he Evil within:
Background of the author as it pertains to theme in, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde”, by Robert Lewis Stevenson Understanding a work of fiction, just like understanding a work of art must first start by understanding the author, and his influences. Robert Lewis Stevenson, born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh to parents Tom Stevenson, and his mother, Margaret Stevenson. Also an ecclesiastical authority in his life was his grandfather Rev Lewis Balfour (Stevenson1)(Hodges 2). Due to his mothers illness brought on by the difficult birth, it was unsafe to have any more children. Robert Lewis was subsequently raised mostly by nannies (Hodges 2). Alison Cunningham, who came to care for him when he was a year and …show more content…
Although still a happy child, after the loss he became preoccupied with thoughts of death, the macabre, and the state of everyone’s soul (Hodges 8,9). A happy but somewhat fearful child, many times while walking the streets with his nanny Cummy, he was heard to mumble the lords prayer, lingering the part about the rod and staff because he thought that they could really do a good job of holding off an attacker (Stevenson 7). Likely providing the genesis of the cane that Mr. Hyde used to beat the old man with (Stevenson 29). The streets of Edinburgh were for the most part covered in soot and dirty, teaming with the poor and addicted and downtrodden, it was a melancholy sometimes creepy scene for a young boy on daily outings (Hodges 17). These streets were likely the model for those written about in, The Strange Tail Of Dr Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (Stevenson 10). When Lloyd was a little older his admired uncle Tom Alan Stevenson, who was in the habit of using his middle name as his only name, was described as having been at one time tall and strong, then had taken ill with general paralysis, more than likely syphilis, which is known take years to contort and distort both the body and mind of its victims leaving them hardly recognizable to those they once knew (Hodges, 20-21). This is likely the reason that his characters although stereotypical, are so rounded and …show more content…
Utterson the lawyer, describing him as a cold, stone faced rugged man, not even a particularly good talker, somewhat loveable, but at the same time old and dreary (Stevenson 1). Many of the characters have a duality about them, a sense of contradiction, reflecting the two sides of the psyche. Two close friends, and cousins, Mr. Enfield and attorney, Mr. Utterson are taking their peaceful Sunday stroll down a particularly bright and shiny London street, when passing a windowless building with a dark unkempt door (Stevenson,1). Mr. Enfield is repulsed to remember an incident that he had witnessed at the door he had come to refer to as, “Black Mail House” door. Mr. Utterson, being a relative of Mr. Ensfield’s, felt that it inquiring further would not be gossip (Stevenson 1). Continuing the story of how he had seen, on this very street, a short man walking quickly towards the corner, trample a young girl and continue walking as if a machine, leaving the girl bloody and bruised in the corner.(Stevenson,1) Later Mr. Ensfield struggled to describe him saying, “There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable“(Stevenson,5,9) The man was brought back to the scene and agreed to pay 100 pounds, a generous sum, for damages. However his appearance was disheveled and seemed to exhibit no remorse at all other than going inside the door and reappearing with 10 pounds in gold and a
Background of the author as it pertains to theme in, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde”, by Robert Lewis Stevenson Understanding a work of fiction, just like understanding a work of art must first start by understanding the author, and his influences. Robert Lewis Stevenson, born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh to parents Tom Stevenson, and his mother, Margaret Stevenson. Also an ecclesiastical authority in his life was his grandfather Rev Lewis Balfour (Stevenson1)(Hodges 2). Due to his mothers illness brought on by the difficult birth, it was unsafe to have any more children. Robert Lewis was subsequently raised mostly by nannies (Hodges 2). Alison Cunningham, who came to care for him when he was a year and …show more content…
Although still a happy child, after the loss he became preoccupied with thoughts of death, the macabre, and the state of everyone’s soul (Hodges 8,9). A happy but somewhat fearful child, many times while walking the streets with his nanny Cummy, he was heard to mumble the lords prayer, lingering the part about the rod and staff because he thought that they could really do a good job of holding off an attacker (Stevenson 7). Likely providing the genesis of the cane that Mr. Hyde used to beat the old man with (Stevenson 29). The streets of Edinburgh were for the most part covered in soot and dirty, teaming with the poor and addicted and downtrodden, it was a melancholy sometimes creepy scene for a young boy on daily outings (Hodges 17). These streets were likely the model for those written about in, The Strange Tail Of Dr Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (Stevenson 10). When Lloyd was a little older his admired uncle Tom Alan Stevenson, who was in the habit of using his middle name as his only name, was described as having been at one time tall and strong, then had taken ill with general paralysis, more than likely syphilis, which is known take years to contort and distort both the body and mind of its victims leaving them hardly recognizable to those they once knew (Hodges, 20-21). This is likely the reason that his characters although stereotypical, are so rounded and …show more content…
Utterson the lawyer, describing him as a cold, stone faced rugged man, not even a particularly good talker, somewhat loveable, but at the same time old and dreary (Stevenson 1). Many of the characters have a duality about them, a sense of contradiction, reflecting the two sides of the psyche. Two close friends, and cousins, Mr. Enfield and attorney, Mr. Utterson are taking their peaceful Sunday stroll down a particularly bright and shiny London street, when passing a windowless building with a dark unkempt door (Stevenson,1). Mr. Enfield is repulsed to remember an incident that he had witnessed at the door he had come to refer to as, “Black Mail House” door. Mr. Utterson, being a relative of Mr. Ensfield’s, felt that it inquiring further would not be gossip (Stevenson 1). Continuing the story of how he had seen, on this very street, a short man walking quickly towards the corner, trample a young girl and continue walking as if a machine, leaving the girl bloody and bruised in the corner.(Stevenson,1) Later Mr. Ensfield struggled to describe him saying, “There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable“(Stevenson,5,9) The man was brought back to the scene and agreed to pay 100 pounds, a generous sum, for damages. However his appearance was disheveled and seemed to exhibit no remorse at all other than going inside the door and reappearing with 10 pounds in gold and a