The depravity of man knows no bounds. However, the positive qualities of man are not limited to the finite either. For every virtue there is a sin. Every man is a playground for demons and angels alike. Robert Louis Stevenson illustrated this dual nature of a man in his short story Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll was the epitome of success, but like any bourgeois man, he struggled with desires that violated the strict social mores and taboos of the Victorian era (Cohen 2). Stevenson illustrates the dual nature of man in three ways: the development of Dr. Jekyll's scientific thesis, Mr. Hyde's contrasting physical, mental, and moral attributes, and Dr. Jekyll's loss of control over Mr. Hyde. Stevenson illustrates the dual nature of man. the duality of man by describing Dr. Jekyll's inner turmoil which ultimately led to the creation of his scientific thesis. Before Mr. Hyde existed, Dr. Jekyll struggled with inclinations that seemed conflicting to him. Since birth, he has struggled with his penchant for “cheerfulness of character” (Stevenson 64). He was driven by the desire to put aside his responsibilities and act carefree. Nevertheless, the burden of social norms, his desire to “carry his head high” (Stevenson 64) and meet expectations forced him to hide his pleasures. The years pass under the oppression of his repression until Dr. Jekyll reaches the “years of reflection” (Stevenson 64). It was at this time that Stevenson indirectly illustrated Dr. Jekyll's dualism by describing him as a chemist interested in the science of the "mystical and the transcendental", a coupling of extreme scientific and spiritual verses. While Dr. Jekyll revels in his reflection, he has a revelation. That morally ...... middle of paper ...... work, are all virtues that are often neglected. Dualism exists in everyone. This dualism is illustrated quite poignantly by Stevenson, from the development of Dr. Jekyll's scientific thesis, to the contrasting physical, mental and moral attributes of Mr. Hyde, and finally Dr. Jekyll's loss of control over Mr. Hyde . Works Cited Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Bantam, 1981. Print. Cohen, Ed. "Hyding the Subject?: The Antinomies of Masculinity in the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Novel: A Forum on Fiction 37.1/2 (2003): 181-199. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO. Internet. August 2, 2011. Williams, M. Kellen. "Down with the door, Poole": Pointing out deviance in Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. " English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920 39.4 (1996): 412-429. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. August 2. 2011.