As I read The Strange
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I was shocked by the outcome that the two
characters were one in the same. I felt that in the beginning I tended to be a
bit confused by the whole plot, I just knew from the confinement of Dr. Jekyll
that something about him was suspicious. After reading the story, I was just
curious to know what possessed him to take the potion to become Mr. Hyde in the
first place?
The potion for Dr. Jekyll is like a drug for him. He just couldn’t
get enough of it! When he wanted to stop, his body wouldn’t allow him to. This
potion allowed him to turn into a completely different person, the opposite of
himself. In this alter ego, he was a murderer and a wanted criminal. I compare
the potion to a drug because as Dr. Jekyll he would never commit such crimes
but as an alter ego he is capable of any extreme.
Yet again, as we have seen in class, science came be
detrimental to humans. Just as Frankenstein created his monster, Dr. Jekyll
created his own within himself. Dr. Jekyll tries to escape his creation as well
and utterly fails. In his case, he involuntarily becomes the monster that he
created, when he wakes up from his sleep as Mr. Hyde. At first Dr. Jekyll likes
Mr. Hyde because he allows him to be completely different from Dr. Jekyll, for
example less human with less moral standards. As the reader, I find Dr. Jekyll
to be a coward… He thinks that he can do anything and get away with it just
because he is in disguise.
The most interesting part of this story to me was when Dr.
Jekyll confined himself away from his servant while he was transformed. At the
time I had no clue what was occurring in the story, I just knew something suspicious
was about. In hind sight, now that I know about Dr. Jekyll’s creation, the
solitude of the doctor amuses me. He is hiding and sending his servant out to
get chemicals because he has turned himself into his monster permanently. I couldn’t
imagine creating a monster alter ego for myself and then being stuck. Although
I have no desire to make a monster in the first place.
Link to picture:https://www.google.com/search?q=the+strange+case+of+dr.jekyll+and+mr.hyde&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS594US594&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=662&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKk_SP86rQAhUYwGMKHcZ1AQwQ_AUICCgD&dpr=1#imgrc=m-x3dyVNyTcB4M%3A
Allison, it’s interesting that you call Dr. Jekyll a coward. I agree with that. Instead of owning up to his desires and urges, he hides them in secret until they morph into a monstrous identity and wreak havoc. Now, it may not have been his intention to cause violence but the fact that he willingly changes into Hr. Hyde multiple times is evidence that he was aware of the creature he was producing. I understand that societal norms looked down on devious behavior but there are other ways he could have explored his own taboos and perhaps if he had he wouldn’t have become a murderer which ultimately led to his own destruction.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of the monster within has been explored by many texts, but I do believe that this one is one of the best. The fact that Mr. Hyde can represent that darker desires of Dr. Jekyll while still appearing to be another entity within himself, does illustrate how easy it is for someone's darker side to manifest and cause mischief, as seen in the novel.
ReplyDeleteAllison, I really liked how you compared the book to Frankenstein. Dr. Jekyll really did seem to create Mr. Hyde. Even though that monstrous side was already a part of him he really did bring it to life. I almost agree with you in that Dr. Jekyll is a coward. But honestly I don't I see this situation go in any other way. He couldn't be monstrous as himself because he would be shunned by society and he couldn't confide in anyone. It really shows how different society is today in that people are more accepting and helpful. He really didn't have any resources at his disposal to help him with his internal struggle. Lastly, I really like your point in that his potion was like a drug. I guess I wouldn't understand the feeling of addiction in that Dr. Jekyll was willing to do anything to let that monstrous side loose.
ReplyDeleteI wonder which of the two personalities is his true self. Like you said, Dr. Jekyll is a coward and as a result does not express his true self to the world, but that brings up another issue. Should we be our true self even if it could be destructive to ourselves and others around us?
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