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Symbolism of Objects

Stevenson uses various symbols in "Jekyll and Hyde" to represent the theme of duality. The key to the door in the by-street that was rusty and broken symbolizes Jekyll's declining morality as he experiments more with his Hyde persona. The description of someone stamping on the key is linked to Hyde's murder of Carew. The locked door between Jekyll and his lab emphasizes the difference between their two identities. Jekyll used a potion to transform into Hyde, representing the repressed darker aspects of his personality. The worn laboratory equipment symbolizes Jekyll's moral and mental deterioration as he experiments more with Hyde.

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50 views

Symbolism of Objects

Stevenson uses various symbols in "Jekyll and Hyde" to represent the theme of duality. The key to the door in the by-street that was rusty and broken symbolizes Jekyll's declining morality as he experiments more with his Hyde persona. The description of someone stamping on the key is linked to Hyde's murder of Carew. The locked door between Jekyll and his lab emphasizes the difference between their two identities. Jekyll used a potion to transform into Hyde, representing the repressed darker aspects of his personality. The worn laboratory equipment symbolizes Jekyll's moral and mental deterioration as he experiments more with Hyde.

Uploaded by

khattab
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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In "Jekyll and Hyde," Stevenson employs the use of objects as symbols to further develop the theme

of duality. One such object is the key to the door in the by-street, described as "already stained with
rust" and "broken." This imagery serves to represent the downward spiral of Jekyll's morality and
mental well-being as he becomes more entrenched in his experimentation with his evil alter ego,
Mr. Hyde. The phrase "much as if a man had stamped on it" used by Poole, creates a disturbing
image that links to the brutal murder committed by Mr. Hyde on Sir Danvers Carew, suggesting that
Stevenson's use of symbolism in this case is deliberate.

Stevenson successfully presents the symbolism of the door in page 42 of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to
convey the theme of the duality of human nature. This is powerfuly implied in "it was locked" when
jekyll was in his lab, which emphasises the difference between the two characters and their separate
identities. As on one side of "the door" it presents jekylls respectable public persona as in contrary
the other other side being Hydes monstotuous nature. As readers we can identify the door being
"locked" suggests how Jekyll desperately isolated himself in order to hide his dark side being Mr
Hyde.
. Furthermore, Stevenson includes the potion as a form of symbolism in which Jekyll uses to
transform into his monstrous alter-ego, Mr. Hyde.The potion serves as a symbol of the duality within
Jekyll’s own nature, representing the darker, repressed aspects of his personality that he feels
compelled to suppress.
“I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck that man is not truly one, but truly two.”this
demonstrates the existence of the potion and the fact that it represents the duality of jekyll.The potion
can be seen as a representation of the human desire to escape from one’s own limitations and to
indulge in forbidden desires, as well as a metaphor for the allure of sin and the temptation to give in to
our baser instincts which adds to how the potion initially proves how power could bring corruption to
sustain such power which could Tampere with the fundemental nature of one self.

Lastly, The old and worn laboratory equipment, such as "the chemical instruments that lay about", in
Dr. Jekyll's lab symbolizes the moral and mental deterioration of Jekyll as he becomes more
entrenched in his experimentation with Mr. Hyde. The sentence structure used in this description is
simple and plain, which adds to the imagery of the dilapidated objects and reflects Jekyll's own
descent into darkness and corruption. This imagery supports the theme of duality by showing the
physical manifestation of Jekyll's inner turmoil and the corruption brought about by his evil alter ego.

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