Why the strangeness of Jekyll stood out above the rest.

I chose the topic because the abstractness of it captured my attention. I like the duality of nature and how it's relates to people in general. The story to me represents society as a whole, how we tend to put on a good face in public and really are different people in private. People are not who we think they are, but only who they portray to be, the real is not what you see, but what you don't see. I have seen many movies of the Jekyll/Hyde relationship and I didn't see the correlation to the story. I hope to explain this story in vivid detail and investigate more into why this story is so prevalent to whats going on in the world presently.

Inside The Mind Of Robert Louis Stevenson

Photo courtesy of Mouthnews.com

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on November 13,1850 to Thomas and Mary Isabella Balfour Stevenson. Stevenson spent most of his short life sickly and even as a child he has to be tended to by a nurse. He grew up in a very religious middle class family who taught him the history of the Presbyterian Scottish movement and how its related to their belief system. As he grew up his ideals changed and when entered college at Edinburgh University, his natural talents for writing flourished. His father pushed in to join the family career to be an engineer which he declined to do because he truly wanted to be a writer. His father naturally disapproved and pushed him to pursue a degree in law. In 1875, Stevenson attained a degree in law which he barely used.

Photo courtesy of Edinphoto.org.uk

After he graduated, he went from country to country writing essays about the essential goodness and humor of mankind. During one of these writing exploitations in France, he met  Fanny Van De Grift Osbourne who was a married american who was ten years older than he was. The beginning of the relationship was a very estranged one, she sent him a wire letting him know she had reconnected with her husband again back in their homestead in California. The distraught Stevenson who was sick and broke, spent the last of his savings and sailed to New York and then another arduous overland train trip from there to California in pursuit of Osbourne where he fell gravely ill. His parents got news of his condition and sent him money to save him from poverty. Stevenson was nursed back to moderate health and in 1879, he moved to San Francisco from Monterrey. A short while later, Fanny Osbourne received a divorce from her husband and quickly her and Stevenson were married in May of 1880.

Photo courtesy of Findtarget.com

During the early hours off an afternoon, Mrs. Stevenson (Fanny) described hearing her husband scream loudly, she rushed and awakened him and he responded very angrily, "Why did you wake me, I was dreaming a fine bogey tale. It was made know that this particular dream was Jekyll's first transformation into Hyde. A lot of the story actually came from dreams Stevenson had and he rewrote them to fit the plot of the story. Stevenson spoke of dreaming of being a doctor falling asleep and waking as another and doing very mischievous activities during the night. Since he laid sick the majority of the time this book was reading he had many dreams that developed into more of the storyline of the book he was writing. In 1886, he published The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It would be notably one of his greatest accomplishments of his life. On a cold December day in 1894, Stevenson passed away due to a cerebral hemorrhage and complications of tuberculosis.

Photo courtesyof Guardian.co.uk



Works Cited

"Robert Louis Stevenson Biography." UNet Users' Home Pages. Web. 08 May 2011.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Robert Louis Stevenson Biography - CliffsNotes." Get Homework Help with CliffsNotes Study Guides - CliffsNotes. Web. 08 May 2011.

Theme: Jekyll's Conception Of Duality Of Man

Photo courtesy of Resources.mhs.vic.edu.au

It is revealed in Chapter 9, That Jekyll believes that man is not truly one but two. His conception is that everyone is virtually dual in nature composed of good and evil personalities which conflict with the other. Jekyll believes it to be a curse for mankind to have to live with a dual nature. With this concept, he is inspired to find a way to split the good from the bad, so mankind can be completely good and eradicate bad altogether. The decision Jekyll ultimately leads to his untimely demise, but showcases that the concept is true. Taking a scientific route, Jekyll creates a potion to allow him to experience both sides himself, but as time progresses he loses sight of what's truly right and wrong. The story highlights someone losing themself in abstract thinking and has to pay a very high cost in the end.

Photo courtesy of Mediafire-strain.blogspot.com

Behind The Eyes Of Gabriel Utterson

Photo courtesy of Damonfinch.com

In the first eight chapters of the story, Utterson is the narrator and protagonist who is seeker of information. A lawyer by trade, it's natural to understand the more investigative actions he takes in trying to figure out the truth. The author reveals Utterson's personality and traits, which serves in understanding how he is able to cope and deal with the unfurling information that come about as the plot unfolds. Utterson is shown to be a good person who is very honest and moral. He doesn't jump to conclusions or break his loyalty to his comrades, he has privileged information at his disposal, yet he decides to respect the wishes of his friend.  Utterson wants to save his friend Jekyll from Mr. Hyde who he believes wants to kill him. By trade he sees a lot more than what the average man is used to seeing which allows him to remain strong through the shifts during the story. When he learns from Lanyon who Hyde is and how he comes about, he handles it more professionally which is why he is the only main character who lives to the end.

Photo courtesy of Confidentialresource.com



Photo courtesy of Criminologycareers.net



Photo courtesy of Signs-of-a-cheater.com

Works Cited

Stevenson, Robert Louis. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Character Analysis: Gabriel John Utterson - CliffsNotes." Get Homework Help with CliffsNotes Study Guides - CliffsNotes. Web. 08 May 2011.

"JEKYLL" The BBC Television Show



Photo courtesy of bbc.co.uk

As the show begins we are shown very epic and dynamic elements that relate to the novel. The protagonist is Dr. Tom Jackman and he is aware that he is going through a timed change into someone who is very different than he is. He has hired a psychiatric nurse, Katherine Reimer, to monitor him as well and the other side he turns into during the night. Unlike the Novel, Jackman is unaware of the behavior of his other half, they writer hint humor at this change by always having Jackman to wake up discombobulated looking for where his car is parked. The action comes to a head when a young woman is being mugged in an alley and its due time for Jackman's alter ego to come out and play. The juvenile delinquent pull Jackman into danger and shove him into a wall demanding for his personal things at knife point. Jackman pulls out a recording device and asks that for the mugger not to be killed, then drops his head. When his head arises again he looks significally different, he is taller, younger, more agile, and evil. The alter ego plays with the mugger and then beats him within an inch of his life. After he is done, he walks away and refers to Jackman as daddy by saying, " Daddy asks me not to kill you." This will be the structure of the rest of the plot for the series.





Photo courtesy of Koolbirks.com



Photo courtesy of Pepperedwithlegacy.tumblr.com

We begin to see both sides of Jackman's shift and learn that the alter ego doesn't retain any of Jackman's memories. As the ego is looking for an identity, he strolls through some books and reads The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, He loves the idea and names himself Hyde. When Jackman awakens the next morning, he is at home for a change and when he asks Katherine of the activity she informs in of the alter egos name selection and enlightens him that she not only works for him, but the alter ego as well. She has another piece of news that frightens Jackman, Hyde wants to know about his family or more about Jackman's life. A conflict comes to a head and the first series ends.

Photo courtesy of Redkoros.livejournal.com

Video courtesy of Bbc,co.uk

There are many plot shifts and revelations giving in this television show. It starts to shift away from the duality of nature theme and more into the scientific nature of a gene that's being passed from one sibling to the next. A lot of elements are thrown at you in series 2 and 3 and then series 4-6 parallels them to the book. I strongly suggest if you enjoyed the series in class that you finish, you will not be disappointed.

Video courtesy of Bbc.co.uk




Works Cited


"BBC - Drama - Jekyll." BBC - Homepage. Photo Courtesy of BBC. Web. 17 Apr. 2011.


"Coming Soon: James Nesbitt as Jekyll | TV Scoop." TV Scoop: Sassy TV News, Gossip and Reviews. By and for People Who like to Watch. Photo Courtesy TV Scoop. Web. 17 Apr. 2011.



Work Cited Post for Book

Works Cited

Stevenson, Robert Louis. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Book Summary - CliffsNotes." Get Homework Help with CliffsNotes Study Guides - CliffsNotes. Web. 08 May 2011.