Sruthi Sundaram Victorian Gothic Fiction 4/18/13 FINAL EXAM Good versus Evil: Mans Dual Nature The

motif of good versus evil and its relevance to mans inner conscience is an idea that was commonly explored in 19th century Victorian gothic fiction. Every man has both sides to his character, and in gothic fiction, the evil side comes into question with good. Ultimately, either the good wins or the evil wins. If temptation overcomes mans morals, the evil wins over the good. The 19th century author, Robert Louis Stevenson, analyzed the idea of evil working its way through different mediums, such as temptation or ambition. Along with Markheim, Stevenson has also written the short story The Body Snatcher and most famously, the novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. All three of these stories exhibit the motif of good versus evil, in which evil, using mans internal weaknesses, worms its way to overcome good. The protagonists of all three works face the same internal conflict, the knowledge that they are evil, which showcases itself through different symbolic physical objects that the protagonists are forced to interact with. In addition to the good versus evil motif, Markheim also showcases several technical aspects of gothic literature, such as dark versus light imagery, intense psychological conflict, and character duality. In Markheim, the protagonist intends to loot a dealer by murdering him and stealing his stores. He comes in a story about wanting to buy a Christmas present for his new wife. When the dealer shows him a fancy mirror that he could buy, Markheim gets indignant and uncomfortable. He exclaims, I ask you [] for a Christmas present, and you give me thisthis damned reminder of years, and sins and folliesthis hand-conscience! Did you mean it? Had you a thought in your mind? Tell me. It will be better for you if you do. Come, tell me about yourself. I hazard a guess now, that you are in secret a very charitable man. The mirror symbolizes Markheims evil side, and because of his internal guilt, he is unable to look at it. He states damned reminder of years, and sins and follies but he knows that the mirror shows more than the past; it shows the future and the evil act which he is about to perform. Thus, he makes the dealer put the mirror away, so he can rid himself of the torture of guilt. An interesting speculation about Markheim is the exact motivation he that led him to actually murder the dealer. The fact that he no longer had to look at the mirror definitely contributed to the resurgence of evil within him. In Markheims case, his greed was the most prominent medium that evil used to control him. Soon before he kills the dealer, he is described: [] he drew himself up and filled his lungs; at the same time many different emotions were depicted together on his faceterror, horror, and resolve, fascination and a physical repulsion; and through a haggard lift of his upper lip, his teeth looked out. He is a mixture of emotions before the deed, which is further proof of his internal conflict. However, at the end, his fascination with his own daring and his resolve overcomes any hesitation he might have had, and he successfully commits the evil deed. Markheims psychological state after he commits the murder is another important factor in analyzing his dual nature. While one might believe that his act of murder is the ultimate crime of evil, he still contains the dual nature of good and evil. This is showcased by the lack of the feeling of satisfaction within him after he commits the crime: In many rich mirrors, some of home design, some from Venice or Amsterdam, he saw his face repeated and repeated, as it were an army of spies; his own eyes met and detected him; and the sound of his own steps, lightly as

they fell, vexed the surrounding quiet. The symbolic mirrors appear again to show him the guilt and horror he feels at his actions. His face is an army of spies that detected him. This description is metaphorical for his own inner self convicting him for his crime. Markheims internal conflict with his dual nature of both good and evil parallels the internal conflicts of Stevensons other two works, The Body Snatcher and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. However, the medium evil uses to overcome good, in each story, is different. In The Body Snatcher, the protagonist, Fettes, is forced to come to terms with his willingness to go to any lengths to achieve his career aspects. He becomes friends with his colleague, McFarlane, and both of them dig graves for bodies which they can then dissect for medical analysis. Because of his curiosity and ambition, he associates himself too closely with McFarlane, the consequence of which, is Fettes having to cover the horrible acts committed by his associate, such as his murder of Gray. Thus, curiosity and ambition are the mediums through which Fettess evil side overcomes his good. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the scene where Dr. Jekyll creates the monster is a good example of his internal good versus evil conflict. Dr. Jekyll is unable to live with the evil aspects of his own character and thus aspires to create a version of him that feels no guilt at the evil it commits. He portrays an escapist attitude, wishing to rid himself of his own conscience. Instead of confronting his own character, he escapes from it. The result is the evil Mr. Hyde, who is formed from Dr. Jekylls greatest weakness, his own escapist attitude. Another aspect of Stevensons works that was very common in 19th century gothic literature is the existence of a symbolic object that showed an aspect of the protagonists character that he did not want to see. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the object is the most obviousMr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde embodies all of the evil aspects of Dr. Jekyll character, especially its lack of a conscience. It is thus portrayed as a repulsive and ugly creature. In The Body Snatcher, the object that symbolizes Fettess evil side is the body of Gray, who McFarlane murdered for previously insulting him. Gray makes Fettes feel uncomfortable about his association with McFarlane and thus, they decide to destroy the body. However, the body mysteriously reappears in the grave of another woman they were digging. The reappearance of the body symbolizes that Fettes will never be able to escape from the sight of his own evil side, unless he stops committing the evil deeds. Finally, in the story Markheim, the protagonists evil is characterized by the mirror. When he is first shown the mirror, Markheim exclaims to the dealer, Why, look herelook in itlook at yourself! Do you like to see it? No! nor Inor any man. Markheim cannot look at himself in the mirror because he is repulsed by what he seeshis evil self. He knows the crime he is about to commit is evil, is still resolved to do it, but still contains the self-doubt that is characterized in the mirror. The story Markheim showcases several technical aspects common in 19th century gothic literature, such as dark versus light imagery, brutality, intense psychological conflict, and character duality. Dark versus light imagery, also known as chiaroscuro, is commonly used to induce a feeling of eeriness and to foreshadow or embody horrific events. The description of the dealers shop after Markheim commits his crime contains chiaroscuro: The candle stood on the counter, its flame solemnly wagging in a draught; and by that inconsiderable movement the whole room was filled with noiseless bustle and kept heaving like a sea: the tall shadows nodding, the gross blots of darkness swelling and dwindling as with respiration []. The chiaroscuro imagery is very prominent here with the single candle flame in the dark room of the shop. The chiaroscuro serves to introduce the eerie mood of the story and embodies the horror of

the crime with the tall shadows and gross blots of darkness swelling and dwindling displaying the atmosphere of the room and the mood of Markheims own inner self effectively. Brutality is also very evident in Markheim and characteristic of 19th century gothic fiction. The description of the dealers murder is as follows: And then, as he began to rearise, Markheim bounded from behind upon his victim. The long, skewerlike dagger flashed and fell. The dealer struggled like a hen, striking his temple on the shelf, and then tumbled on the floor in a heap. Stevenson tells the murder just as it happened, with no sensitivity to the mental state of the reader or the sheer brutality of his description and the event itself. The authors personal separation from the scene, and the consequent lack of emotion he exhibits in his words, enhances the horrific perception of the crime. The aspects of intense psychological conflict and character duality go hand-in-hand because of the good versus evil motif. The inner conflict is caused by the dual nature of Markheims character and the existence of both good and evil within his psyche. His self-doubt is perfectly portrayed in the array of emotion he feels just before he murders the dealer: [] many different emotions were depicted together on his faceterror, horror, and resolve, fascination and a physical repulsion []. His inner conflict is very evident here as his good aspectsterror and horrorare placed against his evil aspectsresolve, fascination, and physical repulsion. In Markheims case, the evil aspects outweigh the good aspects which then cause him to commit the evil deed. In the broad aspect of 19th century Victorian gothic fiction, the short story Markheim serves a very apt example of the subjects analyzed in literature at the time. It exhibits a complex protagonist surrounded by an environment very archetypal of the typical Victorian setting. Its prominent similarity to Robert Louis Stevensons other works proves that it is particularly fitting as an example of the inner conflicts that arise from mans dual nature. While, all of these aspects only add to the storys intrigue and effectiveness, the story itself serves a greater purpose. Ultimately, it showcases the horrors of the mind and reveals the worst part of every man, warning society of the consequences of submitting to the evil influences of temptation and greed.