The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 3. Title The title foreshadows what is going to happen in the novel. The name of the protagonist (Dr Jekyll) and the antagonist (Mr Hyde) are placed close to each other. It is further suggested that there is a class difference between the two: Dr Jekyll belongs to the middle class and Mr Hyde belongs to the lower class. The conjunction ‘and’ indicates that the two characters are in some way connected. The word ‘case’ suggests a scientific experiment and the title of Dr Jekyll further enforces the idea that science is going to be important. The word ‘strange’ suggests that the supernatural will also play a role. 2.1 The Victorian period The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written during the late nineteenth century, called the Victorian period. Queen Victoria ruled between 1837 and 1901. Victorian values required that the people showed sexual restraint, zero tolerance for crime and strict behaviour in generalDuring this period, the middle class was more politically and economically powerful. Victorian morality was a mass of contradictions, which in many ways perfectly suits Stevenson's masterpiece. The nineteenth century was a time of huge social, scientific and technological change and with that change came an increase in crime and many social problems. It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, which transformed England from a mainly rural economy to an industrial one, with thousands of poor country-folk flocking to the cities in search of work. Foundries and factories were emerging on an unprecedented scale, and effluent and raw sewage were being pumped into the River Thames. Without an infrastructure to support them, many people were forced to live in unsanitary and overcrowded conditions. The alleys and courts of the city were dark and dirty; pollution gave rise to smoke and fog, often associated with crime and degeneracy. Night was seen as a time of lawlessness, mystery and fear. In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde light and dark are used very effectively to create atmosphere and reveal character. The two violent episodes – the trampling of the small girl and the murder of Danvers Carew – both take place either late at night or in the early hours of the morning, illuminated by either numerous street lamps (which would be much less bright and more yellow than we are used to today) or a full moon. Obriety, restraint, prudence, thrift, modesty and chastity were the virtues held up for people to aspire to. There was also a tradition of philanthropy, of rich men setting up charities to help the deserving poor. T Many rich people paid lip service to Victorian virtues, but this was a veneer designed by the Victorians to make them seem caring. The reality was different. Women were the property of their husbands or fathers – if they were lucky enough to have a protector; otherwise they could be exploited in every way by their masters. Only male property owners were allowed to vote,so women and working-class men had no power. Many men, women and children survived by prostitution. This is the historical context of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and so it is easy to see how the novel could be seen as a critique of a male-dominated society, where successful men were outwardly charitable and concerned for the less fortunate but committed shady acts under the cover of darkness. This is implicit throughout the novel but none of these acts is made explicit, though we are told that certainly Jekyll – even before he became Hyde – did things he might be ashamed of in his youth,as did the ultra-respectable Utterson. The concept of the duality of human nature and the duality of society lends itself beautifully to Victorian times. From the 1850s to the turn of the century, British society outwardly displayed values of sexual restraint, low tolerance of crime, religious morality and a strict social code of conduct. For the middle class in the 19th century, the family unit and all it stood for was the most important institution in England. Middle class morality and values were all important - piano legs were called limbs ("legs" was considered an improper word), gambling became a sin, and certain things were considered "not proper". The home and family were sacred, hard work and perseverance were encouraged, and a stiff authoritarianism controlled those who might question "the system". In many ways, the Victorians were hypocrites because they claimed to be moral and pious in ways they were not. They shut their eyes to whatever was ugly and unpleasant around them. In some way, perhaps they hoped to draw attention away from their own hypocrisies by pointing out the hypocrisies in others. The pious nature of Victorians society meant that many people suppressed their desires and feelings. THEMES The duality of human nature Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde centres upon a conception of humanity as dual in nature,.relationship is revealed. .Certainly, the novel goes out of its way to paint Hyde as animalistic—he is hairy and ugly; he conducts himself according to instinct rather than reason; Utterson describes him as a “troglodyte,” or primitive creature. Yet if Hyde were just an animal, we would not expect him to take such delight in crime. Indeed, he seems to commit violent acts against innocents for no reason except the joy of it—something that no animal would do. He appears deliberately and happily immoral rather than amoral; he knows the moral law and basks in his breach of it. For an animalistic creature, furthermore, Hyde seems oddly at home in the urban landscape. All of these observations imply that perhaps civilization, too, has its dark side. The Importance of Reputation For the characters in Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, preserving one’s reputation emerges as all important The importance of reputation in the novel also reflects the importance of appearances, facades, and surfaces, which often hide a horrible underside. In many instances in the novel, Utterson, true to his Victorian society, adamantly wishes not only to preserve Jekyll’s reputation but also to preserve the appearance of order , even as he senses a vile truth. Innocence and violence The innocent in the novel is represented by the little girl and Sir Danvers Carew that become the victims of Hyde. It is Hyde who commits the terrible violent acts. In the end Hyde turns violent against himself (and Jekyll) by committing suicide. The worst thing is that the ‘violence’ comes from a person who has the perfect reputation, and is not able to control his dark urges. 4.4.5 Friendship All the men in the novel are connected to each other because of friendship. Utterson has a number of old friends: Enfield, Jekyll and Lanyon. Utterson and Enfield meet regularly to walk. On the other hand Lanyon and Jekyll’s friendship have come to an end ten years earlier. Duality of nature • Dr Jekyll is a well-respected, intelligent scientist who secretly has a dark, immoral side to his personality. This side of his personality is not active; however, he decides to activate it through his experiments. This evil side becomes active through his alter ego Mr Hyde; a criminal who commits cruel acts of violence against others. Through this change in Dr Jekyll’s character, we see the duality in human nature - the idea that everyone is capable of good and evil. When the people see Hyde, they are disgusted by him. At the beginning, Jekyll is able to hide (repress) this evil side of himself in order to fit in with what society expects of him. Science, Reason and the Supernatural Science, reason and the supernatural are the main factors in the development of the conflict between Dr Lanyon and Dr Jekyll which is integral to the plot. Dr Lanyon adheres to a more traditional set of scientific beliefs than Jekyll. In the book science becomes a cover for supernatural activities. Jekyll’s brand of science leans towards the supernatural. The Duality of Human Nature The theme of the duality of human nature can be summed up in the words of Jekyll himself: ‘man is not truly one, but truly two’. With the help of science Jekyll is able to bring his dark, evil side into being, in the form of Hyde. Hyde is compared to a primitive animal that is not controlled by laws and regulations. In the end Jekyll is unable to control Hyde and it leads to his death. The message is that every person has a side that does not fit in with civilization and if this evils side is let loose, then the only outcome will be chaos and death. 4.4.2 The Importance of Reputation. The characters are, throughout the novel, focusing on keeping their reputation in tact. Utterson and Enfield don’t gossip. Jekyll ‘hides’ Hyde from the rest of society so as to upheld his reputa- tion. He feels that the only way that he can maintain his reputation, while enjoying the dark side of life, is by creating the character, Hyde. 4.4.3 Science, reason and the supernatural The novel creates tension between reason (represented by science) and the supernatural. Jekyll is a scientist, but makes use of chemical and mystical methods to create Hyde. Hyde belongs to the world of the supernatural. He is described as evil, deformed, but no-one is actually able to say exactly is it what makes them feel disgusted when seeing Hyde. When Jekyll/ Hyde dies, the reader realises that the threat is a new world, new science, new traditions that cannot be explained by a rational mind. The fear of the unexplained. The Effects of Society on the Individual 1. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson shows the civilizing influence as well the restricting and debilitating effects of society. The benefits of society can be seen in the compassion shown to the little girl trampled by Hyde and the social outrage and response to the murder of Carew. The negative effects of society can be seen in the repressed and