Society is a community of people who share the same government, religion, environment, or culture. Society creates a set of unspoken rules that the community blindly follows. Without society, there would be no moral codes to live by, no standards that people should live by. These “unspoken” rules are changed when you go to different societies. One of the most popular societies is the Victorian society, known for its rapid development of science and also its oppressive restrictions. There were many restrictions in Victorian society and many were marginalized for rebelling against the standards. Some people are unable to stick to these rigorous standards and slowly descend into madness due to societal pressure. Robert Louis Stevenson is a great example of someone who rebelled against social pressures. Dr. Jekyll in the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is unable to hold himself to strict Victorian standards, and evidently descends into madness in an attempt to maintain them. Stevenson manifests his opinion on Victorian society in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde through Jekyll's decline into madness as a result of societal pressures. The Victorian era is considered to be an era of rapid change and development in almost all fields of society. science and politics. However, it is also known to be a time of contradictions. The era is known for its growth and prosperity, an era of great political change and economic wealth. Great progress was made in all fields of science, technology and medicine. As all this was changing for the better, society and moral codes remained rigid and obsolete. Women were not allowed to wear revealing clothing...... middle of paper...... The ian era was an era of progress and judgment. Stevenson tries to show the harshness of society during this time. It simply shows that what others think of another can influence how someone lives. “Of course, Stevenson wishes in his life and in Jekyll and Hyde that society were less hypocritical about natural and wholesome pleasures. But sociable pleasure in Jekyll and Hyde functions less as implicit contrasts with external desires than as emblems of tragically unfulfilled promises. (Veeder 105) Even though Stevenson wished society wasn't so judgmental, sadly it still is. Society has changed dramatically since the Victorian era in Britain, but it is still a long way from truly accepting an individual for who they are and what they have achieved. Works Cited Robert Louis Stevenson Wendy Perkins Joyce Moss Laura Cenicola William Veeder