The most evident type of duality in the novel is that of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr Edward Hyde, where the former is a respectable gentleman of the Victorian society and the other, a sinister character who lurks in the dark streets of the city. Dr Jekyll transforms into Mr Hyde, to behave in a manner which is more appealing to him yet in which he cannot behave without his disguise, due to the repressive nature of Victorian Society. Therefore, he, in he “thick cloak” of Mr Hyde, lurks in the sinister areas of London, such as Soho, without putting his reputation at risk. For all the characters in the novel, preserving one’s reputation emerges as important. The prevalence of this Victorian value system is evident in the way that upright men, as Utterson and Enfield avoid gossip at all costs. They see gossip as a great demolisher of reputation. Similarly, when Utterson suspects Jekyl

The city where the novel is set, the Victorian London, has also elements of duality between the pleasant streets where Mr Utterson, Dr Lanyon and Dr Jekyll reside, whose shop fronts “like rows of smiling women” have a brightness that stands out in contrast to the dingy neighbourhood, where brothels and pubs were found.

The reason for Jekyll creating Hyde is to release his own primitive urges and to allow them to prosper unhindered by society laws and mores. It is important to note that Jekyll takes and furnishes a house in Soho (East End). In order for his sexual desires to be unleashed however remain unexposed, he must find the ideal location in which to operate – a place of depravity , one that is avoided b the member of his class, and nothing better than the East End of London.

We can also see the theme of hypocrisy through the reactions of the characters to Mr Hyde. People can not point what is so repugnant about Mr Hyde. The author’s intention is to express that Edward Hyde represents the dark side which is present in all people. Having the desire to kill Mr Hyde, when faced to him, they are rejecting what is in fact, part of their true selves and so are guilty of hypocrisy.

Since the beginning of the novel, Dr Jekyll is aware of his dual nature, so he takes experiments to create a potion that will separate his good and evil side one from another. Dr Jekyll represents not the pure good, but the whole of a person, and Mr Hyde represents pure evil and contains little of Dr Jekyll in him. Although these two characters stand in stark contrast to one another, it is hard to separate the two apart, what we considered to be the author’s intention.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are dual not only in behaviour but also in stature as well. Dr Jekyll is described as a “smooth faced” tall man, whereas Mr Hyde is perceived to be a man with much smaller stature, a visible hunch and much younger than Dr Jekyll. This stature difference comes to reinforce the idea of Mr Hyde as a part of Dr Jekyll, for the reason that a part must always be smaller than the whole.

The greatest hypocrite of the novel is Dr Jekyll. Although he admits that he enjoys his wicked part of nature, he doesn’t accept it, as a natural part of him. This can be seen in his confession when he stops referring to Mr Hyde as “I” and then refers to the latter as “him”. He fears the �

Some topics in this essay:
Dr Jekyll, East London, Dr Jekyll’s, Victorian London, Similarly Utterson, East West, , Edward Hyde, Jekyll Moreover, Hyde Hyde, dr jekyll, novel dr, victorian london, dr jekyll hyde, edward hyde, theme duality, victorian society, dr henry, jekyll hyde, hyde represents, dr jekyll’s, novel dr jekyll, dr henry jekyll, multiple personality disorder,