How does Stevenson present duality in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Stevenson presents duality in Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in various ways. One of these variations of the duality is among the minor characters, for example Utterson and Enfield.Their similarity is that they are both respectable Victorian gentlemen, that both like to discuss stories but they feel it is gossiping about their friend and say ‘let us make a bargain to never refer to this again’, this shows that they feel that they have over stepped the mark and have stumbled upon something that is better left alone, this is also the first mention of a mystery giving us a clue in to the genre.
‘Dink gin … he was alone’ this quote shows us that Utterson was not as social as Enfield and prefers to be alone.Utterson’s ‘friendly circle’ are made from his own blood or people he had known ‘the longest,’ this shows that he isn’t a happy soul and that being a lawyer he has seen’ experienced or lost things that make it hard for him to connect to others. Although there isn’t much about Enfield in the story, but it is Enfield who knows the story of the door and is telling it, this could show that he may have a tendency to gossip quite a bit. There is also a duality between Dr.
Jekyll’s butler, Poole, and Mr. Hyde’s maid, whom the name is not known.Poole is shown as a ‘well-dressed, elderly servant’ where as the maid is shown as ‘she had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy’ they are two different descriptions which are similar to their masters or master, therefore this highlights the division between the middle/upper classes and the working class. The main duality is between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Mr. Hyde is fully man created by Dr. Jekyll, in hope to rid him. Hyde is described as un describable with ‘something wrong with his appearance’ and ‘he must be deformed’ this shows us that he has un humane features and/or is disable with problems with his attitude and body structure.
Dr. Jekyll is described as ‘smoothed-faced man of fifty with something of a slavish coat’ this shows us that he was well kept and hygienic man but felt tied down and has to follow rules like for example a slave. Stevenson created them so different to show the difference in the people and their status. Jekyll is described to be seen in places with ‘upper class’ people around, also in a large warm house surrounded by respectable servants, however Hyde is only described to be seen in dark, hidden and greyish places where is classed as the ‘lower class’ area.Stevenson has created Hyde’s character so that he must be socially unacceptable and treated the same way that poor or lower class people were treated.
Another duality is between two doors belonging to the same house. One door, the front door, used by Dr. Jekyll is said ‘wore a great air of wealth and comfort’ which shows us that Stevenson wants the audience to feel that Dr. Jekyll is innocent and venerable, surrounded by love, comfort and fortune. However the other door, the back door, used by Mr. Hyde is described as ‘the door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained’ that gives s the impression that Mr.
Hyde wasn’t expecting visitors or willing to have them, this may also show that he doesn’t spend much time using it and being home or it reinforces that Hyde must be keep hidden and a secret. Stevenson was brought up in Edinburgh and he and his family were considered middle-class. Stevenson had suffered from chronic health so didn’t have much of an education when he was young, yet made history with his own imagination of story making until then he was expected to become a civil engineer like his father, as that was what happened in those days.However he decided not to and told his father, and they came to a compromise that he may become a writer but he has o become a civil engineer if all fails. This shows us that Stevenson contained duality within himself and that maybe the source from where he decided to base the storyline of the novel in which the duality of what you want to do (Mr. Hyde), and what you are expected to do (Dr.
Jekyll). But the novel was also partly based on a play Deacon Brodia (1880) which is about a ‘publicly respectable gentleman but privately a thief and rakehell. The novel had been considered by some people, mainly the higher ranked and important persons of the 19th centaury, as a criticism of ‘Victorian double morality’ meaning they felt it was presenting a false image of what went on in London. They may have also have felt that it was encouraging other people to do things considered wrong-like. This shows duality between the novel and the behaviour in London during the 19th centaury.
The novel also creates a lot of tension as you progress through the text.It rises every time something is discovered in the mystery of Hyde which strengthens it’s the detective/mystery genre. At the beginning all is calm but as Hyde comes to life, the tension rises. ‘A really damnable man’ this shows us how much Hyde is hated, but this also shows us where the tension begins to rise. The tension is near enough sky high when the quotes ‘something wrong with his appearance’ and ‘He must be deformed’ are used to make the audience worry and wonder what will prevail from the mystery of Hyde.
The weather is a ladder for the tension, described as ‘a wild, cold, seasonable night of March … pale moon’ this was used when Utterson searched for Hyde, showing us a mysterious side of London. Although it doesn’t show much duality, it does play a part in making the novel’s mystery showing us that the night described shows that it is like it would be in a nightmare. Everyman and woman are capable of good and evil although it is usually the males who let the evil side show. Where Hyde was the fully evil side of Dr. Jekyll, however Dr.
Jekyll wasn’t fully good and still had evil within him but didn’t do anything instinctively, risky or anything to cause any sort of suspicion upon him or his reputation. The language does show duality but also it does help create an atmosphere ‘so ugly that it brought out the sweat’ this emphasis’s hoe ugly and disturbed looking Hyde is, this also helps to build up the tension within the audience upon the mystery of Hyde. Stevenson also uses personification, human features, to describe things ‘pale moon’ this is to make it seem more realistic, human-like and closer the audience’s feelings and emotions.The word ‘pale’ is used to describe someone or something unwell or mysterious, so to use it to describe the weather not only shows that there is something unwell and mysterious in its paragraph but is used to help raise the tension.
Stevenson also uses similes and metaphors within the novel to hold its’ structure ‘like Ivy, were the growth of time’ this is about Utterson ‘friendly circle’ showing us that Stevenson uses ‘Ivy’ as it is a beautiful plant that never dies but gets stronger with time just like a friendship.Stevenson also uses animal similes ‘the servants … huddled together like a flock of sheep’ this reference to sheep which are soft venerable and scared animal, shows us that ‘the servants’ were scared and timid about the situation in which Dr. Jekyll is now in. Stevenson refers to Hyde and his temper as ‘ape-like fury’ giving us the impression that Hyde is animal than human. Stevenson uses ‘ape’ because humans have generated from apes, which aren’t as in control over their own emotions and such.
Stevenson has done an outstanding job of presenting duality throughout the novel in various different aspects. Stevenson shows duality in the form of two different people living in one body, one person representing good, being the outside image while the other represents evil, hidden away with an image of a monster, which then overpowers the good within him and is released to create havoc and other horrific crimes. It is known to all man kind that it is harder to be good than evil as evil gives us that moment of pleasure when committed but then a lifetime of regret and punishment e. . a man taking his revenge on someone who may have insulted him in some way, shape or form. It was especially harder to control your emotions and feelings in that period of time with the industrialization.
The time period itself was a duality with dinner parties, gloves and respectable gentleman on the outside to give an image of how splendid it was to be in London and part of the society and yet prostitution and crimes rising by the day were hidden away and kept secret while so inclusive to the whole of London.
