Dual Nature of Man
English Lit: AQA GCSE Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, topic 4.1.2
The Effect of Victorian Repression
The novella depicts the struggle of one man trying to live a good life, while wrestling with desires frowned on by his society. Victorians had to repress their true feelings and desires in public, and this is why Jekyll thinks he is leading a double life.
Jekyll the Victorian gentleman
- Jekyll is a well-respected gentleman, so he has to keep his sins and desires well-hidden and secret from the rest of society.
- The repressive society Jekyll lives in was likely to convince him that “man is not truly one, but truly two”.
- Jekyll is convinced that his medical theories are correct, and he tries to prove it by dividing the two states of good and evil.
- Jekyll’s struggle with his evil side leads him to creating Hyde, but this experiment does not go to plan and his evil side ends up overriding his good side.
Battle language
- Stevenson uses language associated with battles and wars to illustrate and allude to this internal conflict within Jekyll.
- There is a "perennial war among [his] members" and the two sides of nature “contended in the field” of his psyche, like two opposing forces on a battleground.
- The fog in Chapter 4 is described as “lurid brown, like the light of some strange conflagration”.
- The inferno and conflagration in the vapours in the air represents the violent conflict of good and evil.
Hyde as Escapism
Hyde is the sinful side of Jekyll that is there to explore the unbending and civilised world he lives in.
Victorians' views of themselves
- Victorians thought of themselves as being more highly evolved than the rest of society, and that criminals or people that disrupted the social order were less evolved and degenerate beings.
Man's savage side
- Some used Darwin’s theory of evolution to support this thesis, and so Stevenson addresses the possibility that every human has an uncivilised and “savage” side to them - that is “ape-like” and “mad”.
- Without the exercise of restraint and repression, all that is left is a savage animal within.
- In Chapter 10, Jekyll writes “my devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” - this shows how the evil creature within him is released in the cathartic (providing relief) act of transforming into his dark side.
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is to pretend that you have higher standards or more noble or superior beliefs than you actually do.
Stevenson's purpose
- Stevenson wanted to show how Victorian society was hypocritical - and how there was a void between reality and appearance.
- This is why characters take so much pride in their reputation, and why they prioritise appearance over honesty.
Hyde's appearance
- Hyde’s evil nature is shown in his appearance and his actions. He is described as having a “displeasing smile” and a “satanic” face that disgusts the characters, perhaps because Hyde does not hide his appearance.
- This may horrify Victorian readers because they are being confronted by an image of their own sins.
Hiding and disguises
- In Chapter 7, Jekyll is described hiding from other characters and he disguises himself from the outside world.
- His transformation is alluded to when Stevenson writes (of Jekyll): “the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of… abject terror”.
- The word "abject" shows that Jekyll knows his appearance (as Hyde) will be shocking and unfamiliar to Utterson and Enfield.
Test yourself on Dual Nature of Man
What's being described in this quote from Chapter 4?
“Lurid brown, like the light of some strange conflagration”Which of these are true of Jekyll?
Which of these is NOT a quote suggesting man has an uncivilised side?
Which of these quotes are used to describe Hyde's appearance?
What is being alluded to in this quote from Chapter 7?
“The smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of… abject terror”