Allegories in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Allegories in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has many allegories within. An allegory is a symbol with a deeper meaning. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there are many allegories. First, there is the religious allegory of the devil and the lower self as well as the “hiding” aspect of Hyde. Hyde is also an allegory of human character in general. The city of London, and all of its descriptions written by Robert Lewis Stevenson, is filled with allegories.

First, Hyde is a complex allegory because it is arguable what exactly Hyde is supposed to represent. Hyde could be an allegory of the devil himself. Hyde could be a demon inside of Jekyll, sort of like in the Exorcist, that needs to come out but eventually become uncontrollable. Although Dr. Jekyll is described as a nice man who has many friends, but he losses them all when he drinks the potion to become Hyde. Hyde could just be an allegory for a literal part of Dr. Jekyll, which is Stevenson’s statement of saying that every person holds a “lower self,” that just wait for an opportunity to reveal evil.

Also one of the most famous quotes from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is “If he shall be Mr. Hide than I shall be Mr. Seek. ” This could also mean that Hyde is just a part of Jekyll’s soul that literally hides within. Lastly, Hyde could be an allegory of human character itself. Hyde could be an allegory of the capability that everyone has within. However some people never reveal this capability, but for others, like drug users, it is easier for the evilness to come out. London is also an allegory. Mr.

Hyde lives in SoHo, which is described as dark, dingy, and filled with the filth of London, which is why it makes sense that Hyde lives there of all places. SoHo is supposed to represent the capability of evil, and where it is grown. In Victorian England, the poorest of the poor lived in awful slums, some had no choice but to live a life of crime and evil, just to escape their reality. On the other hand, Dr. Jekyll lives in a distinguished and posh neighborhood. This is an allegory for Jekyll’s character, as he is a nice man.

However, in Victorian England, many bad things went on behind these closed doors, which is true for Dr. Jekyll. The door in the first chapter is an allegory, as well as all the passageways described, like the one to the laboratory. These passageways and doors are places in-between worlds where most of the events in the novel takes place. The in-between of the worlds is like Dr. Jekyll. He is not a good man, nor is he evil. Jekyll is complex, and struggles with the evil part of his personality. Allegories are abundant in the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Read more

Foreshadowing in a Novel Jekyll and Hyde

Jekyll and Hyde Essay In the novel Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson the author, uses foreshadowing to hint at what’s to come later on in the book. Three examples that are in the book are how Jekyll and Hyde’s penmanship is very alike and that Hyde has a key to Jekyll’s lab and that all of […]

Read more

Jekyll and Hyde Essay Introduction and Para 1

I am going to write an essay on Robert Louis Stevenson’s supernatural story, the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which was the inspiration for lots of modern movies showing dual nature of mankind e. g. The Hulk, Two Face and The Nutty Professor to name a few. The story is told mostly in third person by Mr Utterson the lawyer, it is about the scientist Dr Jekyll and his “friend”, the hated Mr Hyde. Utterson suspects that Hyde may be bribing Jekyll when Jekyll changes his will to one where in the event of his death all his money and his house will be given to Hyde.

However when Hyde disappears after brutally murdering the highly respected Sir Danvers Carew, Utterson is pleased, but when Jekyll starts acting weird and will not leave the confines of his cabinet Utterson becomes worried and after Jekyll becomes a recluse and starts making strange demands in a voice that is not his own, Jekyll’s butler and Utterson break down the doctor’s door to find Hyde lying dead on the floor from apparent suicide. The story is later explained in the novella through the testimony of Dr Lanyon, in which he reveals that he witnessed a transformation of Hyde to Jekyll and then explained in more detail by Jekyll.

It turns out that Hyde was the result of one of Dr Jekyll’s experiments, where by drinking the ‘transforming draught’ he becomes the hated character who was the complete opposite of his usual self. Over time Jekyll found himself transforming without even drinking the potion, and when the drug ran out he became trapped as Hyde. Upon drinking the very last of the drug Jekyll writes, ‘I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end’. I thought this book was very interesting and would recommend it to all. This novel is all about the dual nature of mankind.

Stevenson believed that every person had a good and bad side to them. The book says a lot about Victorian society as they were all meant to be very good people but really lots of them were corrupt inside. The characters inside this novel show his theory about this very well. For example Jekyll is a well respected man, who was ‘born to a large fortune’ and ‘fond of respect of the wise and good among my fellow men… with every guarantee of an honourable and distinguished future’. Like most people in Victorian society Dr Jekyll was obsessed with respect and he also had an evil side to him.

He hated doing “evil” things such as gambling and drinking so much that he decided to make a potion to split his personality in two. When he first became Hyde, the evil side of his personality he felt ‘younger, lighter and happier in body’ which is because his evil side would not be as developed as his good side as he has done more good than evil in his life. He enjoyed being Hyde because he could do evil things without consequence or people finding out, or so he thought. He felt he did not need to feel guilty about the things he had done as they technically weren’t him.

Read more

The novel Jekyll and Hyde

Written in the 1880’s by famous British author Robert Louis Stephenson, the novel Jekyll and Hyde is about one man with dissociative personalities. Jekyll and Hyde, although are portrayed to be two very different characters all together, are in fact the same man, wanting to fulfil certain “evil” pleasures whilst still being a well respected […]

Read more
OUR GIFT TO YOU
15% OFF your first order
Use a coupon FIRST15 and enjoy expert help with any task at the most affordable price.
Claim my 15% OFF Order in Chat
Close

Sometimes it is hard to do all the work on your own

Let us help you get a good grade on your paper. Get professional help and free up your time for more important courses. Let us handle your;

  • Dissertations and Thesis
  • Essays
  • All Assignments

  • Research papers
  • Terms Papers
  • Online Classes
Live ChatWhatsApp