Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Theme

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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the classic gothic literature stories in which can be perceived in many different ways. My attempt in this essay is to help you connect the variety of gothic themes that are linked to this wonderful story. The themes I will be speaking on are as follows: Good vs. Evil, Enclosure vs. Freedom, Subconscious vs. Conscious, and Illusion vs. Reality. I strongly believe all of these themes fit very well into this story due to the nature in which it was written. Good vs. Evil Good vs. Evil is, in my opinion, the most prominent gothic theme in this entire story. There are many examples in the story in which this theme applies to the story. The first…show more content…
Freedom. This theme also fits perfectly in with the story. This theme could also be taken in many different ways. The first thing I remember very vividly is when Mr. Enfield and Utterson were on their normal walk and they saw Jekyll. They spoke to the doctor for a few moments then the book says, “ the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below. They saw it but for a glimpse, for the window was instantly thrust down;” (Stevenson 26). This excerpt is stating Jekyll was speaking with the men but he heard something he didn’t like from them and immediately closed the window. I believe this is where the enclosure comes into things. Dr. Jekyll is enclosed in his own body, and thoughts, and cannot escape. Jekyll wants to really be Hyde in my opinion, and hides it by keeping himself locked up in his laboratory. The other complex part of this comes on the freedom side of things. If you really think about it thoroughly it is quite easy to come up with the solution Mr. Hyde is Jekyll’s freedom. Furthermore, Jekyll is free when he is transformed into this awful person named Hyde that is his escape from enclosure. The final thought I had after reading this story was, could the writer be thinking of himself? I was lost after reading this story on the meaning of it and this thought hit me. What if the Robert
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