The Struggle Between Good And Evil In The Strange Case Of Dr. Jeyll And Mr. Hyde

1076 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: good versus evil analysis essay

A wise man once said, “Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other.” The struggle between good and evil is a prominent theme in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the novel, Robert Louis Stevenson explores the idea that the quote is expressing. He discusses the duality of human nature, and how its effect is shown through the behavior and life of the character. It is shown that within each character there is purity and morality, but that there are also evil intentions and wickedness. In the novel, readers see the struggle between good and bad and how it affects the character. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, evil in the human soul wins, due to its great effect and impact, how it gradually became uncontrollable, and the satisfaction that Dr. Jekyll felt through evil, which eventually lead him to his demise. In The Strange Case of Dr. …show more content…

Hyde becoming stronger, powerful, and eviler was a gradual process. At first, it was possible for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to live along with each other. Mr. Hyde would “come out” at times but for the most part Dr. Jekyll was still present and enjoyed life as a normal person. “At sight of Mr. Utterson, he sprang up from his chair and welcomed him with both hands… men who thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.” (13) Dr. Jekyll was hosting dinner parties and attending to his religious duties, despite Mr. Hyde being present and in action. However, as the novel progressed, Dr. Jekyll became weaker and Mr. Hyde took advantage of this to take over control completely. It eventually got to a point where Mr. Hyde could not be controlled and began to become the superior counterpart. Even though the novel has a fast-moving plot, each action or change with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde happened within months and years. This shows the slow but gradual process of Mr. Hyde, the epitome of evil, taking full

Show More
Related

  • Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil

    3126 Words  | 7 Pages

    Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil

    Read More

  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Jekyll reached adult hood, he found himself living a dual life. He had become more curious in discovering his other side. Jekyll insists, “Man is not truly one, but truly two” (125). This eventually led Jekyll into the scientific interests of separating his good and evil side, and he finds a chemical concoction that transforms him into a more wicked man, Edward Hyde. At first, Hyde was of pure impulse, but in the end, he became dominate and took control over Jekyll. Jekyll had never intended to hurt anyone, but he was aware that something could potentially go wrong. Jekyll presumes, “I knew well that I risked death, for any drug that so potently shook the very fortress of identity… utterly blot that immaterial tabernacle which I looked to it to change” (127-129). One could say this makes Jekyll equally as menacing as Hyde. Jekyll couldn’t control the imbalance between the two natures. Jekyll foolishly allowed his evil side to flourish and become stronger. This is shown when Jekyll has awoken to find that he has turned into Hyde without taking the solution. Jekyll says, “But the hand in which I now saw, clearly enough in the yellow light of a mid- London morning…It was the hand of Edward Hyde” (139).

    Read More

  • The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a book based on a man with two different personality’s and two physical appearances, his own as well as a strange man who goes by the name of Mr Hyde a mysterious dark individual who lurks in the dark and pounces once spotting his prey weak an vulnerable. The character of Mr Hyde was created after Dr Jekyll created a special chemical solution which he drank, subsequently transforming himself into this different creature. Dr Jekyll ever since has been fighting with this other side, this evil vicious man in order to bring peace among him self and others, but the evil Mr Hyde is forever eager to release his side. This leaves Dr Jekyll fighting to maintain normality, and get rid of the demon he has created.

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Hyde Character Analysis

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Examining Hero Archetypes: Jekyll, Hyde, and Batman

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is human nature? In almost every century someone has asked this question to try and find the answer. Each individual had a specific way of debating the matter. One specific author, Robert Louis Stevenson, described the duality of human nature in his book, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Good Vs Evil Analysis

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    In creating Hyde, Jekyll breaks the balance between good and evil within himself. Without that balance Jekyll cannot survive. Each time Hyde becomes active he gains more power over Jekyll, and ultimately leads to his downfall. Hyde started out as just the small things that Jekyll refrained from doing or even thinking about because he knew that he would not be accepted by society if he indulged in them, but as he grew more powerful little “undignified” pleasures turned into murder, and other horrible heinous crimes. The evil that Hyde possessed turned into something uncontrollable, while Jekyll remained Jekyll, not purely good and not purely evil. In the end Hyde’s evil overwhelmed Jekyll’s normalcy. Maybe there was a reason that society originally prompted Jekyll to repress Hyde within

    Read More

  • The Duality Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hyde as a different man, the original man himself Dr. Jekyll admits he enjoys Hyde’s crude actions as pleasures. Initially, he presents his decision of Hyde as a scientific experiment and allow himself to be releases from societal pressure; however, he turns hypocritical due to materialism and pride. Soon he admits that the actions turned monstrous in Hyde’s hands and he knew soon Hyde will take over his real self. He realizes he created another man or identity that he could not control. Therefore he concludes, “Man is not truly one, but truly two” (Stevenson 43). The strange case is that the novel never give’s Hyde’s point of view, it is always from the perspective of the good doctor. Hyde does not have a conscious of his own; rather, it is that of the doctor. It is evident that Dr. Jekyll embraces Hyde, because he refers to himself as “I” in the body of

    Read More

  • The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson during the Late Victorian era. Although "this horror story owes its allegiance to Gothicism rather than realism, many critics suggest that Robert Louis Stevenson 's tale of a man split between his respectable public identity and an amoral secret self captures key anxieties of the fin de siècle" (Norton 1669). The Late Victorian era was “the state of mind prevailing during the final decades of the nineteenth century” (Norton 1668). In the story of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there are some reflects of the breakdown of Victorian values that took there undergo of their citizen responsibility as a whole.

    Read More

  • Good and Evil in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mr. Hyde is the monstrous side of Dr. Jekyll from their book “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” In their story, Dr. Jekyll is a brilliant scientist who has created a formula that turns him into Mr. Hyde. It is stated that, at some point, Dr. Jekyll became addicted to the potion. Though it is unclear what would cause the addiction, since it would be Hyde who would experience the “high” and not Jekyll himself. Hyde is the contrast to Dr. Jekyll, and is considerably more brutal and immoral. Modern incarnations depict him as becoming incredibly muscular after the transformation, though in the original work it is only implied that Hyde is stronger, retaining his previous physique. It is consistent that Hyde is shown to be ugly, perhaps even deformed.

    Read More

  • Human Nature in Rober Louis Stevenson´s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    To summarize, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a metaphorical looking glass into the duality of human nature. In the words of Romeo and Juliet’s Friar Lawrence, “Two such opposèd kings encamp them still/ In man as well as herbs—grace and rude will” (II iii 28-29). In everyone, there is good and evil, a Jekyll and Hyde. The decision is who will be allowed to take control. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel helps the reader to better understand the duality of human nature through Jekyll’s fascinating tale, and the true meaning behind the story that makes the reader sit back and reflect makes the story a timeless piece of literature.

    Read More

  • What Is The Conflict In The Strange Case Of Dr. Jeyll And Mr. Hyde

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shares many of the same ideas and characteristics with The Incredible Hulk comics and the same can be said about Two-Face from the Batman comics and Satan from Satan’s Fall. The main conflict of the novel The Strange of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde mainly focuses on the scientist Dr. Jekyll and his evil side known as Mr. Hyde who he transforms into. Jekyll has difficulty trying to resist from turning into Mr. Hyde who pressures Jekyll into transforming. The Incredible Hulk comics overall conflict is Bruce Banner trying to live alongside and contain the threat of the hulk. The four characters have many key characteristics they share. Jekyll and Banner are trying to get rid of their counterpart or control them. Jekyll and Banner both do not like their counterpart as Jekyll. Banner

    Read More

  • Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Critical Analysis

    1819 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Theme Of Good And Evil In Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is good versus evil as well as our bad side triumphing over your good side. Even if some critics may think that your bad side almost always triumphs because of movies or any other place that has happened, the yin and yang symbol is of perfect balance, and someone cannot possibly have a double-sided appearance where the two sides are opposite. It is clear to see that in Robert Louis Stevenson’s writing, a person can have two opposite personalities, the yin and yang symbol is not evenly balanced, and your bad side can triumph your good side. As Robert states, “All human beings are commingled out of good and evil” Hopefully those critics may now understand not to believe what they see or may hear about when dealing with good versus evil and evil triumphing over

    Read More

  • The Dual Nature of Man: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, the dual nature of man is a main theme. Jekyll says: "Man is not /truly one, but truly two"(125), meaning all people have both a good and a bad side. Dr. Jekyll creates a potion to fully separate good and evil, but instead it awakens a dormant character, Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, Stevenson uses society, control, and symbolism to tell the reader about human nature.

    Read More

More about The Struggle Between Good And Evil In The Strange Case Of Dr. Jeyll And Mr. Hyde

Open Document