Primitiveness and Evolution in R.L. Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Date
2011
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Publisher
Department of English
Abstract
This research on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tries to illuminate the primal instinct that is inherent in the human psyche, which is responsible for the escalation of disorder, crime and immorality in the ordered society. The barbaric attributes of primitivism and the mild personality of the society are both mixed in order to show how the psychological evolution undergoes within the human mind. It is evident that Dr Jekyll is compelled to transform into Mr. Hyde so that he can do abnormal things that are scandalous for a normal polite society. This research aims to expose the fact that all human beings as we meet them are commingled out of goods and evils. Dr Jekyll is transformed into a cruel and despicable Mr. Hyde after he takes an elixir created by himself in his laboratory. Behind the split personality disorder or schizophrenia, there is disturbing psychology. Stevenson represents the dual personality of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a conflict between the good and evil sides of the human psychology. The implication being that we all suffer from similar conflict, but this case was heightened and amplified by Dr Jekyll imbibing a drug potion.
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Keywords
Primitivism, Human psychology