In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the author Robert Louis Stevenson uses the theme of dual identity to make a commentary on Victorian society and human nature. Stevenson is critical of the repression that exists within Victorian culture. He uses the motif of the double to demonstrate the dangers of refusing to acknowledge the animalistic nature of man. When this aspect of man is repressed and alienated, it grows even stronger and takes on a life of its own. Mr. Hyde is the frightening result. Thus, Stevenson is demonstrating the strength of man’s evil inclination, which cannot be subdued without consequences.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written in Bournemouth, England in the year 1886. The Victorian era started …show more content…
The motif of the double highlights man’s dual nature. When Victorian civilization tries to repress man’s instincts towards violence and sexuality, they grow stronger. We see this in the story when for two months, Dr. Jekyll tries to stop becoming Mr. Hyde: “I began to be tortured with throws and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught.” (Stevenson 49) Mr Hyde returns with greater strength than ever before. This is a direct comment on the danger of suppressing part of man’s personality, which was prevalent in Victorian culture. In the end, when one tries to suppress their evil side, it will gain complete control: “My devil had been long caged, and he came out roaring.” (Stevenson 49) Dr. Jekyll becomes powerless to control his evil self. Stevenson hints that had Dr. Jekyll tried to find a balance between him and Mr. Hyde, he would have been able to live a normal life: “but I had voluntarily stripped myself of all those balancing instincts by which even the worst of us continues to walk with some degree of steadiness among temptations; and in my case, be tempted, however slightly, was to fall.” (Stevenson 49). By accepting that man has an animal side and embracing it, man is essentially weakening the power of his
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written in Bournemouth, England in the year 1886. The Victorian era started …show more content…
The motif of the double highlights man’s dual nature. When Victorian civilization tries to repress man’s instincts towards violence and sexuality, they grow stronger. We see this in the story when for two months, Dr. Jekyll tries to stop becoming Mr. Hyde: “I began to be tortured with throws and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught.” (Stevenson 49) Mr Hyde returns with greater strength than ever before. This is a direct comment on the danger of suppressing part of man’s personality, which was prevalent in Victorian culture. In the end, when one tries to suppress their evil side, it will gain complete control: “My devil had been long caged, and he came out roaring.” (Stevenson 49) Dr. Jekyll becomes powerless to control his evil self. Stevenson hints that had Dr. Jekyll tried to find a balance between him and Mr. Hyde, he would have been able to live a normal life: “but I had voluntarily stripped myself of all those balancing instincts by which even the worst of us continues to walk with some degree of steadiness among temptations; and in my case, be tempted, however slightly, was to fall.” (Stevenson 49). By accepting that man has an animal side and embracing it, man is essentially weakening the power of his