We encounter this facet of his character at the beginning of the story when the two friends part company. It is as if there is a dark side to his nature which he has to be kept under control. The following quotation from the story clearly shows this aspect of his character.
He leaped from his chair and grappled me; I had to fight, without exaggeration, for my life; and it was only with a great effort that I mastered him, for he was near as strong in body as myself, and seemed filled with the devil.
In the above quotation the inner evil, the other side of Northmour is revealed. This character therefore, like many others characters in the works of Stevenson, symbolizes the reality of the conflict between good and evil in human nature. As Cassilis remarks in the story;
He had the appearance of a finished gentleman; his face bore every mark of intelligence and courage; but you had only to look at him, even in his most amiable moment, to see that he had the temper of a slaver captain. I never knew a character that was both explosive and revengeful to the same degree
The duality that exists in this character can be seen when he discovers that Frank and Clara want to be married. On the one hand, although he had entered into an agreement to protect the father to obtain the hand of the daughter in marriage, he does not desert them when he finds out they are in love and in the hour of their danger. This shows a great deal of integrity, which seems to in opposition to the other more negative traits of his character.
There are other examples of dualism and opposites in the short story. Besides the contrast between Northmour and Cassilis there is also the difference between the characters of Clara and her father. While she is presented as being the epitome of beauty, wholesome honesty and integrity, her father is portrayed as the opposite of these qualities. . When we are introduced to Bernard Huddleston he comes across as a decidedly unpleasant person who seems to be sickly, cowardly and insincere. Cassilis' response to meeting Huddleston and his aversion to the man clearly reveal the qualities of this character."I gave him my hand, of course, because I could not help it; but the sympathy I had been prepared to feel for Clara's father was immediately soured by his appearance, and the wheedling, unreal tones in which he spoke."
The father is almost the opposite of the forthright and morally upright daughter.
2.3.2. Romance and Mystery
Romance and love act as a counterpoint to the mayhem and tension in the story. Romance is also another opposite in the complex that reflects the theme of duality in this work. This refers to the instinctive and intuitive love relationship that takes place between Clara and Frank and is also linked to the sense of mystery that pervades this short story.
Mystery is everywhere from the very beginning to the end of the story. We are continually confronted by the unusual and the strange in different guises; whether it takes the form of the oppositions in human nature or in the obscure and sinister Italians.
Within this context of mystery and suspense, love blossoms between Frank and Clara. It is as if the author is suggesting that love is able to develops and thrive in the most unlikely and difficult of situations. However, we could also argue that love itself is a great mystery without any rational explanation. The mystery of love is captured in the way that Frank Cassilis is entranced by the Clara's features. "…when I thus saw her face-to-face, her eyes set steadily and imperiously upon mine, I was filled with admiration and astonishment, and thought her even more beautiful than I had looked to find her."
The narrator...
He describes in clear and unequivocal terms the nature of his friends and the other characters that he encounters. He also tends to discuss both the bad and the good points of the other characters. This can seen in the way that he does not fail to describe Northmour as bad tempered and violent but also shows his more noble qualities as well. However, it must be remembered that the
Stevenson was concerned with the inner struggle between moral and immoral thoughts and actions that existed in the human heart, and that this conflict does not always result in victory for the good side of human nature. Bibliography Markheim. Web. 17 April 2012. (http://www.enotes.com/markheim-salem/markheim). Markheim- Robert Louis Stevenson. Web. 6 April 2012. (http://www.coursework.info/International_Baccalaureate/Languages/Markheim-_Robert_Louis_Stevenson_L900589.html.) Matthews, B. The Short-Story: Specimens Illustrating Its Development. New York: American Book Company, 1907. Menikoff, B. Tales from the Prince of Storytellers.
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