Look in the mirror and what do you see? What identifies you as a person? Is there an underlying truth about your identity that you are unconscious of? Who do you let influence your appearance and beliefs? The truth is, every external and internal factor in our lives can make up who we are, they only can control us if we let it, and they only can control us if we give it power. All human beings are commingled out of good and evil. Every human being has an underlying doppelganger whether you believe it or not. One side of us may take control more so over the other, however, some people do not know how to control it and this is what fears people the most. People fear the unknown, misleading appearances, and duplicitous behaviors that may protrude into a person’s personality.
Gothic literature was first established with the publication of Horace Walpole’s dark, foreboding The Castle of Otranto in 1764. Since then, gothic fiction has not only flourished but also branched off into many popular subgenres. Advancing to the Victorian era (1837-1901), was a significant time where the production of some of the most well-known gothic novels were created including The Tell-Tale of Heart (1843) and The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). Both gothic novels share a common theme of misleading appearances and duplicitous behaviors. Duality is the state of separation - it is the opposite of reality, and it is the cause of all suffering that is the product of the mind. Duality is essentially a person being made up of two personalities, a good side and an evil. These two natures are constantly fighting over one another. Seems quite strange believe me, but after reading and extracting some gothic texts, it’s the reality of this world and what people fear the most as our lives become centered around judgment, condemnation, and fear. In gothic literature, identity is represented as misleading and duplicitous as seen in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’.
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Have you ever met came across an individual and wondered what was going on inside their head? many people are misled by the way people present themselves. To some extent “The Tell-Tale Heart' is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. A Tell Tale of Heart explores and demonstrates misleading appearances through the use of word choice. It is relayed by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity while simultaneously describing a murder he committed. The narrator of the story constantly creates discrepancies and contradictions within his telling of the tale. A quote from this short story highlights this when he says, “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him”. This quote is significant in displaying his contradicting personality of kindness and insanity, which comes across as misleading. We have seen this with his dual-sidedness, in which he makes his bid for sanity by describing his calm, cautioned, and heightened sense of being, while at the same time describing this brutal murderous act. Not only does he contradict his plea for sanity, but he also creates this other huge discrepancy in his story, and his logic, when he explains his motives for the murder of the old man.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a narrative about the complexities of science and the duplicity of human nature. Dr Jekyll is a kind, well-respected, and intelligent scientist who meddles with the darker side of science, as he wants to bring out his 'second' nature. He does this through transforming himself into Mr. Hyde – his evil alter ego who doesn't repent or accept responsibility for his evil crimes and ways. Jekyll tries to control his alter ego, Hyde, and for a while, Jekyll has the power. However, towards the end of the novel, Hyde takes control over Dr Jekyll manipulating his thoughts into evil and sacrifice.
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