Comparing Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde By Robert Stevenson

Both novels, Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Stevenson were written in the end of the Victorian era. Gender is a big factor in both of the books and how women were seen in the Victorian era. Stevenson’s book does not mention women very often and when he does they are referred to as ambiguous. Martin’s novel is written in a female perspective and how the poor and the rich are in different levels of society. There are many comparisons and differences between both of the books and they show gender, social class, realistic, un-natural, and morals. Hierarchy in both of the books is very evident and it showed who was on the top of the social class and who was at the bottom. It did not always have to do with money either, but with gender. Stevenson’s book is told by a lawyer named Mr. Utterson and he was every important and proper when speaking. Dr. Jekyll was also a very high class and important man in their community where he could do no wrong. Dr. Jekyll states that he was, “…fond of respect of the wise and good of among my fellow-men, and thus, as might have been supposed, with every …show more content…
Jekyll being such a kind man and the bad side of him that everyone has. Evil can come out of anyone and overpower someone’s personality. Another similarity was social class in both of the books it was evident that social class in the Victorian era was very important. Women were not treated like we are now and that showed in both of the books. The differences in the books were in Stevenson’s version there is no women that they really talk about that much and in Martin’s book the story is coming from a women. There are two different perspectives one of a man and one of a woman and that makes it different. Since Mary Reilly is writing in her journal what happens in her life it is more realistic and believable where in Stevenson’s book it sounds more