Theme: Dual Nature of Man Flashcards
Evidence that Jekyll believes in dual nature of man
“man is not truly one, but two”. He is so convinced he is right he “risked death” by drinking the potion
How does Stevenson use the language of battle to describe the fight between the two natures of Jekyll
There’s a war within Jekyll and the “two natures that contended in the field” of his mind sound like two forces meeting on the battlefield
Why did Jekyll fail to fully separate himself
Because his two sides are “radically both”
What does Jekyll underestimate
The power and attraction of his purely evil side and how his good and bad sides are bound together
Why was being evil tempting to Jekyll
Jekyll felt “younger, lighter, happier” as Hyde
Why is Hyde created
Because of Jekyll’s desire to rid himself of sin, rather than deal with it.
How is Stevenson relating to Victorian religious beliefs with Jekyll and Hyde
A branch of Christianity called evangelicalism taught that all mankind are inevitably sinful, because Adam and Eve sinned. Stevenson frightens his readers by taking this further- the sinful side isn’t only inevitable, it can also be stronger
Why did Stevenson make Jekyll’s evil side less evolved
To criticise upper class Victorians who thought those who commit crimes are less evolved, and that evolution created a ‘perfect’ creature (them)
What are the four point’s to make on the Duality of Man
- Jekyll believes there are two sides to every individual
- The two sides can be seen as sinful and virtuous
- The two sides can be seen as civilised and uncivilised
- Stevenson uses man’s dual nature to comment on society
