The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Essay Example For Students

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Essay The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was first published in 1885 and was a huge success selling 40,000 copies in its first 6 months. This success was partly due to the novels theme of multiple personality as not much had been read into this disorder when the novel was written, therefore many Victorians seemed to have a particular interest in this subject. One of the concepts Stevenson was trying to promote in the novella was that there was a beast in man; a bad side to everyone. Following the recent release of The Origin of Species, a book about evolution and how we evolved from apes, this made readers even more interested in the story. There were also the Whitechapel murders that took place during 1888 that many said were related to the play version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and, inevitably, the play was eventually cancelled. The novella concerns a scientist called Henry Jekyll who is a very kind, peaceful man but in secret develops a drug allowing his dark, animalistic, and murderous side to exist as a man called Edward Hyde. This allows Dr. We will write a custom essay on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Jekyll to act in ways he feels he normally cant do. In todays society, however this novella has become less dramatic and effective as more readers have knowledge of Stevensons final twist. People now are also much more aware of the multiple personality disorder as well as there being many films and books with similar themes. In turn, this means many more readers will learn the twist that Dr. Jekyll is in fact Mr. Hyde. This aside the story is still interesting in many ways such as instances like people not fully thinking about the two different sides of every person until they read the book. Also, people may like it for the historical knowledge that Jack the Ripper may have used ideas shown in the novella in the Whitechapel murders. Victorian society was often hypocritical in nature which is well reflected in the characters. One of these characters is Dr. Jekyll. One of the ways his dual personality is shown is through the back door of his house. Here his back door is run down and very shabby, whereas his front door is perfectly nice, like any other in the street. His run down back door relates to the evil in Mr.  Hyde. The door was blistered and distained. Mr. Utterson also shows a particularly obvious dual personality. He is a well respected man in the novella who is extremely inclined to help rather that reprove. He never drinks at parties and even though he enjoys it greatly will never go to the theatre. Though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years. This is mainly due to him wanting to be perceived as a respectable man but he is still envious of anyone that has fun. Not only such dual personalities have related well to a Victorian reader, their duality makes them complex, mysterious and therefore more interesting. The setting of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is in Soho which is a small, dilapidated area of London. This area is home to the working class and poorer community where there is a very large crime rate, especially compared to the very respectable and upper-class West End which surrounds it. The West End is one of the most prestigious parts of London which is very affluent, full of rich and respectable people. This difference is symbolic of Jekyll and Hydes relationship. Dr. Jekyll can be portrayed as the West- End whereas Mr. Hyde can be seen as Soho, the darker more horrible side. Pathetic fallacy is also used. This attributes human feelings to inanimate objects. The fog still slept The weather adds a false sense of security before the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. The early part of the night was cloudless, and the lane, which the maids window, which the lane overlooked was brilliantly lit by the full moon .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 , .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .postImageUrl , .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 , .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634:hover , .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634:visited , .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634:active { border:0!important; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634:active , .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634 .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8e8d560a19458ebb6c1c6f4bfa05a634:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: William Golding's Lord Of The Flies EssayThe moon here is used to create a romantic and peaceful atmosphere, so when the murder takes place its even more shocking and unexpected as no one suspects bad deeds to occur during these nice conditions. There are three narrators in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These are Dr. Lanyon, Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll. The use of these three narrators aids our understanding of these individual characters and their thoughts which is knowledge we wouldnt have achieved without this narrative technique. I have since had reason to believe the cause to lie much deeper in the nature of man, and to turn on some nobler hinge than the principle of hatred This also makes the characters appear more interesting as we come to know them better. However, this doesnt help our understanding of the current events in the plot because all the narrators have different ideas and a different understanding of the events. This keeps the novella mysterious and keeps the readers curiosity high as they are made to wait to discover the full extent of the events. The narrators are many reliable witnesses which makes readers even more inclined to believe the sources. They include doctors and lawyers such as Mr. Utterson who are seen as highly respectable people who would have no thought to lie. Mr Utterson is described as lovable. No one would question his word. This adds believability to the novella and makes certain events to become more surprising and dramatically effective. The genre of the novella is at first quite unclear. Detective, horror, mystery or gothic are all possibilities. It may be a detective story as r. Utterson is constantly trying to find out who this Mr.  Hyde really is and where he has come from. The novella has elements of horror because of all the gruesome murders that are taking place. In my opinion the novella was a surprisingly gripping read as, even though I had previously heard about the final twist it was still exiting. Personally I thought having several characters narrating throughout the novella was interesting as it demonstrated the different personalities of the characters well. I will take away a small amount from this novella knowing that ever person does have a dual personality and people arent always as they first appear.

Essay Topics For College Students

Essay Topics For College StudentsAcademic essay topics for college students will vary from year to year depending on the subject matter and information of the class. You may have several topics that you can select from. This will determine the style of your essay. Theses are some of the most common essay topics for college students.When you go to select academic essay topics for college students, always keep your list concise. It should not contain too many words and not be too long. It is important to give enough information but not to overwhelm the reader. When they need to stop and digest what you are saying, it is not helpful.Another idea for some academic essay topics for college students is a personal journey. Students want to write about their life as a whole. In this case, a student has a much more involved topic than an academic one. For example, they might want to write about an old car or a new car that they acquired. They might need to discuss the benefits of the new car as well as how expensive the car is.One of the most interesting areas of the subject that college students enjoy writing about is history. It gives them a chance to create an essay that highlights their knowledge about specific events or people. They may want to compare two different countries and examine how the conditions were different in the past.When you go to select essay topics for college students, it is important to get them involved. The writing should flow from subject to subject and not be monotonous. They want to learn and need to think about what they know so they can write about it. It also gives them a chance to learn something new that they did not know before.These are some of the most popular essay topics for college students. But there are many other topics that you can include as well. The more information you can provide the better. By giving your reader plenty of information, they will find it easier to process it all and you can complete your essay in less ti me.When you go to select essay topics for college students, it is important to keep your list concise. It should not contain too many words and not be too long. It is important to give enough information but not to overwhelm the reader. When they need to stop and digest what you are saying, it is not helpful.A composition is one of the most used tools for essay writing and article writing as well. Theses are some of the most popular essay topics for college students. It will give them an opportunity to discuss a specific topic and they will be able to get a good grasp of the topic that they are writing about.