The Duality Of Man In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

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The Duality of Man In the story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the theme of the duality of man is constantly present. The theory that there are two sides to every person is shown in every character of the story. The duality of man has always been discussed throughout history such as in Romans when Paul discusses the internal struggle between doing what he wants to do and what he knows he should do. The duality of man is a result of our sinful human nature, but it is how it is dealt with that matters. In the story, the struggle between good and evil, rational and irrational, and to do and not to do exists throughout. The fight between good and evil within a man is expressed through Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The good side, Dr. Jekyll, is a responsible and morally good man. He helps those in need and is a …show more content…
Utterson constantly has the inner struggle of trying to be the good and responsible person he is supposed to be. Then there is the struggle of what he thinks and how he thinks things should be handled: “I don’t ask that,” pleaded Jekyll, laying his hand upon the other’s arm; “I only ask for justice; I only ask you to help him for my sake, when I am no longer here.” Utterson heaved an irrepressible sigh. “Well,” said he, “I promise.” ”(58). Utterson does this out of responsibility not because he wants too. He is constantly struggling with his inner responsibility of how he knows he should act and how he wants to act. In all three of the cases, the struggle is constant and very hard to resist with death as one resolution, a separated friendship another consequence, and ultimately the struggle of moral responsibility. In all the cases, the men found it hard to resist the other side. The duality of man is a struggle within everyone, but it is how the person responds to the other sides that makes everyone who they
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