Gothic literature is didactic as it exposes the inner mechanisms of mans mind and the resulting repression within society. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ explores the nature of mankind, the inner psychology of man’s mind and the perversions that drives their behaviour through his protagonist, Dr Jekyll, a man who is hiding a darker side of him, Mr Hyde. Gothic literature, especially Stevensons’s novella also examines the dichotomy of society and the social construct within it, through the context of Victorian London.
Dr Jekyll is a man who embodies man’s dichotomy and the duality of man’s nature. In the novella, on one hand, we see him as a doctor, a man of high social class who’s social circle includes other respectable gentlemen such as himself.He is the very essence of a Victorian gentleman, he enjoys the right company and hosts lavish dinners “A fortnight later, by excellent good fortune, the doctor gave one of his pleasant dinners to some five or six cronies, all intelligent, reputable men…” …show more content…
This character is the complete opposite of Dr Jekyll, both in appearance and behaviour. Where Jekyll is described as “smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness”, Mr Hyde is described as “…pale and dwarfish” with an “…impression of deformity without any nameable malformation” and with “…a displeasing smile” Mr Hyde is a man who’s reflects the lowest class in Victorian society and commits the most heinous of crimes, driven by unspeakable
Dr Jekyll is a man who embodies man’s dichotomy and the duality of man’s nature. In the novella, on one hand, we see him as a doctor, a man of high social class who’s social circle includes other respectable gentlemen such as himself.He is the very essence of a Victorian gentleman, he enjoys the right company and hosts lavish dinners “A fortnight later, by excellent good fortune, the doctor gave one of his pleasant dinners to some five or six cronies, all intelligent, reputable men…” …show more content…
This character is the complete opposite of Dr Jekyll, both in appearance and behaviour. Where Jekyll is described as “smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness”, Mr Hyde is described as “…pale and dwarfish” with an “…impression of deformity without any nameable malformation” and with “…a displeasing smile” Mr Hyde is a man who’s reflects the lowest class in Victorian society and commits the most heinous of crimes, driven by unspeakable