Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! Stevenson - The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Plot: the story turns around the experiments that lead a respectable doctor to create a potion which can’t make him separate the good and the evil parts existing in a human being. The evil twin of the doctor start to emerge. The action of his alter ego became violent and so he has to keep his findings a secret. The acts of violence soon lead to murder. The attempt to control the evil part starts to fail and so the doctor decides to kill himself. ● It can be seen as a gothic tale (mystery and thrilling atmosphere), a moral allegory on the nature of evil, but also as a phycological analysis made by Stevenson who points out the consequences of repressed desires and the interior conflict between good and evil. ● Major themes: duplicity + physical appearance reflects certain mental attitudes (connected with social darwinism) + repression of appetites. ● Social Darwinism: the idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better, due to the fact that all human being are subjected to a natural selection. So this explains social inequality and racism. The duality of man: ● Dr Jekyll has to deal with the contrasting aspects of his soul, since he realises that man is composed by incongruous parts that are always in constant struggle. ● This conflict between good and evil is, according to the doctor, the main source of anxiety and life would be easier for everyone if these two parts were divided. ● The evil part of a man represents: his aggressive and individualistic tendencies but also the bad aspects of civilisation. The Transformation: ● Despite the risks, Jekyll is ready to try his potion, and once he has transformed into Hyde he feels immediately younger and euphoric. ● Soon, as he looks at himself in a mirror, he realises how Hyde is physically ugly, almost like a primitive man and he looks like pure evil.