Duality Flashcards
(7 cards)
‘we see very little of him on this side of the house; he mostly comes and goes by the labratory’
The fact that Hyde lives in a separate area of the house shows the duality between him and Jekyll, yet they are still connected. The laboratory is often described as dingy and dark, whereas Jekyll’s house is described as luxurious and comforting.
‘black secrets, by the look of him;…Jekyll’s worst would be like sunshine’
The juxtaposition of ‘black secrets’ with ‘sunshine’ is stark. This creates a vivid contrast between Hyde’s nature and Jekyll’s. The ‘black’ represents the morally corrupt, while ‘sunshine’ symbolizes purity, innocence, and goodness.
’..his eye lighted up with professional ambition’
The metaphor of the policeman’s eye ‘lighting up’ conveys his excitement at the possibility of being able to further his career, despite this tragedy. This shows that everyone has a selfish side and furthers the theme of duality in man.
‘the door, blistered and distained… great air of commodity’
The contrast between the damaged door of Hyde’s accommodation, and the ‘air of commodity’ Jekyll’s home provides creates a sense of duality.
‘She had an evil face…her manners were excellent’
The contrast between being well mannered and having an ‘evil’ faced further develops the idea that everyone has an altruistic and evil side to them
‘I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life.’
The term ‘duplicitous life’ is a metaphor for Jekyll’s internal conflict. Duplicity refers to deceit or two-facedness, symbolizing Jekyll’s attempt to live two separate lives, one as a respectable doctor and the other as the immoral and criminal Hyde. This metaphor is central to the novel, representing the psychological and moral split between Jekyll and Hyde, as well as the broader duality in human nature.
‘man is not truly one, but truly two’
The balanced sentence emphasizes Stevenson’s point, that there is duality in humanity. The repetition of the word “truly” emphasizes the authenticity of the statement. Jekyll is not merely suggesting that man appears to be divided, but that this duality is a fundamental truth of human existence.
