The Duplicity in Human Nature in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - Essay Example

3 April 2007 The Dupli in Human Nature in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson In 1886, 3 years after writing Treasure Island and in financial distress, Robert Louis Stevenson had a nightmare.1 And from this nightmare, he produced the famous literary classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.2 The novella (shorter than a novel yet longer than a short story) was highly acclaimed and widely accepted because the readers during the Victorian Period—the time the novel was first published—were able to relate it to social hypocrisy.3 The Victorian Era was characterized by strict moral codes that made society a prime scene for duplicity and two-facedness. “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde perfectly captured some readers’ fears that their carefully built society was hypocritical.”4 Although the idea of man’s double nature—the good and the bad—has been a topic of countless discussions and debates for centuries, Stevenson presented it most vividly in a way that only fiction can.5 It can be said that it is even an allegory6 of a philosophical sense, illustrating what Stevenson might deem as the true nature of man. Some perceive it to be the epitome of Sigmund Freud’s concept of the subconscious—with Mr. Hyde being Dr. Jekyll’s “subconscious desire to be freed from his society’s restrictions.”7 While others view the novel as one of the first illustrations of the psychological illness that is termed split personality disorder, with the term alter ego (Mr, Hyde) popularized by Freud. Whatever the case, it cannot be denied that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows, both then and now, the unquestionable duplicity of the nature of man manifested in the two sides of good and evil. For “the opposites embodied in the Jekyll/Hyde binary conform to late-Victorian ideas about the brain as a double organ,8” as it is still considered up to now. In this dark novel, Robert Louis Stevenson reveals the issues dealing with the duplicity of human nature. Through his mastery of syntax, constant change in point of view throughout the story, complex use of symbolism, supernatural writing style, and his usage of fear in the unknown, Stevenson shows what can happen if you let the evil inside take over. His example of this is the life of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde. This paper will discuss the aforementioned elements of the novel as it discusses the characteristic duplicity found in human nature. To further illustrate how Stevenson depicted the issues that come with the inherent characteristic of man’s duplicity, it is best to give a brief synopsis of the novel. The Duplicity of Human Nature as Illustrated in the Novel Although expressed in a scientific experiment, when the full testament of Dr. Henry Jekyll’s exploits and reasons were exposed, it became clear that what the main character wanted to do was metaphysical and mystical. The whole narrative is doused with the issues confounding the duplicity of human nature—how one person can be both good and evil; how evil can become addictive; and how society accepts the two-facedness presented by individuals as long as they will benefit from them. These issues, as shown in this novella, deal with both the individual and society’s reconciliation of this duplicity and how each deals with this truth. These can be shown in through Stevenson’s syntax, point of view, symbolisms and the element of mystery and fear of the unknown. These elements are what made the novel a success, coupled with the theme of the duplicity of human nature. These are what will be discussed in the following sections. Syntax Stevenson used complex and long sentences which said all that he wanted in a breath of a statement that could be understood by the readers from all periods of time. His novella is what can be called “timeless” as the words he used and the way he structured them into sentences and paragraphs can be understood and appreciated over the passing of time. The structure of his sentences acted as an effective avenue for conveying his thoughts about the duplicity of human nature through the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the events manifesting the two sides of the character. With Stevenson’s continuous sentences and straightforward manner in relaying the narrative, the readers are able to enjoy the twists and turns of the narrative, including the explanation of the mysteries that surround the two main characters, that of Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego Mr. Hyde, and the explication of the other characters and their purpose in the story. Stevenson wrote sentence for each thought and most of the time, his sentences became complex with the need to communicate and express a particular thought effectively. This can be shown in the following sentence from chapter one wherein he introduces Mr. Utterson: But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove.9 The author was also fond of using semi-colons to allude to the connection of the different concepts introduced as part of a single thought as shown in the above quotation. Stevenson’s eloquence and clarity of thought, revealed in the syntax of his narrative, are essential to the success of the novella. The theme of the duplicity of human nature is a complex issue to tackle and incorporate into fiction. But Stevenson managed this effortlessly. It can be seen in the carefully structured sentences that flow to a whole paragraph. Thus, expressing the happenings in the story clearly. This is most important in the last two chapters wherein the readers are enlightened as to the cause of the mysterious events and circumstances surrounding the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The issues of how society and the individual reconcile the duplicity that is in their nature is plainly stated in the following excerpt: And indeed the worst of my faults was a certain impatient gaiety of disposition, such as has made the happiness of many, but such as I found it hard to reconcile with my imperious desire to carry my head high, and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public. Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life. Many a man would have even blazoned such irregularities as I was guilty of; but from the high views that I had set before me, I regarded and hid them with an almost morbid sense of shame. It was thus rather the exacting nature of my aspirations than any particular degradation in my faults, that made me what I was, and, with even a deeper trench than in the majority of men, severed in me those provinces of good and ill which divide and compound mans dual nature.10 The quotation above demonstrates Stevenson’s skill in compressing multiple thoughts into a sentence or group of sentences. He was able to allude to the reason behind society’s two-facedness (“such as has made the happiness of many… my imperious desire to carry my head high”) due to Dr. Jekyll’s own individual reasons. He did all this while at the same time explaining the grounds that motivated Dr. Jekyll to carry on the extreme experiment. He was also able to voice out the Dr. Jekyll’s desperation and seeming obsession with the topic. If the sentences were cut short so as to shorten the length, the continuity of the thought would have been cut as well. And so, it can be seen how the thought flows smoothly through Stevenson’s use of words and punctuations to connect the multiple ideas of a thought into one sentence. Because of this, readers can easily read and understand what’s going on in the narrative—with the novella effectively evoking the appropriate feelings from the readers through the recounting of a series of actions leading to a significant discovery. This can be best illustrated in the passage below: What he told me in the next hour, I cannot bring my mind to set on paper. I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it; and yet now when that sight has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer. My life is shaken to its roots; sleep has left me; the deadliest terror sits by me at all hours of the day and night; and I feel that my days are numbered, and that I must die; and yet I shall die incredulous.11 The clarity of the way that Stevenson explained what happened to Dr. Lanyon and what caused his death can be seen in this excerpt, composed of only two complex sentences but able to successfully evoke the feeling of fear and dread of what he must have beheld in order to succumb to an early grave. He was not able to comprehend and digest the information that was presented to him—that of the duplicity found in man. This as well could have been society’s reaction to the issue of the duplicity of human nature. They pretend to see only the good in a person, as confirmed by the visible actions that are influenced by the fact that they are visible, and close their eyes and ears to the possibility that that person has an evil side. Much like a celebrity is deemed by the public to be almost a saint until a scandal explodes and makes them face the hard fact that their idols are not what they seem. Stevenson’s use of the first person point of view contributed as much to the intensity of the statements as the reader can empathize with the character and what he is feeling. This now brings us to the next element of the novella that played a significant part in making The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a timeless piece of literature. Point of View The point of view, as much as the syntax, of the narrative is one of the crucial elements of the novella which made it a success. Stevenson’s shifting points of view—from the third to the first—exhibited the intensity of the story and the significance of the events happening. The eight chapters of the novella used the third person point of view, alluding to an external narrator, while the last two—the two most important chapters explaining everything—used the first person point of view, with Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll as narrators, respectively. Stevenson determined that the best way to tell the story of the mysterious events leading to the death of Dr. Jekyll can be best understood with a narrator, while the crucial chapters unraveling the mysteries are best told through the views of the characters themselves. It was like the an external story full of secrecies and obscurities that the narrator himself seems in the dark, together with the readers. The last two chapters, however, served to lift the clouds of ambiguity. And this was done through the characters that have the power to do so—Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll. And so it became more personal in order for the readers to understand the reasons that brought them to read the deaths of Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Hyde and the disappearance of Dr. Jekyll. The passage below will illustrate how the third person point of view was effective in relating the urgency of Poole’s actions: Poole swung the axe over his shoulder; the blow shook the building, and the red baize door leaped against the lock and hinges. A dismal screech, as of mere animal terror, rang from the cabinet. Up went the axe again, and again the panels crashed and the frame bounded; four times the blow fell; but the wood was tough and the fittings were of excellent workmanship; and it was not until the fifth, that the lock burst and the wreck of the door fell inwards on the carpet.12 The increasing blows of the axe convey the intensity of the action. It is like breaking down the only barrier that prevents the characters and the readers from learning the truth—that every individual is not always who he or she appears to be. And so it really was. The door was broken down and the writhing body of Mr. Hyde was revealed. But what does it really present the readers and the characters—just more questions. And the truth that will answer all of those questions will be disclosed in the last and most crucial two chapters of the novella, which is rightfully presented in the first person point of view. It is like the characters who hold the truth in their hands, both of them speaking from the grave, are explaining themselves to the readers and to the characters alike. It was very effective in dramatically concluding a series of strange events that aimed to clearly illustrate the picture of man’s duplicity. With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two…. It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date, even before the course of my scientific discoveries had begun to suggest the most naked possibility of such a miracle, I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements.13 It can be seen here how because Dr. Jekyll himself failed to fully reconcile the fact of the duality of his nature, he came to embark on the scientific quest of separating the two. This is his way of attempting to purify himself of the dark and evil side. This is how he coped and it epitomizes how an individual tries to resolve the duality of his own nature and how he can fail miserably. Thus, it can be said that the it is best to accept man’s inherent duplicity and internally try to become dominated by the good instead of the evil. There is no external factor that can be used (like a drug or a potion) in order to reconcile the two. The addictive quality of being evil—that is, living without a care for rules or norms—was also best explained through the first person point of view. For, the ways and feelings of one who is addicted can be best explained by the addict alone. It is the experience of the character that made his testament more believable, more plausible, and more understandable: “it is the doctors addiction that offers the means by which the character of Henry Jekyll is to be definitively understood, for Henry Jekyll, apart from whatever else he may be, is an addict.”14 Symbolisms The novella is saturated with symbolisms. For the purpose of this paper and the reinforcement of the thesis statement, only two symbolisms will be discussed: (1) Dr. Jekyll’s home and (2) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’s physical appearances. Dr. Jekyll’s home was described as one of the “handsome houses… which wore a great air of wealth and comfort15” while his laboratory was illustrated as “a certain sinister block of building16” which “bore in every feature, the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence.17” This depiction of Dr. Jekyll’s main house as clean and respectable is in stark contrast to his laboratory which lacks the organization and care that the former has. This symbolizes the importance of appearances that pertains to a good reputation and the dirt that everyone has that is known only to the individual.18 Most of society is plagued by this need to have a good reputation. To establish this, deceit and secrecy is needed in order to hide their evil side. Evil here does not necessarily pertain to murder, although it is certainly possible, but it can also concern impulsive actions that can be considered naughty at the least. Truly “men have before hired bravos to transact their crimes, while their own person and reputation sat under shelter.”19 This is one of the theme’s great aspects as this symbolism is timeless and is still applocable today. Politicians and government and police officials’ two-facedness epitomize the evil lurking in people with authority and power. It can be said then that Stevenson was able to show that the duplicity of good and evil that is present in everyone—not only the people living in the Victorian Age—is a universal characteristic of humans that should not be taken lightly for it is always there, just lurking in the subconscious, waiting to be discovered an made dominant. The marked contrast between good and evil can be easily seen in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’s physical appearances which provide hints as to their true nature. While Dr, Jekyll was described as “a large, well-made, smoothfaced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness,20” Mr. Hyde was likened to a “Juggernaut,”21 “a being inherently malign and villainous; his every act and thought centered on self; drinking pleasure with bestial avidity from any degree of torture to another; relentless like a man of stone.”22 Again, there is a contrast between good and evil even in the mere physical appearances of the two. Mr. Hyde’s monstrous appearance relates to his distorted and evil core, while Dr. Jekyll’s smooth-faced exterior alludes to his social face, which is exemplified by charitable works and lively dinner parties. This signifies society’s literal perception of what is good and evil. Most of the time—and this can be depicted centuries before in the way legends and fairy tales were written—an ugly appearance would connote an even uglier persona. Here, Stevenson is alluding to the fact that appearances can be deceiving. Although Dr. Jekyll looks good and nice, he has an uly side about and within him—Mr. Hyde. Again, this is a universal truth that not all things or persons beautiful are also beauiful inside. Malicious intent cannot be seen through the scrutiny of physical appearances and it is best to look beyond the physical in order to truly judge a person’s goodness. For as in the case of Dr. Jekyll, a Mr. Hyde or an evil counterpart may be lurking within. Writing Style Stevenson’s writing style borders on the supernatural, mystical, and transcendental. The transformation of Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in itself can be described as supernatural for his whole physical appearance, strength, and disposition was drastically changed from that of a mild-mannered pillar of the community to the abominable criminal that is Mr. Hyde. The Juggernaut appearance of Mr. Hyde in itself is supernatural as he is portrayed and likened to a monstrous ghost. This type of antagonist is more often seen in novels of supernatural nature for the potion and Mr. Hyde’s capabilities signify power that transcends the natural. He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; and as I looked there came, I thought, a change--he seemed to swell--his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter-and the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped back against the wall, my arm raised to shield me from that prodigy, my mind submerged in terror.23 And then there is the fact that it is impossible to transform someone so radically and so extremely in such a short amount of time and just by drinking a homemade potion. Because the narrative cannot be based on reality, Stevenson was able to effectively use it as an allegory pertaining to the innate duplicity of man that the Victorian Era was denying through its strict moral code. It explores the possibilities of the duplicity of human nature through the explanation of Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Lanyon’s narrative, and the subsequent revelation of the circumstances behind the mystery. Also, the air of mystery surrounding the character of Mr. Hyde—his almost supernatural strength and his evil ways—manifests an unnatural state of things. This unnaturality is an important factor in the supernatural character of the novella that`Stevenson employed. The author dwelled on the strange and unusual turn of events to successfully hook the readers and to be able to relay his message more effectively. Conclusion Through Stevenson’s excellent use of the different elements of the novella, he was able to portray the tug of war that resides in every individual that is brought about by the innate presence of the duality of good and evil. The combined elements discussed in the previous sections provide the readers of all times to understand not only the narrative, but more importantly, the message it brings. Certainly, man, both as an individual and as a society, faces difficulties in reconciling their capacity for good and evil. And this is clearly shown in the novella, which is truly more of an allegory than just a literary piece of fiction. It is rooted in its context and can be considered modern literature of that period. There are a lot of themes that can be derived from this excellently written novella and even as the focus of this paper is the exploration of the duplicity found in human nature, there are still many that can be said about Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This modern literary piece delves into the taboo and the unknown during the time that it was first published. And even though the duality of human nature has been explored intensively over the last decades of years, it is still a difficult topic to address. Some pertain to it as a psychological condition, a split personality disorder, a mental illness that marginalizes the sufferer. Others say that our conscience dictates to us to do good and turn away from evil. Most will say that it’s Satan whispering in people’s ears to do evil things. Whatever they say, Stevenson, through the character of Dr. Jekyll, showed the basic truth for the explanation pf evil in the world—it is in human nature to want to be good and it is also in that nature to want to break away from the constraints of society and do evil. And it is Dr. Jekyll’s dream to separate the two that we come to know that it is an impossible dream. The only way to separate the two is to reconcile the good and evil in us. Control the evil and do not let it become dominant. It is our decision and the choice lies within us to choose the good and forsake the evil. Though it seems religious at this point, this is the essence of the novella—the fundamental battle against good and evil can only be won by inividuals at a time. One can say that society at large has not accepted the duplicity inherent to humans as they try to rationalize and categorize it as an illness, when in fact, it should be treated as an innate condition that can be controlled. Each and every one of us have our own evils that we fight everyday in order for the good to be dominant. Some lose this battle as they succumb to the evil in themselves. This, I believe, is the basic explanation of why people do evil things. We want to be free to Contrary to religious beliefs that man is inherently good surrounded by external evil factors, Stevenson places both these qualities as innately human. And he makes it understandably simple through the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The truth of this allegory is still present until now and is still being used, not just by literary aficionados, but also of professionals from the different fields of medicine like psychology. A lot can be learned from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it cannot be denied that this is a text rich in themes and symbolisms that is still relevant up until now. Read More