In reading the Gothic novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, a number of questions come to the reader’s mind. Many pertain to the boundaries of the real and the supernatural, or the literary meanings behind the relationships of particular characters, but one question applies not only to the story itself but also the very condition of life. This question addresses the qualities that make a person truly good or truly bad, and if there can ever be a balance. The Law of Polarity allows you to explore the depth of your own character as well as the characters of Jekyll and Hyde as manifestations of both positive and negative forces. The Law of Polarity is way of thinking that shows how something or someone is …show more content…
In the beginning of the story, Dr. Jekyll is introduced as an honest man with “every mark of capacity and kindness” (23). He is your typical moral Englishman who has honorably earned every part of his title. Though it is this good nature that causes the majority of the problem. Up to the point of Hyde, Jekyll is only in touch with his inner goodness, while his darkness is undeveloped. This leads to curiosity and a yearning for something more. The discovery of Hyde is what Jekyll uses to escape his monotonous life, and enter into an undiscovered realm of pleasure. Jekyll’s life remains this way for a while as Hyde becomes Jekyll’s twisted thing of a “beloved daydream” (68). This makes you wonder if Jekyll even wants to control his newly developed dark side. Maybe he does at first, but something about the power he feels as Hyde defeats the power of his logical thinking. Having power can be a powerful thing. In some cases it can make you live up to a higher standard, in others, it can cause a downfall in character. Jekyll definitely does not rise to the occasion, but his efforts aren’t completely tainted. Jekyll is a spectrum of light to dark, he is human, and just like everyone else he must learn to balance between the …show more content…
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the reader is left with the notion that Jekyll tries to stop himself from becoming Hyde, but surrenders when he realizes that fixing the situation is out of his hands. It cannot be said that Jekyll is completely innocent, for if he truly understood the concept of consequences, his fate could be in his own hands. This is not the case because Jekyll doesn’t want to control Hyde. He lives a pleasurable and exciting life vicariously through him, which is something he is not willing to give up. It also seems that as Jekyll transforms into Hyde, he also undergoes a change in conscience. With this separation he somehow rationalizes that Hyde’s actions aren’t his own, and his good qualities can remain unimpaired. Jekyll “even [makes] haste, where it [is] possible, to undo the evil done by Hyde” (74). Eventually the boundary between Jekyll and Hyde becomes a blur, which is a sign that the balance of good and evil is becoming unstable within him. Jekyll’s curiosity and yearning for an unknown pleasure causes his character to shift from only good to only bad. His conscience, once again, is completely off balance. The essential thing to learn is that a balance of the light and dark aspects in your life is necessary to live not only an honest life like Dr. Jekyll, but also a life with pleasure like that of Mr.
For this reason I’ll be explaining Jekyll’s mental health. Jekyll has as what we now call Multiple Personality Disorder; “I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could be rightly said to be either, it was only because I was radically both,” Stevenson 57.) The disease was first discovered by Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot. He would ask patients symptoms that he found common in MPD. Many patients know about their alternate personality but refuse to acknowledge it’s existence. In some cases they may even refer to it as a separate person entirely. In this case Jekyll is very much aware of his alternate personality, going as to so far as to willingly change into him. However despite this he also categorizes Hyde into a separate being. For example when Hyde does something unappealing or distasteful he blames it on a separate person. Consciously though he is aware that he is Hyde and Hyde is him. (MD, Arnold Lieber. "Multiple Personality Disorder / Dissociative Identity Disorder." PsyCom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1986. Vertical Health LLC, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016).
However, as the same happens much too often in real life, Jekyll is unable to keep this promise. He has already sunken too far into his addiction and it completely controls him, which Stevenson brilliantly illustrates as Hyde gains strength and begins to take over. As Hyde becomes stronger, he usurps Jekyll's body, mind, and life - just as drugs and alcohol often do to addicts, who sometimes lose their jobs, their possessions, and their friends. Jekyll finds himself turning into Hyde spontaneously, so he has to seclude himself from society, and give up his existence as Jekyll. His addiction has gotten so out of hand that his life has been completely destroyed; he is beyond resolution, since the only way to combat his problem is to kill Hyde, thereby killing himself.
...ve duality of man;… if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both” Thus, Stevenson creates in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, two coexistent, and eternally opposed components that make up a “normal” individual. However, here, good and evil are not related but are two independent entities, individuals even, different in mental and physical attributes and constantly at war with each other. Evil now does not require the existence of good to justify itself but it exists simply as itself, and is depicted as being the more powerful, the more enjoyable of the two, and in the end ultimately it is the one that leads to Dr. Jekyll's downfall and death. Stevenson creates the perfect metaphor for the never-ending battle between good and evil by using Jekyll and Hyde. However, this novella is perhaps one of the few that truly show the power of Evil.
Jekyll. Hyde commits acts of murder and assault yet can be seen as Dr. Jekyll’s id or deep desires. By trying to separate good and bad . Dr. Jekyll passed scientific and social borders to isolate his personality. In doing so, he lost control of who he wanted to be. As a last resort he created a poisonous potion that Hyde drank and died through act of suicide. Dr. Jekyll although not working with anyone took matters in his own hands which makes him seem like an outlaw hero. He did not turn himself into the police when he had control. However, Dr. Jekyll seems to have qualities of a official hero in his maturity in handling the situation. He knows how evil his alter ego is, so he isolates himself from others as a safety precaution. Jekyll tries to live a normal life, but is unable to. His status as a well distinguished doctor and sociability skills with his
He believe that the each side should be expressed individually. His experiment suppose this claim because all though out this story. Jekyll was his good side while Hyde was his bad. When he was Hyde he harmed so many people and turned back into good like nothing ever happened. The duality of human nature is when you have two differences in the way you think, feel and act. Which connects back to Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud: superego and good vs. evil. I would compare Jekyll and Hyde to the makings of chocolate milk. When you start off you have a bright white cup of milk. After, adding the chocolate syrup it turn darks. After becoming chocolate like it could no longer be that bright white cup of milk again. Just like Jekyll and Hyde: once Jekyll drunk his experiment he turned into Hyde. Although he turned back to himself, both sides of him was gone: he was no longer himself (Stevenson, 1986/2004, p.65). This chapter show the true meaning of good vs.
Jekyll in the urge of his evil instinct.The doctor has released the beast in him and violently experience the sensation of murdering Sir Danvers. “ There was something strange in my sensations, something incredibly new and, from its novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt younger, lighter, happier in the body; within I was conscious of a heady recklessness, a current of disordered sensual images running like a millrace in my fancy, a solution of the bonds of obligation, an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul.” With all the pleasure he has of being Hyde, however, cannot help Jekyll to carry all the consequences he has to bear. He starts to tie himself with repression “I became, in my own person, a creature eaten up and emptied by fever, languidly weak both in body and mind, and solely occupied by one thought: the horror of my other self.” and finally, commit
He slowly becomes more evil and more powerful than Jekyll ever could imagine. In the end, Dr. Jekyll decides Hyde can no longer be part of his life, so he takes Hyde’s life, which in turn takes his own life. He does not want to have to end his own life, however he knows this is what has to be done. Hyde is ruining Jekyll little by little each time he emerges. “The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll. And certainly the hate that now divided them was equal on each side. With Jekyll, it was a thing of vital instinct. He had now seen the full deformity of that creature that shared with him some of the phenomena of consciousness, and was coheir with him to death” (Stevenson 88). When Jekyll is writing his full statement of the case, he realizes ending his life is not only beneficial to his own safety, but to the safety of those around him. It is evident Jekyll does not want to have to make this decision. He has a fascination for Hyde, he somehow seems to sympathize with him on a level no one else
Jekyll is respectable man with a very good career. He is a doctor that is highly regarded in his community for what he does as far as charity and his manners. As young man growing up, he was secretly involved in weird behaviors that made him a bit questionable. Dr. Jekyll finds his other side to be quite bothersome and he decides to experiment so he could try a separate the good from the evil. He creates potions and other things that really do not help. After so many attempts of trying to restrain his evil side, he brings forth Hyde through his failed experimentation. Therefore, he only accentuates his evil self to come forth. Hyde is an extremely ugly creature that no one could stand the sight of. He is deformed, violent, and very evil. Throughout the story, he fights against Jekyll to take over his life eventually causing Jekyll to murder one of his good friends, Mr.
Though Hyde is pure evil, Jekyll is not pure goodness; he is still the same old conflicted mix of both good and evil. To cover his tracks, Jekyll rented a room for Hyde, opened a bank account in his name, and explained to his household servants that Hyde was to be allowed to freely come and go through the house. Hyde was even made Jekyll’s sole heir. At first, Jekyll delights in having his alter ego. Through Hyde, he can live out his fantasies of doing whatever he pleases, with no consequences, seeing as how he has but to drink the potion to make Hyde disappear. No accountability for Hyde’s
Hyde, makes Dr. Jekyll start to lose control. Dr. Jekyll started to lose control in his alter ego form, which made him start to commit crimes around town. The worst crime was when he murdered Danvers Carew, “And at that Mr. Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to earth” (27). Mr. Hyde beat Danvers Carew to death with a club out of pure rage. Mr. Hyde couldn’t control what he felt anymore which led him to commit this grizzly crime. The only thing that he thought would help him release this feeling was committing crimes. Dr. Jekyll knew he was in the wrong, so he would only come out at night to do these acts. He would only come out at night because he did not want to get caught and he did not want people in his business. After a while though he would come to find out that no amount of crimes would help the way he
Henry Jekyll’s innermost vices, but since he held himself to an extremely high standard of moral excellence, he needed to find another way of releasing. He creates Hyde as his way of getting these primal urges out. During this time period, the focus on reputation and credibility was huge, and this is how men were judged. He had many urges that he was internally repressing, as a result of existing in the Victorian era, which was well known for how incredibly stuffy and repressed it was. Jekyll was widely respected in the community as a doctor and he had many friends, so it is understandable that he didn’t want to lose his reputation, which came first for men of his social standing in this time period. He went to great lengths to create and cover for Hyde, including renting a place for Hyde to live, and making a bank account for his alter ego. The creation of Hyde turns out to be way more sinister than Jekyll initially imagined. Hyde’s own name is a pun, as he is the part of Jekyll that he must keep hidden away for fear of
Jekyll unveils his story, it becomes evident that Dr. Jekyll’s efforts to keep Mr. Hyde, his immoral outlet, reticent are in vain. Dr. Jekyll succumbs to Mr. Hyde once and eventually the pull of his worse self overpowers Dr. Jekyll completely. His futile attempts to contain Mr. Hyde were more damaging than auspicious, as Mr. Hyde would only gain a stronger grip on Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll writes, “I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught… My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” (115). Dr. Jekyll’s inevitable passion for debauchery is only further invigorated by his repression of Mr. Hyde. By restraining a desire that is so deeply rooted within Dr. Jekyll, he destroys himself, even after his desires are appeased. Like a drug, when Dr. Jekyll first allowed himself to concede to Mr. Hyde, he is no longer able to abstain, as his initial submission to depravity resulted in the loss of Dr. Jekyll and the reign of Mr.
Jekyll plays man as a whole, good and bad, he was “wild” and also “smooth-faced” at the same time. Both characters lack vital emotional outputs that make humans socially, even though the psychopath is more cunning than the sociopath. “…lack of conscience, remorse or guilt for hurtful actions to others….There may be an intellectual understanding of appropriate social behavior but no emotional response to the actions of others” (“Psychopath vs. Sociopath” -- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Psychopath_vs_Sociopath). Both are social defaces, and cannot be helped; however to the naked eye, these two characters are savage. Both victims of anti-social disorder are lacking factors that make humans acceptably sociable, one lacking empathy while the other lacks sensibility. Diffen, a website, tells us, “Psychopaths…lack of empathy; no conscience…sociopaths…high impulsivity” (“Sociopathy versus Psychopathy” -- http://www.diffen.com/difference/Sociopathy_versus_Psychopathy). Dr. Jekyll shows no empathy by using and manipulating people close to him, and Mr. Hyde, as intended, has no sensibility to act with caution resulting himself in trouble for barbaric actions. This, in turn shows the comparison and contrast of the psychopathic creator and his sociopathic creation which in reality are two halves to a whole.
Dr. Jekyll is a symbol of both the good and the bad in mankind, while Mr. Hyde represents pure evil. For instance, when Dr. Jekyll is himself, he is seen as a respectable man who is adored by his colleagues: “he became once more their familiar quest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for his charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion” (Stevenson 29). However, when Dr. Jekyll transforms to Mr. Hyde his morals are quickly disregarded. An example of this occurs when Mr. Hyde murders Sir Danvers, shortly after Dr. Jekyll submits to the temptation of changing to Mr. Hyde: “instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me…with a transport of glee, I mauled the unresisting body, tasting delight from every blow” (Stevenson 56). Even though the carnal side of Dr. Jekyll enjoys the incident, this event also illustrates the conscience side of Dr. Jekyll because in the mist of this brutal murder, he begins to feel guilty for committing the crime.
Jekyll is given as a respected man raised in a wealthy family. During the era, people are meant to be well-mannered and polite without any sign or thinking of violence and crime; however, Dr. Jekyll secretly has a desire to perform evil. Conflicted with the ideal of society, he has repressed his emotion through many years and eventually he decided to conceal his pressure as he said, “And indeed the worst of my faults was a certain impatient gaiety of disposition, such as has made the happiness of many, but such as I found it hard to reconcile with my imperious desire to carry my head high, and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public. Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life.” (48) From this quote, Dr. Jekyll discloses that he’s not desired to be cheerful, as many do, and decides to fake his pressure in front of the public eyes. After many years, he then realizes he was only hiding his true emotion. Eventually, to resolve his situation, he is inspired to create a potion that could transform himself to Mr. Hyde that could free him from the struggle between protecting his reputation and following his emotion and