How Accurately Can You Grade a Top Answer?
Here’s the question: (If you want grades 7-9 you will learn more about essay writing by reading an essay on a text you don’t know - you’ll be focusing on the mark scheme, rather than what you know about the text)
Starting with this extract, explore how Stevenson presents duality in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Write about:
• how Stevenson presents Duality in this extract
• how Stevenson presents Duality in the novel as a whole.
[30 marks]
Extract (You don’t have to read this to mark the essay)
Again, in the course of my life, which had been, after all, nine-tenths a life of effort, virtue, and control, it had been much less exercised and much less exhausted. And hence, as I think, it came about that Edward Hyde was so much smaller, slighter, and younger than Henry Jekyll. Even as good shone upon the countenance of the one, evil was written broadly and plainly on the face of the other. Evil besides (which I must still believe to be the lethal side of man) had left on that body an imprint of deformity and decay. And yet when I looked upon that ugly idol in the glass, I was conscious of no repugnance, rather of a leap of welcome. This, too, was myself. It seemed natural and human. In my eyes it bore a livelier image of the spirit, it seemed more express and single, than the imperfect and divided countenance I had been hitherto accustomed to call mine. And in so far I was doubtless right. I have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I take it, was because all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.
Essay
(Despite the repetition in this essay, I’m going to say that it is at least a grade 7. But, what grade, and what mark within the grade?)
In this 19th century gothic novella, Stevenson panders on the sensational tastes of his readers by presenting the theme of duality in multiple ways. Firstly, Utterson is portrayed to be an archetype of a morally upstanding Victorian, suggested by his name “Gabriel,” a deliberate biblical allusion to the angel who announces the birth of Jesus. His role is to proclaim. However, Utterson in his dual nature, sees his role to be opposite - to preserve secrecy and supress knowledge, as he withholds evidence from the police to save Jekyll’s reputation. Moreover, Jekyll’s appearance is described to act as a façade to hide his alter ego, Hyde. The civilised and “handsome” description of Jekyll at the start of the novella contrasts with Hyde’s description in the extract, when he gives a sense of “deformity and decay,” employing dental alliteration. Stevenson here perhaps exploits the Victorian society’s inclination to pseudo sciences, which stipulated morality through appearance. Furthermore, in the extract, Jekyll describes Hyde as “natural and human” suggesting how Jekyll manifested all his evil into creation of another being, but feels nonetheless more human because of it. Stevenson perhaps hints that duality is a natural component of man and this innate duality shall be normalised.
At the start of the novella, Jekyll is described as a “large, well made, smooth- faced man,” with “large” having connotations of prosperity and “smoothed- faced” having connotations of a civilised gentleman, Jekyll is portrayed to be good looking and wealthy. Alternatively, this can also be seen as Stevenson’s way of criticising modern civility standards. This description of Jekyll is contrasted by Hyde giving a sense of “deformity and decay” in the extract. While this has surface connotations of neglect and carelessness, the dental alliteration between the two words hints at a deeper meaning. Stevenson exploits Victorian pseudo sciences such as physiognomy, which stipulated a person’s morality through their appearance. This includes Lombroso’s theory of Atavism, which dictated that criminals can be identified by their atavistic physical features. This is employed when Hyde is described as “ape-like” and “troglodytic” in the novella.
Moreover, Stevenson criticises the dual and hypocritical nature of the Christian society of the time. Utterson represents the Christian society throughout the novella, “reading a divinity each Sunday” and “going to bed until the clock of he neighbouring church rang out.” This can be seen as Stevenson’s attempt to cater to the expectations of his Christian readership, who expect the main characters to be religious and morally upstanding. Furthermore, Utterson’s name “Gabriel” is a deliberate echo of the angel who announces the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist. His role is to proclaim. Utterson in his dual nature, sees his role as opposite, to supress knowledge and preserve secrecy. He withholds evidence from the police and does not reveal Jekyll’s evil vices to the wider society, highlighting the dual nature of Utterson and the Christian society he represents. This perhaps deviates from Stevenson rejecting established religion, and denying the Christian code of moral conduct by visiting brothels and taking drugs.
Furthermore, in the extract, Jekyll describes Hyde as “natural and human.” This unexpected humanity about Hyde suggests how Jekyll manifested all his evil into creation of another being, but feels nonetheless more human because of it. Stevenson perhaps hints that duality is a natural component of man, and that everyone has innately two sides to them, one good and one evil. Stevenson therefore calls for the acceptance and normalisation of this aspect of human nature. Later in the extract, Jekyll acknowledges his evil side by stating “This was too myself,” suggesting how denying our evil sides will make us less human. This seems to echo other gothic novels of the 19th century such as ‘Frankenstein’ written by Mary Shelley, which also focused on calling for recognition of the monster that lies within.
Overall, in conclusion, Stevenson presents duality in the novella through Jekyll’s deceiving appearance, which helps him to hide his alter – ego, Hyde. The duality of the Christian society is presented through the portrayal of Utterson as a hypocrite, who though being a moral Christian, preserves the secrecy of Jekyll’s immoral vices and fails to protect the society from them. Lastly, Stevenson presents the duality of man to be innate, suggesting how denying our evil sides will make us less human, emphasising that “man is not truly one but truly two.”
The Marking Criteria
The Wisdom of Crowds predicts that the average of how everyone grades it will be the true mark!