Introduction: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1. Introduction: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2. Background • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydewas written by Robert Louis Stevenson. • Stevenson was interested in what made up a person’s character: How a person can be both bad and good

3. Theme • Our study of Dr. Jekyll… will focus heavily on theme. • You will writing an essay on a theme • What is a theme?

4. Theme

5. Theme is… • the central or dominant idea behind the story; the most important aspect that emerges from how the book treats its subject. Sometimes theme is easy to see, but, at other times, it may be more difficult. • Theme is usually expressed indirectly, as an element the reader must figure out. • The author implies a theme while the readers infer its meaning

6. Theme continued • It is a universal statement about humanity, rather than a simple statement dealing with plot or characters in the story. • Themes are generally hinted at through different methods: a phrase or quotation that introduces the novel, a recurring element in the book, or an observation made that is reinforced through plot, dialogue, or characters.

7. Themes in Dr. Jekyll… • Be aware for evidence of the following themes: • human ugliness originates in the soul • people who succumb to the temptations of evil risk losing their capacity (ability) for good • people who suppress, or restrain, their natural desires risk having them surface out of control.

8. Theme • There are two ways to interpret the message in this novella • Novella- more complicated than a short story, but fewer conflicts than in a novel.

9. First Interpretation: Born Evil • RLS had a strict Christian and moral upbringing. The idea of good vs. evil was one that he was quite aware of. • Adam/Eve and serpent, Cain and Abel • Thomas Hobbes thought that humans were naturally bad and would be like animals in a “state of nature” • In Christianity, original sin says that people are born inclined toward evil and struggle to be good

10. Second Interpretation: Society makes us evil • Context: Takes place in Victorian Era (1837-1901) in London, England • Members of the upper class in Victorian times were especially expected to behave virtuously. They, along with their homes, were expected to be proper and elegant at all times.

11. A Class Divided • Victorian society was divided. • Social classes did not mix, and behavior, especially among members of the upper class, was expected to be exemplary at all times. • The unrealistically rigid morality of upper class Londoners led many to live double lives.

12. 2nd Interpretation: Tabula Rasa • The Enlightenment view was that people are born blank slates • society shapes the person into good or evil • Sigmund Freud, the father of psychotherapy, believed that human beings are powerfully influenced by impulses they are not aware of

13. Personality • Freud said there were three parts to a person’s psychology • Ego- the conscious part of oneself (adult) • Id- the unconscious part of oneself (childlike) • Superego- as society, ethics, and morals. • To many readers, Hyde represents Dr. Jekyll’s subconscious desire to be freed from society’s restrictions. • People need to repress desires for society to work.

14. What do you think? • Are good and evil innate (are they in us when we’re born)? OR • Is it society who makes us who we are? • Consider: • Are people basically good or basically bad? • Can “good” people do “bad” things? • Is everyone capable of doing horrible things such as the crimes • Jot down some notes in prep for a 4 Corner Debate