ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Edward Hyde is Dr. Jekyll’s doppelganger. He is the manifestation of Dr.

Detailed explanation-2: -Stevenson attempts to express the theme of the duality of man by applying the classic Doppelgänger technique for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A typical feature of this technique is that split personalities, living two “separate” lives with their alternating identities, always end in suicides.

Detailed explanation-3: -Hyde as the doppelganger of Dr. Jekyll is not apparent to the townspeople based on his actions and behaviors. The evil in Mr. Hyde is immediately apparent upon his first entrance into the story as the talk of the town after he tramples a young girl in the street.

Detailed explanation-4: -Jekyll is a kind and respected English doctor who has repressed evil urges inside of him. In an attempt to hide this, he develops a type of serum that he believes will effectively compartmentalize his dark side. Instead, Jekyll transforms into Edward Hyde, the physical and mental manifestation of his evil personality.

Detailed explanation-5: -The theme of duality is one of the most prominent in the text. The novella is concerned with how an upstanding member of society can become a savage criminal. Stevenson shocks the reader by first presenting Jekyll and Hyde as two separate characters and then revealing that they are the same person.