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Hypocrisy then and now (1)

by Aanchal Marwaha (India)

The respected Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter ego, the unspeakable Mr. Hyde, are the permanent embodiment of Stevenson's obsession with the double soul of man. To a modern generation, which has learned only relatively recently, through such studies as Steven Marcus's The Other Victorians, of the unpleasant aspects of the private conduct of the Victorians, Stevenson's tale seems to be as well suited to nineteenth-century England as to Deacon Brodie's Edinburgh of a century earlier. In fact, in a striking exception to the rule that history never repeats itself, a notorious criminal case was tried at Sheffield in 1879 that presented a close parallel to the exploits of Brodie. Charlie Peace -- known to his suburban community in London as "Mr. Thompson," a proper, violin-playing citizen, busy with his great assortment of pets, a regular attendant at parish church services and an outspoken critic of the pro-Turkish policies of the government -- was a professional housebreaker by night. When he was arrested in the course of a burglary, his identity was discovered and it was found that he had committed two murders, one of them years before. Peace was hanged for his crimes and his violin is now one of the prime exhibits in Scotland Yard's Black Museum.

When we recall that the vision of Jekyll and Hyde came to Stevenson full-born out of his dreams, there is room for speculation that the small size and youth of Hyde had even greater meaning. Stevenson as a young student in Edinburgh had led a rakish life in the unsavory quarters of his city, and his Bohemian conduct caused him difficulty with his parents. From the black velvet jacket (given to him by his father) that he wore during his adventures, he was given the nickname "Velvet Coat" by the sailors, sweeps, thieves and prostitutes with whom he consorted. He must have looked back at that period with considerable shame and it may not be too much to suggest that the dwarfish Mr. Hyde in his rich clothes has a close kinship with Stevenson's deepest memories of his own young manhood..
The Strange Case of Mr. Jekyll and Hyde is a book based on Robert Louis Stevenson's own experiences, especially with middle-age men in Edinburgh and London (this, therefore, is one of the explanations of a lack of female writers). He focused on a milieu he knew well: the clubby, middle-class world of powerful men. And what he knew best about that milieu becomes the driving force of the novel ? it was a world in which fa?ade counted ? the cut of one's suit, the social status of one's friends. Above all, this was a world of appearance not substance. Stevenson's target, therefore, is hypocrisy ? not heterosexual or homosexual sin, as sometimes implied by his contemporary critics. On the release of the novel, one homosexual friend of Stevenson wrote, upset, "I doubt whether anyone has a right to scrutinize the abysmal depths of personality ." In response, Stevenson wrote "Jekyll is a dreadful thing, I own; but the only thing I feel dreadful about is that damned old business of the war in the members. This time it came out; and I hope it will stay in, in future." Clearly, Stevenson believed that his novel explored the hypocrisy of his time as well as the innate evilness that occurred in society.

Stevenson's idea, however, was not completely originally, he had encountered precursors to his tale long before he wrote Jekyll and Hyde. The fictions most frequently cited as having had an influence on Jekyll and Hyde are E.T.A. Hoffman's The Devil's Elixirs" (1816), Thomas Jefferson Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824), Edgar Allan Poe's "William Wilson?(1839), and most significantly, Theophile Gautier's Chvalier Double." (1840) Gautier's story centers around a protagonist, Oluf, who has a double nature and leads a tormented life, much like Jekyll and Hyde.

AANCHAL'S OPINION ON THE BOOK
Right and Wrong. Joy and Despair. Good and Evil. These are the themes Robert Louis Stevenson addresses in his work, 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.' The story is told from the point of view of John Utterson, a lawyer and friend to the brilliant scientist, Dr. Henry Jekyll. After relating a disturbing tale of an angry fiend assaulting a small girl, Utterson begins to question the odd behavior of his friend. As he investigates further into the life of Dr. Jekyll he uncovers a story so horrific, so terrifying, that he can hardly believe it. Truly a great work of English Literature, 'Jekyll and Hyde' is a magnificent story that takes the reader to the very edge of madness.

Hypocrisy then and now (2)

By Siddharth Rajan (India)

Well I feel Hypocrites existed then and even now. We all love to have a respectable exterior but we do have our negatives too. Charles Dickens himself, it is said, was ashamed of his past where he consorted with all the very Non Respectable People so to say for example his alliance with prostitutes, thieves’ etc.brought shame. He used to wear a velvet coat, which his father had gifted him, and he wore that for his adventures or you can say misadventures. You can notice the similarity between Dickens and Hyde.Dickens lived in an era where façade mattered.He knew those upper class men who boasted to be respectable but had evil streaks in them.This holds good even today.There are several people in the modern world who put on a façade.Human Beings on the whole have Good as well as bad in them and that’s what Dickens has very beautifully portrayed.Another important story that I have read is that Dickens was influenced by Deacon Brodie and a man called Charlie Peace.
Charlie Peace -- known to his suburban community in London as "Mr. Thompson," a proper, violin-playing citizen, busy with his great assortment of pets, a regular attendant at parish church services and an outspoken critic of the pro-Turkish policies of the government -- was a professional housebreaker by night. When he was arrested in the course of a burglary, his identity was discovered and it was found that he had committed two murders, one of them years before. Peace was hanged for his crimes and his violin is now one of the prime exhibits in Scotland Yard's Black Museum.