns himself into Hyde, who is hated by nearly everyone upon first-glance. While this is a confusing state of events, Jekyll gives a historical precedent to facilitate his explanation. In the opening of his letter, Jekyll gives an in-depth description of the pressures he faced being born â€Å"to a large fortune, endowed besides with excellent parts, inclined by nature to industry, fond of the respect of the wise and good among my fellow men, and thus, as might have been supposed.† (47). Being born into wealth and respect gave Jekyll no chance to escape societal pressures, which were exceptionally high during the Victorian Era. Jekyll continues by asserting that he â€Å"found it hard to reconcile with [his] imperious desire to carry [h is] head high and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public. Hence it came about that [he] concealed [his] pleasures.† (48). Jekyll’s conflict between societies expectations and what he really wants to do leads him to find a solution: Hyde. When Jekyll first turns into Hyde, he is in awe because heShow MoreRelatedDr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Essay1518 Words   |  7 PagesThe purpose of my essay is to compare and contrast the historical fiction, drama novel titled, the Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, and the horror, scientific fiction, drama novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. I will compare the two novels and show hoe these two authors represent how you can take two people that have a lot of guilt and either live with it or change yourself and circumstances. One lives with it by his actions towards hisRead More dr jekyll and mr hyde Essay1196 Words   |  5 Pages Jekyll and Hyde Analysis In this essay on the story of Jekyll and Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson I will try to unravel the true meaning of the book and get inside the characters in the story created by Stevenson. A story of a man battling with his double personality. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hyde becomes Jekylls demonic, monstrous alter ego. Certainly Stevenson presents him immediately as this from the outset. Hissing as he speaks, Hyde has quot;a kind of black sneering coolness .Read MoreDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay800 Words   |  4 Pages Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay In Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll’s struggle between two personalities is the cause of tragedy and violence. Dr. Jekyll takes his friends loyalty and unknowingly abuses it. 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Even though Jekyll hasRead More The Gothic Novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay examples1403 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent can The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde be viewed as a gothic novel? Jekyll and Hyde is a gothic novel. It was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, he got the idea for the story after a dream he had. The word ‘Goth’ is originally from a German tribe and has come to mean ‘barbarian’ and later know as ‘Gothic’. In Gothic Literature certain features are expected. These are supernatural events, have villains and hero characters, strange weather, horror, mystery and deathsRead MoreStevensons Representation of Evil in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay1424 Words   |  6 PagesStevensons Representation of Evil in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a classic novel telling the story of the struggle between good and evil. The good being shown in the form of a well-respected Doctor Henry Jekyll and the evil being released from a lengthy repression in the form of Mr Edward Hyde. In my essay I will be concentrating on the influences of the Victorian age and how Stevenson involved aspects of his own life into the writing of the bookRead MoreAnalysis of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay557 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Everyone has heard of Jekyll and Hyde. The two infamous characters that portray the main roles in The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Yet, even with this phenomenal status of the book, surprisingly, not many people know what is really represented inside its pages. Firstly, to understand what made The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde a classical story known by young and old alike, we must look at where it began. AsRead MoreDr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Duality Essay1502 Words   |  7 PagesIn the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson provides insight into the inner workings of the duality that exists within humans. Dr. Jekyll is a well-respected doctor in his community while his differing personality Mr. Hyde is hideous and considered by the public as evil based on appearance. As the novel progresses Dr. Lanyon begins to investigate Mr. Hyde, he begins to realize similarities between both Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll such as their handwriting which results