Show how Stevenson through themes, language and setting creates a world of double standards and hypocrisy Essay Example for Free

Show how St sluiceson through rootages, language and setting creates a world of double up standards and hypocrisy seeWith titles such as Treasure Island and The Black Arrow, one expects to suffer complete infatuation when they pick up a handwriting marked Robert Louis Stevenson. The Scottish author/poet published the world renowned novelette Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in 1886. The trading floor tells of a scientist (Dr Jekyll), living deep down the in effect(p) society of Victorian England, and his quest to prove to himself that he can master both opposing personalities without fault. It is told from the view point of John Utterson, lawyer and fri conclusion to the prize and brilliant scientist. From the unwanted arrival of the menacing casing Mr Hyde comes a brutal crime followed by a barbaric murder. Suspicions be gin to flargon and before long Mr Utterson reluctantly discovers a horrific and terrifying story. Dr Jekylls likelyness that at heart e actu on the wholey v alet de chambre lies a good and evil persona has lead to him create and drink up a potion that changes him into an embodiment of his evil side Dr Jekyll is in feature the sinister and menacing murderer Mr Hyde. This riveting story is perhaps the most famous in its gothic musical genre, selling forty cinque m copies within its first gear few months. Even now the term Jekyll and Hyde is used to depict someone with a dual personality, someone who lives a double life of sinewy decency and unforgivable sin.At the time it was write Victorian life was governed by strict etiquette and repressed sexuality, Stevenson could not have compose a bind more controversial to the time. The very existence of the book was a sign of duality and double standards. It is rumoured that Stevensons wife burnt the first manuscript as she fe bed that the tale was too controversial, that the reserved citizens of Victorian England would take to it with an ruckus furthermost less than positive. P ublishing the book was a huge gamble on Stevensons part even his own wife doubted its success, scarcely evidently its success was not to be doubted.The inspiration behind the story is a subject matter of great interest. To understand what made Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde a classical story cognise by young and old a kindred, we must first look at where it began. As a child, Stevenson was obsess with William Deacon Brodie, a cabinet maker/notorious criminal from Edinburgh in the 18th Century. Stevenson had a cabinet that was created by Brodies company in his bedroom, and was fascinated by the history behind it. Stevensons inspiration from Williams life is very more than app arnt in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with the idea of duality displayed in about any chapter of the novella.William Deacon Brodie was a very respectable man, cosmos a member of the local government and a fine gentleman, much like Jekyll. and this seemingly respectable faade concealed a private life, which consisted of twain mistresses with five children between them and a gambling addiction which he funded by carrying out a series of robberies on premises to which his official position had given him access to, this darker, criminal side is much like Jekylls copy Hyde.Something else that can be seen in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the main fates that define the Gothic Genre. With Stevensons novella firmly situated within the borders that outline this genre, we expect before reading to be engaging in a story that features amongst other components the elfin, trace, raw behaviour and some degree of isolation. Supernatural is clearly appearingn from the transformation of Jekyll to Hyde and withal the style of Hyde and the fix that he has on the other characters of the story. Hyde is depict on page twenty-three as pale and sm on the whole he is said to give an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation linking more obviously to the supernatural is the description that states M r Hyde wears Satans signature upon his face as sanitary as the description that states he wasnt like a man but like some damned Juggernaut.The effect that Mr Hyde has on the people that surround him is also rather unearthly. bingle the most respectable and unbiased characters, Mr Enfield, says that he has never seen a man he so disliked. Even the doctor who is described as being about as emotional as a bagpipe is turned sick and white with the desire to kill him whenever he sets his eyes upon the unnerving character. Mr Hydes appearance and his effect on others can also be linked into the next component darkness. The idea of darkness is underscored on every page of the book, the storyline itself is of a dark nature, and Stevenson emphasises this with use of intense imaginativeness and descriptive language in just about every chapter.Primitive behaviour is perhaps the easiest component to pick up on, this component links directly to Mr Hyde as he is portrayed as primitive from th e moment he arrives in the storyline. The novella goes out of its way to paint Hyde as animalistic. In chapter dickens Hyde is described by Mr Utterson as a troglodyte. Troglodyte is a word from Greek origin that when translated nitty-gritty cave-dweller. This translation triggers images of cave men to the lecturers mind, as we begin to conceive of of humans who were less developed and because more primitive than we ar in both looks and mannerism. The word is acting almost as a stimulus, a stimulus from which the lecturer derives a picture of Mr Hyde.In semblance the element of the gothic genre that is the most hidden is the theme of Isolation. It is shown in umpteen parts of the book, in graphic symbols in a very simple way, but the reader does need to look deeper within the text to find the relation. Near the end of the book Jekyll who is slowly being eclipsed by Hyde confines himself to his laboratory to protect others from himself. This shows isolation quite simply, b ut the fact that Jekyll makes a potion that gets rid of the angel within man leaving isolated the fiend is an moral of a relation that is hidden within the well written words of Robert Louis Stevenson. Though well written is quite the understatement.Stevenson employs a range of many techniques to make Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde a novel that can most definitely be described as one of a kind. The change of narratives and the way in which the final chapters are structured like genuine documentations is a unique method that re wholey gives the story a good sense of authenticity.The novella plays host to an immeasurable amount of themes all of which coincide with the idea of double standards and hypocrisy. The foremost being the theme of duality. This theme is reiterated throughout the story in many different ways and at many different points, from as early as Story of the Door. In that first chapter we cod two particular invoices of the passs that home Jekylls residence and his labora tory. The first account goes into great depth about the serenity and picturesque qualities of the street, the reader gets the feel of an aristocratic society, where everything down to the inhabitants is polished and as close to perfection as humanely possible.But Stevenson doesnt leave this string of happiness apparent for long. He is quick to give us his second account, an account that clashes with the first in every possible way. The second account gives the reader a feel of inattention and also a feel of darkness. Stevenson uses words such as dingy discoloured and blind to really emphasise just how dark and squalid the neighbourhood is. We can clearly see that the theme of duality is think as Stevenson does not just describe the two scenes to us but also forces the reader to equalise the two by saying the street shone out in blood to its dingy neighbourhood.Deriving from the theme of duality, is the duality of man, the story focuses on the notion that humanity is dual in natu re. Though the theme is not fully emerged until the last chapter, when we find Jekyll and Mr Hyde are one and the same, it is always apparent to us, as we, in this daytime and age shaft of the concept the story holds before having read the book. When reading Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde it is important to realise that the book was intended as a mystery and though we know of the final conclusion, the Victorian reader did not and was not hypothetic to. With this in mind, we see that the theme is only really confronted after we have witnessed and create opinions on all the events of the story. In chapter ten Jekyll states that man is not truly one, but truly two he imagines man as two characters as an angel and a fiend and it is this philosophy that leads to the potion that is supposed to separate each side. It is this philosophy that provides the basis for the entire story.Another theme which places a large emphasis on creating a world of double standards and hypocrisy is the theme of irr ationality. Every character within Stevensons novella is or at least starts as a respectable member of the society in which they live. One could argue that Mr Hyde is anything but, and the reply to that would simply be that Hyde is Jekyll, and even before the potion, when Jekyll is engaging in activities acceptable by his peers, Hyde placid exists within him. With this on-going faade of respectable and gentlemanly stature, every irrational act that occurs within the eighty-eight pages of this celebrated novel is also an act of hypocrisy and of double standards. And irrationality does occur.The walk of the girl in chapter one shows hypocrisy on Jekylls part that hidden deep within him, underneath his courteous out-of- entry is the urge to engage in reckless and uncivilized deeds. The murder of Sir Danvers Carew is similar in the way in portrays hypocrisy, and after this second act of maliciousness the reader is intrigued to look further into the irrationality of these acts. It ap pears that these brutal attacks are done for nothing more than joy. We get the impression from his assault upon innocents that Hyde seems to enjoy doing wrong, we see it is not just a case of Hyde being free from law, civilization and conscience but instead a case of Hyde going out of his way to commit violent crimes, just because he can. We get the impression that Hyde is disgraceful rather than amoral.Another side of irrationality is The wolf in Man. Again no-one portrays this better than Hyde. Stevenson wants the reader to think of a creature when they envision Hyde and he uses many descriptive devices to obtain this effect. Hyde is described as trampling over Sir Danvers Carew with ape like fury, in the third chapter and when Jekyll is describing his spontaneous transformation into Hyde he describes his fiendish vis-a-vis as the animal within me in addition a general description of Hyde portrays his hand as corded and hairy.These examples of symbolic imagery help paint a pict ure for the reader by destiny to depict the appearance of Hyde. Fitting in with the duality of man, Stevenson wanted to make sure that Jekyll and Hydes appearance were seen as completely different, therefore it is necessary for the constant references to Hydes appearance as animalistic as no character within in the entire book can give a detailed description of Mr Hyde, they all instead seem to conclude that he is ugly and deformed in some indefinable way. The Beast in Man is further emphasised when Poole and others begin to characterize Mr Hyde with the words it and thing God know what it was, That thingwas never Dr Jekyll.Near the beginning of this Victorian Mystery Jekyll asserts the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde. Jekyll believes he has complete control over the situation that he has worked so desperately to create. He believes that he can switch in and out of his rivalling personas by merely drinking his concoction. When he decides he no longer wants to be Mr Hyde, h e believes that by discontinuing the use of the potion, Hyde will cease to exist. The emphasis is on the word believe. Jekyll under-estimates the situation he has created, and as realisation hits him, it is already too late. He has wandered too far past the point of no return.This statement emphasises the theme of control and addiction. Jekyll is subject to addiction and as with all addictions he genuinely believes that he has total control. The notion of hypocrisy is in Jekylls certainty that he has control, when in fact he is as out of control as can be. It is unfortunate that his realisation of the fact that he is all out of control comes virtually before his death. The ending of this tragic story, really touches the reader as even though the hero and villain of the story are one and the same, there is still a likeness that the reader develops for Jekyll, and his death, though it means the death of Hyde, is not the happy ending that you would expect. The catastrophe of Jekylls death is further accentuated by the reaction and sorrow that the friends of Jekyll feel at his loss.Friendship and loyalty is nevertheless another theme that is apparent in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This theme harmonizes wonderfully with the element of decorum that runs throughout the novella. The two relationships that best define the word friendship are between Jekyll and Utterson and Jekyll and Poole. When Utterson suspects that Jekyll is being black-mailed and then later on when he suspects that Jekyll is sheltering Hyde from the police, he does not make his suspicions known. Knowing of the importance of reputation, he remains loyal to heat content Jekyll and keeps his friends secret, so as not to ruin his respectability. The idea of hypocrisy is shown through Utterson being an upright and respectable member of the community, whilst still being prepared to keep sordid secrets quiet, besides his instincts that something negative is taking place.The friendship between Jekyll and P oole is best shown when Jekyll has been fully extinguished. Poole has been a loyal servant to Jekyll for over twenty years and is the first person to realise Jekylls death. He with Utterson engages in out of character behaviour, when they pummel down the door of Dr Jekyll which once more shows double standards as they are acting out of turn, in a way that suggests anything but respectability. much importantly it shows the strength of friendship that these two characters have for Dr Jekyll that they would engage in reckless behaviour, set digression their morals, forget about their respectability, their stature and think of nothing but their dear friend.Stevenson uses all these themes skilfully and eloquently to portray a world of double standards, but the idea of hypocrisy is shown within this piece of literary productions through a number of different devices such as language and setting. Every scene that is introduced to us is shortly followed by the introduction of another sce ne that is always of a harsh contrast.Dr Jekylls home is described by Stevenson as having a great air of wealth and comfort. In a brutal comparison is his laboratory which is described as a certain sinister block of buildingwhich bore in every feature the marks of a profound and sordid negligence. The laboratory with its neglected aura and overt vileness perfectly illustrates the malevolent and malicious character of Mr Hyde and the dark nature of the story as a whole. Whereas the respectable and affluent house portrays the respectable and upright Dr Jekyll and the dignified element to the story. The contact between the two buildings represents the connection between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The buildings are attached but they look out onto two different streets. Because of the layout of the streets, the fact that the buildings are two parts of a whole is undetectable without prior knowledge, just as the fact that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same is undetectable.Another example of two scenes that illustrate duality is Hydes house the interior and the exterior. Stevenson tells us in hindsight that Jekyll had bought and furnished a house to live in when he transformed into Hyde. We are given a description of the outside of the house, we are told that it is placed in a dingy street, a gin palace and that ragged children huddle in the doorways that surround this sorry excuse for a home. No instead have we read about this distasteful house are we made subject to the description of the houses interior. The entourage are furnished with luxury and good taste. Adjectives such as elegant, good and agreeable are all used in the description of the interior of Mr Hydes house. The conflict between the inside and the outside of Mr Hydes house is a prime example of Stevenson trying to portray a world of hypocrisy and double standards to the audience.As well as themes and settings, Stevenson uses many literary techniques to get across the idea of double standards and hypo crisy. The first example of this is the descriptions of the street and Jekylls laboratory in the very first chapter. Stevenson describes the shops on the street as standing out like rows of smiling saleswomen. This simile creates a joyous mood, as does the statement the street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood. The word shone portrays radiance and tells the reader that the street is much better and livelier than all around it. It almost gives an impression of the street being something special.When describing the dreary laboratory belonging to Jekyll, Stevenson uses powerfully depressing adjectives and personification to show just how sinister the laboratory is. It is described as having a blind forehead and a door that is blistered and distained. All of these descriptions depict human characteristics, especially blistered and distained. These adjectives bring about a depressing mood, and help in portraying the evilness and ugliness of the building.By using these cont rasting accounts Stevenson is not only showing duality and hypocrisy but also emphasising and symbolizing the character and habits of Mr Hyde. The laboratory which appears as no more than a door is seen as different from all of the houses that surround it. It is not considered normal. This demonstrates the fact that Hydes principles are not normal, as the laboratory is where Hyde is situated for a lot of the book. The laboratory is neglected and uncared for unlike everything around it. During Victorian times outward appearance was very important amongst society, it was necessary that everyones appearance was very respectable, so that people would receive the right impression of them. Hyde is quite the opposite he doesnt care about how he looks or how he is seen. The way the laboratory stands out because of it dingy manifestation shows how Hyde is different and the odd one out in society.The duplicity of Victorian society is also shown, by the quote Though so profound a double-dealer . This assertion by Jekyll in the final chapter of the book shows Jekylls motives for the extended research into the duality in man and the eventual potion making. It explains that his initial hypothesis was based on himself as he in public and in private behaved as though he were two people. The alliteration in this quote also helps to portray the theme of double as the very word is in the phrasing and the alliteration is on two words.Another way in which Stevenson uses literary techniques to portray his main theme is in varied sentences. Stevenson uses a lot of short sentences to create tension and to change the pace that the story is being read at. He uses sentences such as and his blood ran cold in his veins and theyre all afraid this helps builds tension and prepares the reader for climaxs within the story.Robert Louis Stevenson was a man with a definite flare for writing. He has managed to portray the theme of hypocrisy and double standards to his readers in a clever way and w ith a unique style. This theme could have been shown simply and entirely by the two main characters Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but Stevenson goes further with his work, he shows duality in every possible way he can, oxymorons, contrasting descriptions. The world of double standards is apparent from the very start of this eloquent novella. It is the indignation and depth that you can so clearly see in his words that make Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde a novella loved by all ages.