How Does Stevenson Explore The Notion Of Duality Throughout The Novel Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde?

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How Does Stevenson Explore The Notion Of Duality Throughout The Novel Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde?

Robert Louis Stevenson is renowned all over the world today for his contributions to English literature; he makes his skill evident in his ability to utilize the duality of soul concept through example of one Henry Jekyll, showing in many ways what can and does happen when Jekyll decides to experiment with the aspect of his evil side and bring it to the surface as the twisted character of Edward Hyde; incorporating the interplay of good and evil, in his novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, published in 1886. Stevenson creates an effective mystery tale set in Victorian London and does this by presenting sub themes that relate to the central theme of duality. He keeps readers engaged with the developing plot and unravels pieces of the puzzle as the story unfolds, creating an effective mystery tale while his emotions are shown as the nature of humankind and Victorian moralities are explained in one of the most famous novels of the present day.

In the story I have noted that Stevenson presents the reader with the complexities of human nature through his portrayal of characters. For example, he describes Utterson as being "dreary, and, yet somehow lovable", he then reveals that although he "enjoyed the theatre" he had not been for "twenty years". These descriptions are contradictory and reveal that Utterson has two sides to his personality, one of which he now seeks to suppress, the other a respectable, reliable and responsible man. I believe that Stevenson needs readers to relate to and rely on Utterson as he is the most frequent narrator of the story, therefore he presents him with this censored past where he used to be much more outgoing, yet now he is old and respectable. Also, Victorians were much more impressionable than people of the present day, therefore Utterson's upkeep of his respectable, sensible side to his personality publicly and the fact that he "drank gin when he was alone", which helps us to warm to him even more, was vital to Stevenson's success in displaying the central theme of Duality through the sub themes of Suppression and Respectability, explored through the character of Dr. Utterson. I think this is successful because even in a character such as Utterson, who we all come to empathise with and rely on, can be susceptible to duality, just as any human being can, therefore it makes us think and question ourselves.
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Another way in which Stevenson represents Duality is through the setting of the door in the first chapter; aptly titled "Story of The Door". The door is situated on a typical, fairly rich Victorian street which is described to have "cleanliness and gaiety of note", this gives the impression that this area has a reputation to upkeep, however, the splendid view of the street is ruined by a door which stands out somewhat, "Blistered and distained" with "prolonged and sordid negligence". This description uses great imagery that causes an impact on the reader. One interpretation a reader could ...

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