What do you think Robert Louis Stevenson is trying to say about human nature in the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Answer 1

Your in luck, I just had pretty much the exact same essay question and got an A for it. That is a weird coincidence though, i had 'How does Stevenson explore the complexites of human nature and the concepts of good and evil in his novella 'The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?' anyway you didn't need to know that so here's my proper answer:

Write about:

The description of setting- how they refect the charectors, the laboritary, Soho etc. eg. Dr. Jekyll's house looks nice and ordinary on the outside whilst his laboritary is a horrible building and you couldn't tell they were the same building from the outside and yet they are.

The Narrative Style- How it is written from three points of view; Mr. Utterson's, Dr. Lanyon's and Dr Jekyll's.

Charector Flaws- none of the charcetors are perfect, Mr. Hyde is pure evil but Dr. Jekyll is not pure good because he keeps turning back into Dr. Hyde because he enjoys it. Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Utterson arn't perfect either they talk about 'growing curiosity' and how even they find it hard not to want to know the truth on the spot, they are impatiant. Mr. Utterson is also nosy and antisocial sometimes.

Physical appearance- Dr. Jekyll is big and handsome where as Mr. Hyde is short and gives of a feeling of deformity, what does this signify? Only a small part of Jekyll is evil?

To be honest you can get away with just about any nonsense in an English essay as long as you bakc it up with evidence. Personally i don't Stevenson ever intended for his work to be anylysed so closely. These essays are pretty pointless anyway. When my English teacher was explaining it she started talking about the importance of doors and windows and how Jekyll was like a door and Hyde like a window, but if you tried that hard i think you could turn any fictional charector into a window.

Name a fictional charector I'll explain why they are like a window for you.

Anyway i hoped that helped, that was the kind of thing i wrote and it seemed to be what my English teacher wanted to hear.

Hope it helps

Answer 2

Robert Louis Stevenson explores the duality of human nature through the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The novel suggests that every individual has both good and evil sides within them, and that these two sides are in constant conflict. It also illustrates the consequences of repressing one's darker impulses.

Answer 3

Based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men - a good and an evil side. He believes that by separating the two man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug it is already too late.

Henry "Harry" Jekyll is a well respected member of London society. In his personal life, he is pre-engaged to Muriel Carew, the daughter of a brigadier general. In his professional life, he is a medical doctor, scientist and academician. He theorizes that in each man is a good side and an evil side which can be separated into two. In doing so, the evil side can be controlled and the good side can live without worry, in combination leading to the betterment of society. In his experiments, he uses himself as the subject to test his hypothesis. His evil side, who he coins Mr. Hyde, escapes into London, and terrorizes party-girl Ivy Pierson. Jekyll, aware of Hyde's goings-on, decides to stop his experiments because of the suffering he has caused Ivy. What Jekyll is unaware of is how ingrained Hyde is in Jekyll's life.

Answer 4

The main intention of the book seems to be conveying the macabre excitement that he experience in the nightmare that inspired the book. Really there are passages in the book that are nothing more than dream sequences and bring nothing to characterization or plot movement. They would be considered excessive extrapolation now-a-days.

Answer 5

Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde is about a scientist/docter (dr. jekyll) that creates a liquid that changes you physically and mentally. The more and more he takes it, the more and more he keeps changing into the monster without control.

Answer 6

Robert Louis Stevenson had a terrific nightmare one night and on waking endevoured to write it down.

Answer 7

He was having a horrible nightmare that his wife awoke him from. He felt cheated of a good scare so found closure in writing the novel.

Answer 8

He had a nightmare where he got the inspiration

Answer 9

That people are made up of two distinguishable parts: a good part and an evil part.

Answer 10

all these answers are way too short for essays