Londons Social Class in Robert Louis Stevenson Strange...

Londons Social Class in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde One Victorian sentiment was that a civilized individual could be determined by her/his appearance. This notion was readily adopted by the upper classes and, among other things, helped shape their views of the lower classes, who certainly appeared inferior to them. In regards to social mobility, members of the upper classes may have (through personal tragedy or loss) often moved to a lower-class status, but rarely did one see an individual move up from the abysmal lower class. Although poverty could be found almost anywhere in Victorian London (one could walk along a street of an affluent neighborhood, turn the corner, and find oneself in an area of depravity and decay), most upper-class†¦show more content†¦It was two storeys high. . . and bore in every feature, the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence. . . Tramps slouched into the recess and struck matches on the panels; children kept shop upon the steps; the schoolboy had tried his knife on the mouldings; and for clos e on a generation, no one had appeared to drive away these random visitors to repair their ravages. (5) This is the environment in which Stevenson places his novel, in which Hyde, the exemplification of the East Ender, thrives and commits his heinous and unspoken acts. If Hyde represents all that Victorian London characterized as the East End, then Henry Jekyll, in turn, represents Londons West End. As Hyde and Jekyll are dual natures of the same entity, then so are Londons East and West sides. Throughout the novel, Stevenson could be using the theme of duality to represent the growing social and economic barriers that existed between these two parts of the city - especially during the 19th century. More importantly, if the novel can be interpreted as a homoerotic commentary of 19th century London, then Stevenson could certainly be observing the obvious increase of homosexuals in the East End, which incited fear and indignation from their more upper-class neighbors to the west. The reason for Jekyll creating Hyde is to release these (his own) primitive urges and to allow them to flourish unhindered by societal laws or mores. ItShow MoreRelatedThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1833 Words   |  8 PagesWritten in 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson’s â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,† shocked Victorian audiences with its complex themes of the division of human nature. Inspiring a flourishing Irish writer, Oscar Wilde, who himself was struggling with an internal division, â€Å"The Portrait of Dorian Gray,† (1891) was conceived. Both novels explore the motif of a split existence with notable differentiations yet each produces a substantial investigation into what it means to have a dual personalityRead More Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil3122 Words   |  13 PagesConsidering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, originally published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson, arguably remains a popular novella even today because of its representations of evil and themes concerned with evil such as morality. Originally written for a Victorian audience, the text follows the conventions of the time - for example, the Georgian style of introducing andRead MoreVictorian Novel9605 Words   |  39 PagesDEVELOPMENT OF THE NOVEL 2 II KEY AUTHORS 3 III KEY TEXTS 3 IV TOPICS 3 INTRODUCTION Many associate the word â€Å"Victorian† with images of over-dressed ladies and snooty gentlemen gathered in reading rooms. The idea of â€Å"manners† does sum up the social climate of middle-class England in the nineteenth century. However, if there is one transcending aspect to Victorian England life and society, that aspect is change. Nearly every institution of society was affected by rapid and unforeseeable changes.  As some