Comparing the Impact of Darwin on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and She Essay

The Impact of Darwin on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and She Who Must Be Obeyed Imagine what would happen if everything you believed to be true was suddenly ch totallyenged. How would you feel if the good rock bottom of your religious and cultural beliefs turned into a dodgy slope of doubt? Such was the dilemma the Victorians faced with the publication of Darwins assembly line of the Species. The questioning of mans origin in the form of organic evolution and survival of the fittest brought an uneasy feeling as to mans place in spite of appearance the hierarchy of the universe. Darwins theory that globe was evolved from apes and not created by a divine being shocked educate society. The comparisons between civilized and uncivilized behavior linked through evolution is a predominant theme throughout Victorian literature. Through the literary works of this era, we can see the preoccupation with the cultural conflict between evolution and creationism. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson introduces us to the concept that the beast within us all lies very close to the surface. He explores the dual genius and the constant battle waged within oneself between civilized and uncivilized behavior. In his full statement of the case, Dr. Jekyll states, But I had voluntarily stripped myself of all those balancing instincts by which even the worst of us carry ons to walk with approximately degree of steadiness among temptations and in my case, to be tempted, however slightly, was to fall. (49) Although Dr. Jeykll was disdainful of Hr. Hydes thoughts and actions, he recognized within himself that he enjoyed the freedom and the thrills that Mr. Hydes uncivilized behavior brought. He enjoyed ... ...ainty. Both Haggard and Stevenson linked the theory to their stories in an attempt to raise us the fine line between civilized and uncivilized, man or beast. This anxiety and uncertainty was reflected in most of the literature of th e time and would continue to be reflected in literature of the future. And then Darwin comes along with The Descent of world Works Cited and Consulted Cohen, Morton N. Rider Haggard His life & works. NY Walker & Company, 1960. Haggard, Henry Rider. She. parvenu York Oxford University Press, 1887, 1991. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. First Vintage Classics Edition. New York Vintage Books, 1991. Veeder, William. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde after(prenominal) One Hundred Years. Eds. William Veeder and Gordon Hirsch. Chicago University of ChicagoPress, 1988.