Discuss Stevensons portrayal of the nature of good and evil and the dual nature of mans personality Essay

Question- Discuss St change protrudesons portrayal of the nature of reliable and abhorrence and the dual nature of piece of musics personality. What does this show us about St level(p)sons view of puritanical Britain?Born into the middle-class, prosperous district of new Edinburgh in Scotland, 1850, the p transformolescent Robert Louis St crimsonsons life was a existence of foes and contradictions. Just a few miles from his motherland lay the slums of obsolete Edinburgh- a destitute sprawl of old urban living, disease and vice widespread and each told to common land. The young Master Stevenson was prohibit from this atomic number 18a, quite confined to his bedroom with his fanatic religious nanny- largely in part to his poor health and fragile immune system.His nanny, Alison Cunningham, was a beloved Calvinist, a religion with a mixture of two Christian and catereration of tribes religion ideals. Calvinism teaches that both homo being is born into sin, and thus essential take it upon themselves to seek beau ideal, going against their essential inclination. This rule, authorise Total Depravity, was taught to the young Stevenson by his nanny, therefore leading the young seven year old to enquiry his every step, paving the way for horrific nightmares of Hell and the fury of the D unfairness.As Stevenson grew up he effectuate himself swept up in the cultural mutation that was Bohemianism. A now teenage Stevenson found himself tending raucous parties and living a second hand existence in near poverty, as what was expect from any bohemian person. He as well as found himself increasingly attached to the bottle and, on to a greater extent beca utilize genius occasion, visited prostitutes- an solve that was seen as greatly immoral in the puritanical era and an action that would certainly allow shocked his nanny. This deliberate act of rebellion shocked his parents and they temporarily disowned him and, although, Stevenson kept his at titudes and dislike of religion, the fall-out with his parents made him apparent movement the gulf in lifestyle that he and his parents had and the arguments excessively led him to question just what was right, and what was evil.Whilst travelling Stevenson met a certain Fanny Osborne, a women both older then him and already married. They had a short lived affair originally Osborne absconded, leaving her husband for the young Stevenson and the couple soon wed. Second marriages were considered a taboo topic in the s trace-laced era, and Stevenson at oneness time again found himself branded as evil and ignorant, further stimulating Stevensons mind on right and wrong.Stevensons first base wrote The strange expression of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in 1885 and the account make was released a year freshr. Rumour has it that Stevenson wrote the throw whilst intemperately drugged the author had a considerable liking of Cocaine, a psychotropic drug. The drug would have momentarily cha nged his perceptions and view on the world, and this is perhaps reflected in the book, further strengthening the divide that was beginning to shape his book. The book was slightly commonplace even drew heavy criticism from some scholars who read the book as an allegory of inappropriate sexual propensitys. At the while Stevenson re-buffed the ideas, through timidity of the popularity of his book diminishing, further he new-mader admitted that the book could be read as an allegory of the troubles of overnice society.There are many themes that run deep through Stevensons novella, all centred about the line that divides good and evil. This topic of morality particularly fascinated the straight-laced audience, largely thanks to the strength of the British Empire. The common Londoners hear tales of strange, far-away lands and peculiar, ritual-abiding tribes man and started to question their own rituals and actions. Stevensons book tapped into this market, petition whether what was considered good and evil was good and evil everywhere, or whether distinct people had different opinions on the difficult and dividing topic.Stevensons fable begins with The account of the door, an opening chapter which tells the friendship of Mr Utterson and Mr Enfield, two respectable men who balk to indulge in the spread of gossip. However they eventually begin to handle the indecent trampling of a small girl, draw outted by a dusky, twisted man, later predictd as Hyde. The event that Hyde is introduced before Jekyll keeps the character of Mr Hyde mellisonant in the mind, and the irregular pattern (time-frame) of the book leads to the resulting conclusion being even more startling, especially for the squeamish audience who wouldnt have expected anything similar to the actual ending.The chapter is in any case rich in subtle foretell of opposition and restraint. He was austere with himself drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages, is a perfect role model of Stevensons subtle situation. The fact that Utterson drank Gin when alone, a drink regarded at the time as a poor-mans drink, a drink that was crude and often associated with criminals and vice, to snuff out his thirst, nay, desire for rich wine represents Jekylls attitude towards Hyde Jekyll deliberately starves himself of the drug he slowly becomes addicted to, the drug that turns himself into Hyde despite despising Hyde with every operating system in his frame. up to now Jekyll quench feels a craving for the drug and has to substitute himself with other activitys, despite his attempts at distraction resulting in vain.The backcloth and atmosphere of Enfields recollection of the night when he first met Hyde in like manner reflects the duality of man, a crucial cyclorama in Stevensons book. A black winter morningthere was literally nothing exactly lamps being a prime example of this. This abnormal lighting land site would produce shadows- the shadows repre senting the underclass of London society, the people that would hug street walls late at night, trying desperately not to be seen as they went about their shady business. The inherent image of the black winter morning also juxtaposes the artificial light of the lamps, depicting the fact that, in the Victorian era, the citizens were of all time trying to triumph over nature, attempting to create social standards that even nonplus Nature abided to. The stark contrast between dark and light is nigh ignored in this quote, as the blackness of the night and the brightness of the lamps amalgamate seamlessly into one another, thus representing Enfields confusion.This confusion is epitomised by the quote I got into the state of mind when a man listens and listens and belongs to long for the sight of a policeman,. Enfield states his nervousness and longing for a policeman, a rather unusual trait as the Metropolitan Police Force was still in its infancy and battling many an unfavourable opi nion. Also the character was earlier expound as a rather dull man, the man about town, an cognized encounter who had seen just about every city occurrence. Yet here Stevenson describes him as worried and nervous, determined to find a element of the establishment that was so untrusted just about town. As well as this Stevenson implies that he character posterior adept something is wrong he has potentially sourced the overbear threat of Mr Hyde.This demonstrates the main antagonists intimidating nature before we are even introduced to him. This fear of the unknown could be related to Stevensons upbringing, surround by religion and threat of the Devil. In Christianity, and Calvinism, the Devil is both feared and yet paradoxically respected. His fundamentalist Nanny would have taught him of the threat of the Devil and also of the indicate why the Devil was cast into Heaven (most prominently for failing to come across that he was created by God (that he had a dual nature)). T his links in with Hydes nature and internal struggle- he give notice neer fully become Jekyll because he was created BY Jekyll.The quote like a forest in a fire is a good example of Stevensons views on current society and the changing world that was revolving around him. The simile is used to emphasise the differences between the old, poor row of houses and the new, fastness class street- no uncertainty a product of the industrial mutation that was currently sweeping the country. Forests contain nothing but wood, and the single most d individual retirement accountous thing one could encounter in a forest is fire, where the spitting flames spread from tree to tree.The simile could be linked to the Victorian industrial revolution Stevenson views it as a hungry flame, sweeping away all of natures beauty and all of what the world used to comprise of, for now metal and steel is offset to replace the natural woods used to build shelter, and trees were being cut out down to feed machines, which spat out new inventions and ideas. The quote has a negative edge relating to the industrial revolution, which fits in with Stevensons lifestyle and ethics. For he was a romanticist, a bohemian- interested in the preservation of nature, which they taked directly fed and influenced literature, poetry and art. The quote symbolises the divide that the industrial revolution was creating, and also questions whether the industrial revolution is good or bad, similarly to how the main theme of the book questions whether gentlemans rattling are good or evil.The second chapter, entitled The Search for Mr. Hyde continues with some important quotations regarding the duality of man, It was his custom of a Sun twenty-four hours, when this meal was over, to sit mingy by the fire, a volume of some dry out out divinity, being one of these. The dry divinity means a religious book or text, and the reading of these kinds of texts was considered a honourable and dutiful act in the Victorian era. However Utterson describes the text as dry- he finds it boring, dull. Thus the quote informs us that Utterson sticks to conventional Victorian traditionalism, yet aches with boredom in doing so.He yearns to be doing something else, somewhere else but feels compelled to take over his upstanding Sunday custom. This is typical of Victorian society and a crucial element of understanding the duality of man. For the Victorians tried to quench mans natural instinct and mould him into a figure they determined respectable. Yet in pushing, in repressing people so far man rebelled, and began to question the life he lived under, leading to all of the Victorian vices, sex, alcohol and homosexuality becoming acceptable. Indeed, if it wasnt for the Victorians trounceion of the nonage and the poor we probably wouldnt be living in such a free society.The usage of pathetic fallacy is a common and important tool in Stevensons novella. The taint increases in enlightenment and prom inence whenever Hyde is near , and the fog clears towards the end of the invoice when the mystery is close to being unravelled. the first fog of the season, a great chocolate non-w turn overe pall lowered over the heavens is a quote from the chapter The Carew finish off Case and the use of pathetic fallacy has connotations of impending danger as well as connotations of the industrial revolution. The chocolate coloured essence of the fog has implications of the industrial revolution poisoning the fog, changing its colour and also the times when the fog appears.The fog is stated as being the first of the season, yet the timeline would mean the fog was unnaturally early, implying the industrial revolution is stultificationing and manipulating Mother Nature. The fog could be interpreted as nothing more then smog, a poisonous relation of the cleaner and more natural fog. The relationship between the unnatural smog, produced by the industrial revolution and the natural fog could also be linked to the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde Hyde is a less natural side effect of Jekylls curiosity, Hyde is the poisonous, dangerous aspect of Jekyll. Jekyll could be interpreted as the influence of nature on Victorian society, an old-fashioned traditionalist being poisoned by new ideas and new beliefs.The mop up of Sir Danvers Carew is an important part of the book, and Stevensons description adds to the sense of confusion and fear that is created. We are fed the murder from the viewpoint of a maid who was romantically given just before the crime was committed. he was trampling his victim under footunder which the drum were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway is an extract from the murder description. The description is vivid, Stevenson notes how the maid heard the bones shatter, surely an alarming, sickening sound.The murder is incredibly violent, representing Hydes anger boiling to the surface- alas the exact reason for the murder is never truly revealed, leading us to think that Hyde needs violence to satisfy himself when he is allowed to roam free. The phrase the body jumped upon the roadway is also an interesting use of language, possibly representing the violence of the act the body has been hit and abused so hard it is physically moving away from Hyde, his blows have pushed it away. The phrase adds to the sense of strength Hyde possesses, making him an even more formidable character.with indescribable astonishment read the recognize of Gabriel John Utterson We first uplift the full name of Utterson in The Last Night, after Jekyll puts his name on his will. His name could be interpreted as some as incredibly of import to the bosh. There are many religious connotations in Stevensons novella, and Uttersons first name could be another of these connotations. In the religion of Christianity, Gabriel is the arch-angel of God, and Gods chief messenger. He passes on messages from God to various biblical figures, giving h im the title of Gods medium.His role in Christianity is similar to Gabriel John Uttersons in the Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, he retells messages between Lanyon and Jekyll, and also uncovers the truth by reading messages intended as replies to another. Uttersons first name also reveal his good side- he is a constant friend to Dr. Jekyll throughout the novella. Nearly every subdivision of the reading Victorian audience would be familiar with the arch-angel Gabriel, and many reviewers would have made the link between the two messengers. Stevenson could also of used Uttersons name as a way of stating that not everyone caught up in evil, is evil. Utterson is confronted with pure, undiluted evil a number of times in the story but he never once loses his sense of moral decency or moral fibre.The final chapter in Stevenson story contains the most information regarding the duality of man. The final chapter is in chronological order- right from Jekylls puerility to his death. The chapter also informs us of how Jekyll grew up harbouring an evil side. Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures being an example of his youthful, dual personality. A youthful Jekyll realises that, once one enters manhood and the adult world one must learn to conceal any hope or joyfulness for fear of be let down by society or taken avail of. So we learn that, even from childhood, Jekyll is living a lie and privateness his split personality from the world.I was in no sense a hypocrite both sides of me were in dead earnest is an example of a slightly older Jekylls newly stifled personality. He has laboured down his natural, animal-like instincts and replaced them with an acceptable, Victorian fictitious character attitude. He has learnt to ignore his impulse and instead confer to Victorian era conformity. He has become emotionally suppress and, whilst he is coping at the minute there will eternally be a threat of his emotions bubbling over in a cuckoo the Ripper type e mergence.My Devil had been long caged, it came out roaring instanter the spirit of Hell awoke in me and raged is an example of such an outburst. We know from the story that a drug causes Jekylls evil side to emerge but the warning Stevenson writes of is that anybody can be unleashed, any clement has the potential to be a crazed mass-murderer, or an evil psychopath if pushed (or oppressed) hard enough. This would of hit a chord with the reading audience who were still recovering from the Jack the Ripper attacks, which left many Londoners wondering just what kind of person could commit such crimes. The dissolvent? Anybody- for the Victorian style of living had the potential to depress, oppress and ultimately, end livesOverall, I believe Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde as a warning to the Victorian reader. He wanted the audience to realise that everyone, disregardless of social stature, finance or credibility, had the potential to be evil. Yet, in his novel la, Stevenson almost determines that there is no real definition of good and evil. The human body is a building complex machine and, like a snowflake, the human body changes with each individual.Humans realise and readily accept that every human has different digitprints yet seems to find it harder to link this fact with the human brain. For ultimately, every single human is different thus the guidelines of good and evil change with every single person. And, ultimately, who are we to question who is good and who is evil? There are thousands of different religions, what if they are all wrong and the one, unfeigned religion (if there is one) actually determines evil as good, and good as evil. We are just mere mortals, and the human brain is the most complex thing on the planet. Before we even begin to scrape the surface of this complex machine, we must first begin to understand the secrets of the universe, and life.Any apt fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the turnaround direction. So said Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century. I believe that this quote sums up Stevensons approach to the dividing line between good and evil. For where other people of the age, fresh from the horrors of the Ripper murders, strived to find a logical answer to the line between good and evil, Stevenson instead moved in the opposite direction. Rather then attempt to answer the question, he questioned the question, asking whether there was an answer to a question that people were still questioning. afterward all, how can one answer a question that is not even based on fact, or truth, but instead on pre erudition?Stevensons opinion on religion is prevalent throughout the story. The story has a number of biblical links, no doubt harking back to the long time he spent locked in his room with Alison Cunningham, whilst being fed awful stories of Hell and the Devil. T here are a number of religious links, one of these being This inexplicable incident, this reversal of my previous experience, seemed, like the Babylonian finger on the wall, to be spelling out the letters of my judgment.This quote mirrors the experience of Prince Belshazzar, a Babylonian prince featured in the book of Daniel. The prince, whilst dining one night, sees a mysterious, disembodied hand floating behind him. As he turned to face it, the hand begun writing in a mysterious code, on the wall. A translator later interpreted the coded writing as Thou art weighed In the balance and art found lacking. Later that night Belshazzar is murdered in peculiar circumstances, hence the popular saying the writing on the wall. Jekyll can see his impending doom, due to his evil exploits as Hyde but his good side is still portrayed by Stevenson, the use of religion is used for this.In the book, I believe Stevenson uses religion as a writing technique when Stevenson wants to specify the emot ive nature of people , he uses religious links and connotations. Hyde is incessantly associated with Hell and the Devil, whilst Jekyll and Utterson is associated with Gabriel, and the light side of religion. Religion is used to measure and signify, to equate and contrast. Religion also represents a divide in beliefs and personality. The end of the Victorian era was the first time, since the beginning of Christianity, that people were beginning to question and doubt religion. Jekyll and Hyde was penned during this time and concerns itself with the duality of man. Stevenson simply used the biggest cultural divide of the day religion, and weaved it into his book, making the theme of duality more relevant to the reading Victorian audience.Overall, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde questions and challenges what would have been conventional beliefs in the Victorian era. It makes the reader question his own sense of right and wrong, and challenges religion and science- the two cu ltures that were so opposed to each other in the Victorian ere. It incorporates the depression that surrounded the Victorian dynasty, the industrial revolution, the Jack the Ripper murders and the strict conformity of living the Victorians imposed. merely it also includes the first green shoots of hope that began to surface around the late 1800s- Charles Darwins The Theory of Evolution is integrated through Jekylls science and the fact that Jekyll, despite through the persona of Hyde, engaged in activities such as sex and alcoholism sent the message that man can experiment, as long as it didnt threaten or harm anyone else. The book was aware of the duality and diversity of its audience and revelled in this. Stevensons book was a revolution in itself. For it changed the conventional type of living and made people question the rules they lived under. And any book that can influence people on this scale is a rare, and beautiful, thing.The mark of a good action is that it appears inevit able in retrospect.