Dual Nature of Man

Cards (2)

  • "Man is not truly 1, but truly 2"
    • adverb "truly" emphasise J's certainty on duality of human nature, challenging V belief in moral absolutes
    • S present psychological theory ahead of it time, reflect emerging ideas of subconscious mind (Freud's id & ego)
  • "a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty ... every mark of capacity and kindness" chapter 3
    • Paradoxical description: 50 yr man would typically be etched with wrinkles and signs of age, this paints him as almost artificial, he seems the archetype of a respectable gentleman yet almost to the extent where he seems manufactured.
    • The word 'kindness' illustrates why Utterson had such an affinity (natural liking) with Jekyll, yet the placement of "mark" next to "kindness" foreshadows a hidden stain on Jekyll's morality.
    • Foreshadowing: Jekyll's sanitised appearance becomes an ironic counterpoint to the barbaric Hyde lurking beneath, a monstrous reflection of the darkness he seeks to control and his morbid curiosity.