Why is good vs. evil important in Jekyll and Hyde?

I'm finding it hard to explain why it is important.

Link it to some context such as Jack the Ripper who was thought to have been a surgeon due to the precision in the dismembering of his victims. This and other people like Burke and Hare influenced Stevenson, who found that duality fascinating. I hope that makes sense!

Reply 2

Onikaminaj

Do you have the Cgp revision guide for J and H? If not, I can look for it in my one? Idk if that would be helpful tho? Sorry.

Reply 3

hAILEY 345

Original post by Mosope17

Do you have the Cgp revision guide for J and H? If not, I can look for it in my one? Idk if that would be helpful tho? Sorry.

Yeah that would be! Thank you.

Reply 4

hhealey13

I think it has a lot to do with the social context, there was an anxiety towards the end of the 19th century surrounding the empire, the idea of Britain being a civilising power and the fact that the 19th century saw so much progress (technology and industrialisation and also medicine) and by the end of the century there was a fear that this progress was coming to an end and that Western civilisation was at risk of devolving into savagery (this idea has a lot to do with Darwin's writings on the evolution of man, people worried that if we had evolved from apes we could devolve back into beasts or savages). So you can talk about good vs evil as civilised vs savage, Dr Jekyll representing the good upstanding gentleman and Mr Hyde representing the evil 'savage'.

Reply 5

username2975726

It links to the theme of duality and the common Victorian view of a 'gentlemen'. When Jekyll splits himself into Hyde and Jekyll, he literally splits his personality into one half good (Jekyll) and one part pure evil (Jekyll). This made respectable victorian gentlemen question their own personality and how they are being oppressed in society, thus making good vs evil a key theme.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Articles for you

Edexcel A-Level Economics Paper 1 - Unofficial Mark Scheme - 18 May 2023

How to find private off-campus student housing

What are university entry requirements?

What degree, subject or course should I study at university?