Summer has taught creative writing and sciences at the college level. Hyde seemed to want to stay anonymous but he showed Lanyon his potion and practically turned himself in. This idea of a rigid society has a lot to do with misreadings of Freud's theories on repression. An extremely prevalent thematic subject in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is that temporary repression can result in catastrophic consequences. The "evil", Mr. Hyde, being born of good, the evil deeds only present while the novel 's "good," Dr. Jekyll is not, and the novels end, where Dr. Jekyll deciding to not let his darker half kill any longer and makes a decisive and sacrificial decision. The Party works to eradicate all physical sensations of love and depersonalise sex to the point where is it referred to as a 'duty to the party' for the [], The fear of a dystopian future that is explored in both Fritz Langs film Metropolisand George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty Four is reflective of the values of the societies at the time and the context of the authors. Hyde, having an aggressive instinct, no moral or social standards, takes pleasure in violence ultimately leading to his own destruction (Singh). Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Hyde sees himself in a mirror as the smaller, less robust side of Jekyll, and this is probable due to the facts of evolution because Jekyll, as a public figure, practiced more good in the world, as to Hyde, who is now getting to release his evil (Ferrer-Medina). Mr. Hyde represents evil; he has no concern for others. Given these circumstances, nobody would ever guess that Jekyll and Hyde were the same person for they were mentally and physically different. The more Dr. Jekyll's forbidden appetites are repressed, the more he desires the life of Mr. Hyde, and the stronger Mr. Hyde becomes. Repression is needed to keep our darker instincts in check and prevent the moral collapse of society. Repression happens when a thought or memory is too painful to deal with so our mind subconsciously pushes out the thought or memory. Everybody is expected to have no fun and control their urges, but for Dr. Jekyll, that is easier said than done! He is not alone in this struggle between what is moral and immoral. The Role of Repression in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the predominant archetypal theme is good and evil exist in all humans, and we live our lives struggling with these two forces. This theme describes the duality of good and evil in Dr. Jekyllthe good being Jekyll and bad being Hyde and the struggle he has with both sides fighting for dominance within himself. "I beg your pardon, Dr. Lanyon," he replied civilly enough. This would conclude that Freud was in part correct about how repressing ones desires can cause physical consequences. Then, as a means to free himself of such darkness and evil, the man creates an antidote or rather cocktail of drugs to help him in such matter. He accomplishes this by the way he describes the men's friendships and interactions. Someday, Utterson, after I am dead, you may perhaps come to learn the right and wrong of this. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. In fact, when he does repress his deepest desires, they come out even stronger in Mr. Hyde. Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student. But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove. At that time my virtue slumbered; my evil, kept awake by ambition, was alert and swift to seize the occasion; and the thing that was projected was Edward Hyde. Comely External Utterance: Reading Space in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The societal standards imposed upon Jekyll, however, were so deeply ingrained that repression of self was even present in the behaviors of Mr. Hyde. These are the few that couldnt handle the pressure of societys expectations and found other ways to compensate for their socially inappropriate behaviors. The original characteristics of Henry Jekyll are reflected as life of effort, virtue, and control (pg. "I am ashamed of my long tongue. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/13455790), Laroche, R., & Tachet des Combes, R. (2021). But he later found that he was turning into more and more into Mr Hyde. However, he is also a man who believes that people have two sides. Uttersons professionalism allows him to repress his curiosity and maintain respect for his dead friends wishes. Told mostly from the view of Mr. Utterson, Jekylls lawyer, he goes through the mysterious connection between Jekyll and a horrible man named Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, the truth about the situation only emerges in spurts, as characters deliberately hold back information to preserve social . Jekylls creation of Hyde and thus his rejection of a lifetime of repressed desires soon brings him more pain than happiness and ultimately completely destroys him. Let's start by finding a writer. Dr. Jekyll kept the pleasurable, sinful side of his personality well hiddeni.e., repressed in favor of appearing to be a somber man who frowns on exuberant behavior. Let's fix your grades together! This, in part, led to twentieth- and twenty-first century society to think of the Victorians as a rigid and repressed people. When human want to make a decision, there are two different thought in their brains, one is kind, and another one is evil. (10.8). Jekyll found a way to separate his good side from his darker side, by transforming himself into a monster free of consciences. His dark desires, released and unrepressed, end up killing him. As a reader, one may wonder if Lanyons death had anything to do with repression. A great example of a repressive Victorian society is in the movie Mary Poppins. The father, Mr. Banks is searching for a nanny who will straighten out his children and make them act properly. My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.. In. Even Dr. Jekyll is beginning to understand the imbalance between the two opposing forces can cause trouble, as he described in his statement. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Repression. The root of this repression can be found in Victorian England where there was no sexual appetites, no violence and no freedom of expressing emotion in the public sphere. Reputation & Repression - Lightbulbrevision I cannot tell you. Let us make a bargain never to refer to this again." Jekyll represents the former, and Hyde the latter. Hyde also indirectly caused another death in the novel; when Dr. Lanyon seen the transfiguration in the park and Hyde insisted that he go retrieve the ingredients for the potion to turn him back to Jekyll, he was traumatized by the whole incident. Repressing Mr. Hyde merely makes him stronger and angrier when he is finally released.
