The duality of man is the concept in which a person is twofold, and he or she cannot be good without also possessing an ability to be evil. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde offers a perfect example of duality between its two characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The names Jekyll and Hyde have become synonymous with modern-day borderline personality disorder, or a person with dual personalities, which is closely interrelated with this concept. This is commonly termed “Jekyll and Hyde” personality (Engel 2). The reason this has become a common saying is because these characters are close foils to one another, one possessing morals and the other being amoral. Stevenson depicts this dualism in personality by having
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Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde is their differing morals. Jekyll is characterized as having morals while Hyde is characterized as amoral. Jekyll says he has two characters, one “wholly evil” and the other still the “old Henry Jekyll.” and that Hyde is “a being inherently malign and villainous” whose every act is selfish and relentless like a “man of stone” (Stevenson 45-46). Every character that has either come into contact with or listened a story about Hyde confirms this. They each come to the conclusion that he is similar to a …show more content…
The evidence of several stories or interactions with Hyde have taken place outside of his or Jekyll’s home while any narrative of Jekyll takes place exclusively inside of his own home reveals this difference in behavior. Subsequently, Mr. Utterson defines Jekyll as a “recluse” (24). Whenever Jekyll is directly involved in the story, such as at his dinner party (12), during Mr. Utterson’s confrontation with him (19), and while he is speaking with Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield at his window (25) the event always takes place with Jekyll inside of his own residence. Hyde, though, is persistently seen outside, as observed in the incident involving the child (3), Sir Carrew’s murder (14), and Mr. Utterson 's encounter with Hyde (8, 9). This difference in behavior carries over into divergent physical actions and, accordingly, the only time that Hyde is directly involved in the story as being inside in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is when Dr. Jekyll kills himself and Mr. Hyde. Jekyll’s suicide goes directly against what Hyde wants because it will also kill him. Other examples include the crimes committed by Hyde, primarirly the murder of Sir Danvers Carrew. With this murder comes Jekyll 's assertion that he feels remorse for his other half’s actions (Stevenson 19, 22 and Eigner 327), promoting the understanding that Jekyll and Hyde behave as polar
Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde is their differing morals. Jekyll is characterized as having morals while Hyde is characterized as amoral. Jekyll says he has two characters, one “wholly evil” and the other still the “old Henry Jekyll.” and that Hyde is “a being inherently malign and villainous” whose every act is selfish and relentless like a “man of stone” (Stevenson 45-46). Every character that has either come into contact with or listened a story about Hyde confirms this. They each come to the conclusion that he is similar to a …show more content…
The evidence of several stories or interactions with Hyde have taken place outside of his or Jekyll’s home while any narrative of Jekyll takes place exclusively inside of his own home reveals this difference in behavior. Subsequently, Mr. Utterson defines Jekyll as a “recluse” (24). Whenever Jekyll is directly involved in the story, such as at his dinner party (12), during Mr. Utterson’s confrontation with him (19), and while he is speaking with Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield at his window (25) the event always takes place with Jekyll inside of his own residence. Hyde, though, is persistently seen outside, as observed in the incident involving the child (3), Sir Carrew’s murder (14), and Mr. Utterson 's encounter with Hyde (8, 9). This difference in behavior carries over into divergent physical actions and, accordingly, the only time that Hyde is directly involved in the story as being inside in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is when Dr. Jekyll kills himself and Mr. Hyde. Jekyll’s suicide goes directly against what Hyde wants because it will also kill him. Other examples include the crimes committed by Hyde, primarirly the murder of Sir Danvers Carrew. With this murder comes Jekyll 's assertion that he feels remorse for his other half’s actions (Stevenson 19, 22 and Eigner 327), promoting the understanding that Jekyll and Hyde behave as polar