Symbolism, according to the Oxford American Dictionary is "an artistic and poetic movement or style using symbols and indirect suggestion to express ideas, emotions, etc." In his book, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson used this literary tool quite effectively. As an example, consider the use of doors-firstly, the door leading to Dr. Jekyll's laboratory; secondly, the door which, at the end of the story, Mr. Utterson shatters with the ax. Because the door is an important aspect of the story, one should grasp the symbolism in order to understand the story. Clearly, the image of the door was portrayed during the entire story as a symbol, but a symbolism of what?

In chapter one, Stevenson made many references to the door, as depicted by the title of the chapter, "Story of the Door." Since an entire chapter was devoted to the door...