Appearance Rules the World
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A wise man named Friedrich Schiller once said, “Appearance rules the world.” Mankind has pursued self- fulfillment in perfecting their body with their opinion of his or her ideal physical appearance. No one is truly ever satisfied with his or her own countenance. We all find faults and flaws in ourselves. This is why there are so many scientific breakthroughs and so many diverse ways one may change their how they look. Self- modification is a major part of how we perceive our physical appearance. In some instances one changes the way they look for their own personal insecurities but in other cases the change in appearance is to explore another side to themselves. In the short story “The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Stevenson, the science of beauty is an essential contributing factor to the theme of changing your appearance to become a different person in some way of the story. The author establishes this theme with symbolism, imagery, and allegory.
There are many reasons why each one of us has the countenance that we have and look the way we do. “Those reasons can be genetics, ethnical/racial, physical, psychological, external, or internal which gives every individual a unique characteristic (“The Characteristics of Human Appearance or Looks.”)” Stevenson states unspecific details of the countenance of Hyde but with what is established one is forced to believe that Hydes appearance is abhorrently deformed and ugly with a small short physique. His countenance symbolizes his ethics and moral gruesomeness. Back in Stevensons era, the relationship of deformity and ugliness and mischief were closely related. Many alleged that one could isolate a criminal with the science of physiognomy. Hydes shrunken build also shows his evil doings. “I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil; and the thought, in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine. I stretched out my hands, exulting in the freshness of these sensations; and in the act, I was suddenly aware that I had lost in stature (Stevenson.)” There is a pun whenever Jekyll as Hyde states that he has “lost in stature.” This quote not only means that he has physically shrunken but also that he has lost his respectable reputation. Being suppressed for so many years prohibited him from flourishing and growing. Mr. Hydes bodily image being so hairy may signify that he is not only the evil side to Jekyll but also the animalistic instinct behind Jekylls sophisticated surface. Appearances throughout the short story are not only literal but also figurative. Dr. Jekyll maintains a very well respected household and reputation. The inhabitants of the story are directly related to where and how they live. Jekyll lives in a relaxing household while Hyde lives inside the doctors laboratory that is a “dingy windowless structure.” Once Stevenson establishes the irony that Hydes run down home is a part of Jekylls beautiful home, it extends the idea that even Jekylls household is a parallel to his character. The door in which separates the laboratory where Hyde resides and the majestic house that Jekyll resides in is a passage between two diverse worlds. Throughout the story Jekyll and Hyde are the only ones who take this passage and walk from a normal