Stevenson and Conrad The Duality of Human Nature - 680 Words

The literary device of personification is found in both The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Heart of Darkness. This literary device is shown to further demonstrate the theme, the duality in human nature. Personification is defined as the ascription of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of a theoretical quality in human form. Stevenson uses personification to figuratively make London come alive. Mr. Utterson comments on the scenery by saying: â€Å"the fog still slept ... lamps glimmered like carbuncles† (Stevenson 1959). Stevenson further describes the city through the literary device of personification. This is exemplified when Mr. Utterson describes Soho: â€Å"nothing but a door on the lower story and a blind forehead of discoloured wall on the upper† (Stevenson 1645). It is here, in London that Mr. Hyde commits his worst crime yet, the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Yet the most authoritative personifica tions are evident in Dr. Jekyll’s confession. This is exemplified when Dr. Jekyll realizes his experiment has â€Å"severed me from my own face and nature† (Stevenson 1685). Stevenson continues to use personification when Dr. Jekyll describes Mr. Hyde as the true personification of evil: â€Å"the slime of the pit seemed to utter cries and voices† (Stevenson 1648). Conrad in his novella Heart of Darkness also applies the literary device of symbolism to further display the duality of human nature. Conrad often personifies theShow MoreRelatedStevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature 949 Words   |  4 PagesConrad also employs the literary device of symbolism to further display the theme, the duality of human nature in his novella Heart of Darkness. Three major examples of symbolism are evident in this novella. These examples include, light and dark, the Congo River, and ivory. Similar to Stevenson, Conrad uses light and dark symbolism throughout his novella. Yet curiously in Heart of Darkness, light does not symbolize genuine goodness nor does dark symbolize pure calamity. Marlow proves this when heRead MoreStevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature 778 Words   |  3 Pagesaspects of human life. In 1859 Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, a work that opposed the traditional way of perceiving religion. Candyce Klin a uthor of â€Å"Darwinism as A Cultural Issue†, states that The Origin of Species proposed the theory that all living creatures had to compete within their own preconditions in order to survive. This may be why the controversial issue of the duality of human nature has been found at the heart of many Victorian works. The theme of the duality of man canRead More Stevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature 1793 Words   |  8 Pagesaspects of human life. In 1859 Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, a work that opposed the traditional way of perceiving religion. Candyce Klin author of â€Å"Darwinism as A Cultural Issue†, states that The Origin of Species proposed the theory that all living creatures had to compete within their own preconditions in order to survive. This may be why the controversial issue of the duality of human nature has been found at the heart of many Victorian works. The theme of the duality of man canRead MoreVictorian Novel9605 Word s   |  39 Pagesrevolutions and fighting across the Channel, in Britain was completely different. Here, the most vital issue for all citizens was stability and rising standards of living. Artists of ‘Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood’ claimed to write only true about nature, concentrate only on the true ideas. These three years saw the rise of such works: of Bronte sisters’ Poems, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. The Following twenty years could be seen