Category: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Introduction

The novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde revolves around a London based lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson. In the film, Gabriel investigates the strange deeds that take place between Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. He does this in order to discover the truth about the relationship between the two individuals.

Dr. Jekyll suffers from a rare mental condition referred to as the split personality or dissociative identity disorder. He has two traits or personalities. One of them is good, while the other is very evil. The wicked side is represented by Hyde. The doctor is successful and has a brilliant mind. He is highly respected in the community where he lives. Jekyll does his best to keep his dark character under control. The reason behind this is to maintain his good reputation in the society and avoid being permanently evil.

In this paper, the author will critically analyze and discuss the nature of Jekyll and Hydes case. A critical review of the novella reveals that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has both criminal and medical elements. To this end, the two phenomena are interrelated. As such, the medical elements give rise to the criminal aspects and vice versa. A number of examples from the primary source are used to support this argument.

Analyzing the Criminal and Medical Aspects of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

With the help of the two characters portrayed by the doctor, the writer of the novella brings out the element of duality. Jekyll reflects on the profound deception of life and the dualist nature of man. He comes to the conclusion that all individuals have more than one personality.

He believes that man is not truly one, but two. As a result, his convictions drive him to split his traits into two separate identities. In the long run, the move creates a major conflict. The film centers on the self-righteous and unwavering Doctor Jekyll and the evil Mr. Hyde. The shift between the two personas is cleverly done. As a result, it is hard for the observer to realize that Jekyll and Hyde could be the same person.

As already indicated, The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde is both criminal and medical. The highly respected doctor commits a number of evil deeds, which are influenced and aided by his medical background. The medical aspect comes into play when he produces a portion of himself in the course of experiments to free himself of the evil personality. His activities give rise to Edward Hyde. The new person is very wicked and amoral. In addition to being evil, Hydes body is different.

It appears as if he is suffering from a medical condition. The body is ugly and deformed. It is also pale and dwarfish (Leslie, p. 41). In addition, he has a kind of black sneering coolness. The expression makes him look like Satan. Jekyll believes both personas can receive the pleasure they yearn for without the demands conflicting with each other. However, things turn out differently.

The dark half gradually becomes more powerful than the good side. The development forces Jekyll to commit criminal acts, which lead to his destruction. In this instance, it appears that the medical aspects of his appearance predispose him to criminal acts.

The medical experiments conducted by the man bring out two entirely different and independent entities. Jekyll considers Hyde as a natural second form that substituted his original self. The new form bears the stamp of lower elements associated with his soul. However, he does not embody the good virtues he possesses the same way Hyde exemplifies evil.

By splitting his personalities, he only succeeds in dealing with the wicked side and leaves his original self in the same mixed state as it was before. Jekyll fails to liberate himself from the dark side he unleashes through his medical experiments. The desire to take the portion was influenced by wicked urges, such as ambition and pride. To justify the existence of the evil side, he blames his state of mind at the time of taking the portion. However, this cannot be used as an excuse. It only shows that Jekyll is entirely evil.

If he was a good and moral man, it would have been hard for the dark side to take over his personality. The doctor would have been able to control the persona he created preventing, it from becoming powerful. On its part, drinking the portion may have led to the rise of a beatific creature. It gave rise to a being that participated in charity activities aimed at helping the society and not causing harm to the innocent people. Mr. Hydes personality was just lying deep within him.

It was waiting for the opportunity to be unleashed. As time goes by, Jekyll gets in touch more with the evil form than with the original one. As a result, only Hyde exists at the end of the novella. He is depicted in the film as a primitive creature. The reason is because he is a strong force that can no longer be controlled by anyone, not even himself. Hyde represents the true criminal nature of Jekyll, which had been repressed for a very long time. The instinctual side of man is very strong and should be unleashed with caution.

The transformation of Jekyll into Hyde acts as a cover for committing criminal activities. What this means is that the case has some elements of crime to it. If the case was entirely medical, he would have created another portion to counter the evil side that emerged. The frequent shifts in persona are indications of the fact that he is comfortable with the evil character of Mr. Hyde.

He strikes out on any person who witnesses his deformed nature. Much of his past is unearthed in the film. For example, he has never been photographed before. In addition, the master of the servant maid had only seen him twice. Furthermore, his family cannot be traced. Hyde operates very safely to ensure the identity remains under cover. As time goes by, he becomes more violent and Jekyll no longer needs to use the portion to unleash the demon.

The violent nature of Mr. Edward Hyde causes him to attack and murder Sir Danvers Carew. He committed the dreadful act without a clear reason. The action made him a wanted outlaw in England. In addition, Hyde had also trampled on a girl she had met accidentally. The incident involving the young girl aged between eight and ten years was witnessed by Richard Enfield. He was a distant relative of Lawyer Gabriel Utterson. It took place at about 3 oclock on one winter morning.

Hyde was walking eastward when he bumped to an innocent child on the side street. Due to the collision, the girl fell and Hyde went on to tramp on her instead of offering a hand to help her off the ground. In addition, he left her screaming. On witnessing what had happened, Enfield went forth to confront the perpetrator.

However, he neither questioned Hyde nor helped the kid. The reason is because the deformed and ugly Hyde gave him a look that made sweat drip off his face. Help came from the young girls family after hearing the screams. She was on her way to summon a doctor to tend to an ill family member. The incident takes place early in the novel.

Women at the scene are filled with rage and as a result attack Mr. Hyde. In addition, they threaten to shame him by spreading the word from one end of London to the other. After realizing that the issue could get out of hand, Hyde promises to pay a hundred pounds to calm the angry crowd. He goes into a nearby two-storey-building to fetch the money. He comes out moments later with ten pounds. He is also carrying a draft for the remaining payment.

The document is signed by a different person whom Enfield failed to mention. However, he stresses that it was done by a man who holds a good reputation in the society. As a result, he speculates that Mr. Hyde could have blackmailed the individual who signed it. Enfield goes ahead to examine the building after the incident. He discovers it has no windows, only a door. No one enters or left the dwelling apart from the deformed perpetrator.

Enfield further argues there is something wrong, displeasing, and detestable about the look. He dislikes Hyde for no apparent reason. The actions of Mr. Hyde portray criminality within Jekyll. The portion and medical experiment only acts as a tool to help him accomplish his desires of committing evil deeds.

Another act to show the case is criminal in nature is the murder of Carew. The dreadful act takes place at night near a river. Carew was Uttersons client and a member of parliament. The murder is witnessed by a house help. She was looking out of an upstairs window at the time. She spots an elderly gentleman in the company of a short and ugly looking man. Within no time, the latter turned on the aged friend and struck him mercilessly with a cane. In addition, he trampled on him, breaking his bones.

The woman hears the cracking sound. She is so shocked that she faints. Immediately after regaining consciousness, she calls the police and informs them about the murder. In addition, the servant identifies the perpetrator as Hyde. While conducting a search on the victims body, the police find a golden watch, a purse, and a letter addressed to Mr. Utterson. However, the deceased had no paper or cards to help uncover his identity. As a result, it took Utterson until morning to confirm the victim was Sir Danvers Carew.

Utterson then leads the Police Inspector Newcomen of Scotland to the two-storey building, which was Hydes dwelling place. Upon arrival, they met an old woman at the door. She confirms Hyde was not in the building at the time. In spite of her word, the Inspector and Mr. Utterson conduct a search in all the rooms. Drawers are opened and the pockets of all the attires turned inside out.

A checkbook is found lying around. It is in the fireplace. The other half of the strong wooden stick was also found behind a door. Moments later, the lawyer pays Doctor Jekyll a visit. He is escorted to the dissecting rooms where Jekyll was and in a seemingly ill state. Upon questioning, he claims to have cut all ties with Mr. Edward Hyde.

To support the statement, Jekyll presents a letter written to him by Hyde promising he will never cause any trouble again. In addition, it highlights his desires to disappear. However, it does not disclose the perpetrators hideout. That was something that the police and other investigators has to work out.

Judging from Sir Carews murder and the events that transpired later, it is evident that the case is criminal. Taking another persons life is inherently criminal, especially if it is not justified. Hyde committed the act without a valid reason. He also did not steal anything from the victim as the golden watch and letter were found intact.

No man can just execute such a crime without intent. Jekyll may have had a problem with Carew, which made him commit the murder. The case is very different to that of the young girl he had bumped on. Dr. Jekyll knew what he was up to even before taking the portion. He only used it to clear his conscience by arguing it was the evil personas desire to murder. The concoction is just a cover-up for his evil inner self.

Another point to show the case is criminal is Jekylls plan of making Hyde his benefactor. The respected doctor writes the will in spite of his friends negative thoughts towards Hyde. Utterson, for example, describes him as something troglodytic in nature. Jekylls move shows he found pleasure in Hyde and his monstrous activities. If he indeed disliked the dark personality, he would not have harbored the thoughts of disappearing. Instead, he would have done away with Hyde and maintained his original personality.

Conclusion

The case of Jekyll and Hyde is part medical and part criminal. However, the criminal aspect is portrayed more than the medical element. Jekyll knew he had an evil side deep within him. Conducting the experiments and drinking the portion shows his desire and intent to commit criminal acts. He has to take another form to accomplish his goals and maintain a clear conscience. He did it in a form that was ugly and deformed, just like the dreadful actions.

If the case was entirely medical and Jekyll did not find any pleasure in Hyde, he would have conducted another experiment. He should have tried to invent a portion that would give rise to a better persona. If indeed Jekyll was psychologically affected by the actions committed in Hydes form, he would have taken the concoction earlier. As a result, his positive traits would have dominated his dark side. The medical experiments were only meant to justify his criminal actions.

Bibliography

Bricusse, Leslie and Frank Wildhorn, The World of Jekyll & Hyde (Blacksburg: Cherry Lane Music, 2000).

Stevenson, Robert and Jenny Davidson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other Stories (Pleasantville, N.Y.: Barnes & Noble, 2004).

Introduction

We live in a time when the majority of citizens in Western countries think of the concept of cultural and scientific progress as something that is being objectively predetermined, in the historical context of this word, due to humans’ metaphysical superiority over the animals. In its turn, this allows countless moralists, which represent various religious denominations, to continue generating rather a substantial income by exploiting people’s naïve belief in their own “god-likeness”.

However, given the fact that it only takes a few seconds for otherwise culturally refined individuals to begin acting as savage beasts, while being put under the set of specific circumstances (as it happened on sinking “Titanic”, for example), there can be very little doubt as to layer of people’s civilizational refinement being only a skin-deep.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the motif of people’s inborn bestiality is being prominently featured throughout the entirety of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” – at the time when the author worked on this novel, the pace of scientific progress in the field of biology has not been slowed down by considerations of political correctness, as it is often the case nowadays. In its turn, this allows us to think of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” as a literary work that continues to provide us with insight into the real nature of the human psyche, even though this novel has been written in the 19th century. In our paper, we will aim at exploring this thesis even to a further length.

Main part

In her article “Wild Humans: The Culture/Nature Duality in Marie Darrieussecq’s Pig Tales and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, Patricia Ferrer-Medina had come up with an observation that sheds light on the actual subtleties of Dr. Jekyll’s tragedy: “Dr. Jekyll was already a dual character before drinking the potion” (Ferrer-Medina) – it is named after he had taken the potion, that Dr. Jekyll was able to separate his essentially dual psyche onto its two integral components: human and bestial. And, as we are all well aware of when primeval urges take over an individual’s existential mode, it becomes quite impossible for him to act in a socially responsible manner. This is exactly the reason why media refer to particularly gruesome crimes as “inhuman”, “savage” and “bestial”.

Therefore, Mr. Hyde’s physical appearance simply reflected his murderous state of mind: “He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance, something displeasing” (Stevenson). The sheer “unpleasantness” of Hyde’s appearance can be explained by the fact that, as we know from cinematographic interpretations of Stevenson’s novel, he bore clearly defined marks of anthropological atavism (bestiality): sloping forehead, protruding jaw, and overdeveloped cheekbones, darkened skin, etc.

Thus, we can only agree with Ferrer-Medina, who in the same article had suggested: “Although duality is often internal (psychological), there are often recognizable physical traits that correspond to each personality” (Ferrer-Medina). Apparently, Hyde’s very appearance signified the actual extent of this character’s evilness, which points out the fact that Stevenson was well aware of the works of a founder of Positive Criminology Cesare Lombroso. And, as recent breakthroughs in the field of genetics show, the scientific methodology of Positive Criminology is being absolutely valid – it is quite possible to tell what’s on an individual’s mind by examining his or her anthropological constitution.

Thus, the foremost idea of Stevenson’s novel is being clearly concerned with the duality of human nature, which according to the author, affects the lives of people, throughout these lives’ entirety. In its turn, this allows us to think of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” as a literary work that contains many scientific insights, the validity of which has only been recognized during the course of the 20th century.

For example, nowadays, psychologists are well aware of the fact that the religious notion of one’s soul is nothing but a myth, simply because one’s consciousness can be easily altered by the mean of a surgical intrusion – all it takes to turn professor into a saliva-spewing imbecile is cutting off a small part of his brain. This means – once there is no physical medium for the containment of one’s “soul”, there can be no “soul”. Therefore, it was not by a pure accident that, after having been released out of Dr.Jekyll’s body, his “evilness” had assumed a physical form of Mr. Hyde – it appears that, as a true European intellectual, Stevenson understood so much more then he could have possibly known.

Apparently, the author was fully aware of a simple fact that, as Joyce Carol Oates had put it in her Foreword to Stevenson’s novel: “There is a split in man’s psyche between ego and instinct, between civilization and nature and the split can never be healed” (Oates).

Yet, it is quite possible to illustrate the existence of this split by dissecting one’s consciousness onto its integral components. And, this is exactly what Dr. Jekyll had done – after having liberated himself of perceptional artificialness, he realized the full extent of its own bestiality, as the essential part of his individuality. Moreover, after having drunk a potion, he also realized that he would never be able to return to his normal self. As Kevin Mills had rightly pointed out in his article “Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”: “Jekyll views his alter ego as enjoying an unprecedented freedom in his separation from the unified being” (Mills).

As it appears from the novel’s context, Dr. Jekyll’s continuous metamorphosis was also affecting his ability to operate with abstract categories, even in times when Mr. Hyde was nowhere near: “Jekyll tries to produce more serum so that he can control his spontaneous metamorphosis, but he is unable to do so, and he finally locks himself up in Hyde’s quarters” (Ferrer-Medina) – beastly individuals, affected by anthropological atavism, can indulge in a variety of different activities: they can “celebrate diversity”, they can explore their “spirituality”, they can practice “alternative sex style”, etc. One thing they cannot though is acting as facilitators of cultural and scientific progress, due to the fact that bestiality implies the absence of a rationally-based intellect.

Therefore, it would be wrong to think of ideas, contained in Stevenson’s novel, as being “retrograde” or “unscientific”, as many of today’s “progressive” literary critics imply. Anne Stiles’ article “Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde and the Double Brain” substantiates the validity of earlier suggestion, simply because, in it, the author had proven herself utterly ignorant as to what she was writing about: “Brain theory circulating during the nineteenth century posited that the left and right hemispheres of the brain could function independently” (Stiles).

Had the author bothered to read some contemporary literature on the subject of psychiatry, she would know that there is nothing “unscientific” about the idea that the brain’s hemispheres can function independently of each other. It is namely the fact that people’s irrational anxieties (originating in their brains’ left hemisphere) take over their sense of rationale, which accounts for mental inadequateness, on these people’s part.

Therefore, as we have stated earlier – there is nothing “unscientific” in how Stevenson went about describing the actual roots of mental pathologies. The realities of “multicultural” living invariably suggest that there are a lot of people out there who can only be formally referred to as humans, simply because despite their human-like appearance, these people’s mode of existence is being solely defined by their animalistic urges.

For example, it is utterly naïve to expect individuals, caught perpetrating gang-rape, to end up feeling sorry for what they had done. What differentiates Dr.Jekkyl/Mr. Hyde from natural-born criminals is that he had consciously chosen in favor of becoming an animal: “I had voluntarily stripped myself of all those balancing instincts by which even the worst of us continues” (Stevenson). Thus, the foremost message that Stevenson strived to convey by his work, can be articulated as follows: given the fact that the line that separates people’s animalistic-self from their human-self is being particularly thin, it represents a sin against the laws of evolution to consciously strive to embrace savageness.

As Ferrer-Medina had rightly noticed: “Human character is that both tendencies (animalistic and humane) are paired not in complement but in opposition to each other and held in fragile check” (Ferrer-Medina). Apparently, science can be used to serve two mutually exclusive purposes – to facilitate the process of people being rid of their savage instincts, while slowly attaining a status of semi-gods, or to allow otherwise civilized individuals to “explore their uniqueness”, at the expense of being deprived of their humanity.

Conclusion

In its turn, this explains Stevenson’s novel popularity – by being exposed to Dr.Jekyll’s metamorphosis, readers experience cognitive dissonance, due to the fact that the novel’s motifs correlate with their own deep-seated psychological fears, in regards to the issue of behavioral bestiality. As Kevin Mills had put it: “Culturally, the story of Jekyll and Hyde is divided by being simultaneously both familiar and unfamiliar” (Mills). According to Sigmund Freud’s theory of “uncanniness”, people become mentally disturbed when the validity of their otherwise forgotten irrational beliefs is being confirmed to them again.

Therefore, there can be very little doubt as to the fact that by reading “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, people get to realize what constitutes their own bestial urges, which allow them to relate to the novel’s motifs on a personal level, while never ceasing to remain disturbed by these motifs – they get to realize their own psychological duality, which fascinates and horrifies them at the same time. Such our suggestion corresponds to this paper’s initial thesis perfectly well – Stevenson’s novel should not be solely discussed as a work of particularly high literary, but also a scientific value.

Bibliography:

Ferrer-Medina, Patricia “Wild Humans: The Culture/Nature Duality in Marie Darrieussecq’s Pig Tales and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. The Comparatist, 31 (2007): 67-87. Print.

Mills, Kevin “Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Christianity and Literature. 53.3 (2004): 337-348. Print.

Oates, Joyce. Foreword. in “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde” by Stevenson, Robert Louis. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. Print.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. London: Dover Publications, 1991. Print.

Stiles, Anne “Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde and the Double Brain”. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. 46.4 (2006): 879-900. Print.

Introduction

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is an investigation into the duality in human character. The novel demonstrates the duality in personality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde through the conflict between the good and evil side of human personality.

Dr. Jekyll, a scientist, brews a potion that he tests on himself and brings out the duality in his personality in the form of evil Mr. Hyde. Initially, the emergence of the ‘Other’ in the form of Hyde is harmless, but soon it transforms into murderous chaos. This essay discusses the novel in three different perspectives.

The first thesis is based on the historical context of the novel and I believe that the novel by Stevenson is a resonance of the frustration of many Victorian intellectuals of the stifling social norms that prevented self-expression.

The second thesis is that in the novel, the protagonist in the form of Mr. Hyde is described through narration. The third thesis is that the 2006 film adaption of the novel by John Carl Buechler there are major deviation from the novel in form of the theme, subplots, and the characters .

Historical Context

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a representation of the society in London during the Victorian era, which was the milieu for the novel. In the novel Stevenson, pens down the frustration that Victorian England felt at the early nineteenth century. Initially, the potion made by Jekyll helps him to transform himself from one persona to another at will.

However, as the dosage increases, the ‘Other’ in form of Hyde becomes all-consuming. The initial desire to change into a more daring, revolting, maverick person is an expression of the Victorian frustration with the laid rules and norms of Victorian society. This is in a way is the personification of the Victorian men.

The transformation of Jekyll to Hyde allows the former to do things that the polite society would consider scandalous. The potion that Jekyll takes is a metaphor for opium addiction prevalent in London in late-Victorian era. It was the desire to break the bondage of a constructed behaving pattern of the Victorian era that Jekyll looked for a way of expression of his suppressed, baser animal instincts.

In the Victorian era, there was a pressure to behave in a certain way at the cost of suppression of the instinctive, baser elements of man. Therefore, Jekyll was the personification of the frustration of Stevenson and many others of his time.

Hyde was an escape for Jekyll (as opium was for many Victorian men) to shed the garb of discipline and conforming to a more instinctive, passionate, and unpredictable character. Therefore, the novel can rightfully be dubbed as a fable of Victorian anxieties.

Characterization of the Protagonist

The protagonist in Stevenson’s novel is the scientist cum devil Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. In most part of the novel, the character of both Jekyll and Hyde is developed through narrative description in speeches of other characters like Mr. Utterson or through description in letters or narration of by the author. The character of Jekyll is introduced in the novel through the description of a certain Mr. Enfield:

He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. … He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. he’s an extraordinary looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way.

Hyde are known to the reader through the narration of the other characters of the novel viz. Mr. Utterson, Poole (Jekyll’s butler), Dr. Laylon, Mr. Enfield, Dr. Jekyll and others. Their description of Hyde brings forth the man the readers are encountering. The most important narrations that describe Hyde are the letter of Dr. Laylon and the full statement of Dr. Jekyll which forms the last two chapters if the novel.

Therefore, Stevenson actually does not introduce or develop the character of Hyde who is created through the perceptions of the other characters of the novel.

It is the perception of the other characters that the reader gets the picture of Hyde to be short, evil looking, having a cruel countenance, responsible for all the crimes enacted in the novel. Therefore, the novel follows a narrative style of characterization of its protagonist Mr. Hyde.

Film Comparison

This section presents a comparison of Stevenson’s novel and a 2006 film adaptation of the story. On watching the movie, it is apparent that the movie is an adaptation of Stevenson’s novel but only to the extent that the theme of duality of human character and the name of a few of the characters such as Utterson, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Laylon.

The movie is set in modern times and Dr. Jekyll still shown as a scientist, works on a high-tech bioscience research. Dr. Jekyll in the movie had developed a remedy to cure a rare heart disease in high primates. However, intentionally (like Stevenson’s Jekyll) tests the potion on himself. The experiment has similar results in the modern Jekyll and the evil Hyde emerges.

The adaptation is similar this far, but a few tenets of the Stevenson’s novel are re-sculpted. For instance, all the main characters in Stevenson’s novel were bachelors (for example Utterson, Jekyll, and Laylon). However, in this film, Jekyll is a married man and the story of the murders by Hyde revolving around the café of Jekyll’s wife. Utterson in the film is a police officer instead of a lawyer and is a woman.

However, the biggest deviation that the movie shows is the murders committed by Hyde. In the movie, Hyde is shown to attack young women. He does not only murder them but sexually abuses them before committing murder. This is a definitive deviation from the novel as all the murder victims in Stevenson’s novel were old and distinguished men (for example Carew and Sir Danvers).

The gothic element of the novel is played down in the movie which is set in a modern American town with young and beautiful characters with little dark or weirdness around. The gloomy setting of the novel set in the mists of winter in London is missing in the movie.

For someone who watches the movie without reading Stevenson’s novel would perceive Jekyll to be a sexually repressive character who invokes an alter ego to give force to his darker instincts. Actually, Stevenson’s novel was not confined to the darker sexual desires of man but to the darker side of the soul of human being.

Conclusion

The essay traces the true character of the novel by Stevenson. It shows the historical significance of the novel in showing the repressive frustration among Victorian men and shows that the novel uses a narrative style in characterization of its protagonist.

A comparison with a 2006 movie shows that modern adaption of the novel has deviated largely in subplot and characterization. Overall, Stevenson’s novel helps the readers today to identify the presence of duality in human personality and the need to understand it and use it positively rather than giving it free reign.

Works Cited

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. London: Harper Collins, 1895. Print.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . Dir. John Carl Buechler. Perf. Tony Todd. 2006. DVD.

Introduction

The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886, presents the ultimate instance of a Doppelganger. The term is German meaning ‘double walker’ and refers to the idea of a shadow self that myth says accompanies each individual.

The traditional understanding of the doppelganger is that it is only seen by the owner, it is a duplicate of the owner and that its appearance is a warning of death. In Stevenson’s story, a scientist discovers a potion that enables him to separate himself into two distinct personalities that operate independently of each other, but only one is permitted to act at a time.

The purpose of this potion is to provide the scientist with a means of separating the good portion of his nature from the evil and it is successful, but the evil proves too strong and he becomes completely unable to control it or withstand it. In the end, the good doctor loses his life in abandoning himself to the strength of the monstrous evil portion of his being thus fulfilling the promise of the doppelganger. Within Stephenson’s story, the doppelganger varies slightly from tradition in that it is not immediately recognized as an alter-ego of Dr. Jekyll, but it remains as impossible to control.

Main text

The appearance of Mr. Hyde as the doppelganger of Dr. Jekyll is not apparent to the townspeople based on his actions and behaviors. The evil in Mr. Hyde is immediately apparent upon his first entrance into the story as the talk of the town after he tramples a young girl in the street. This half of the good doctor was left without any kind of conscience or other reason to restrain his actions and is thus free to commit any sort of evil he might choose to engage.

Regardless of what the respectable and good-hearted Dr. Jekyll might have felt about these actions, Hyde is capable of carrying them out without feeling any remorse or guilt as it is described, “And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot” (21). He is prevented from being associated with Dr. Jekyll based upon his actions. In an age when manners and comportment were of primary importance in determining the worth of the individual, Mr. Hyde makes it a point to forego such niceties.

As Mr. Enfield tells Mr. Utterson, “my man was a fellow that nobody could have to do with, a really damnable man; and the person that drew the cheque is the very pink of the proprieties, celebrated too, and (what makes it worse) one of your fellows who do what they call good” (6). This illustrates not only the evil of the man Mr. Hyde, but also the level to which manners and proper behavior are held sacred and the effect such a person might have upon the reputation and good-standing of the people they may come into contact with.

As the story progresses, Dr. Jekyll is seen to exercise some control over the creature by stopping the potion, but the evil, once released, cannot be so easily contained, highlighting the uncontrollable nature of the doppelganger in legend. Mr. Hyde begins emerging in Dr. Jekyll’s sleep and, once released, this constrained evil bursts out in even greater force, this time committing murder.

The details provided from the maid’s story indicate that “all of a sudden he [Mr. Hyde] broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman. The old gentleman took a step back, with the air of one very much surprised and a trifle hurt; and at that Mr. Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth. And next moment … he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows, under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway” (Ch. 4). Despite all attempts at control, the doppelganger acts of its own mysterious volition.

Summary

Mr. Hyde’s ability to completely take over the form of Dr. Jekyll, regardless of whether the potion has been taken or not and regardless of the level of Dr. Jekyll’s awareness, eventually emerging even during the day, leads Dr. Jekyll to the conclusion that his life is over. The close of his final letter marks the point at which Jekyll’s body becomes completely inhabited by Mr. Hyde. It is perhaps the inability of the doppelganger to exist without its host that causes Mr. Hyde to commit suicide rather than emerging from the Doctor’s laboratory to commit brutal and consistent evil on the city until the time he is caught.

Works Cited

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Bantam Classics, 1982.

The study of literary works is of particular value not only for understanding the time when they were written or for the life of the author. It is of interest because it can provide important information about a person’s inner experiences and, with the help of artistic tools, expose the psychological aspects of the personality. This fact can be traced in the story by Robert Louis Stevenson called “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” It is argued that this literary work raises the topic of personality dualism, masterfully showing the struggles that the main protagonist goes through and providing insight into how severe mental problems can be felt.

The story by Stevenson reveals to readers the story of Dr. Jekyll, who is different from others. The difference between the main protagonist is that he struggles with his inner alter ego, which is named Mr. Hyde. The peculiarity of this problem is that the author reveals the theme of the dualism of the human personality, revealing through his character the excellent and bad beginnings of personality. Therefore, the author claims that “the more Jekyll thought to do and appear to be ‘good,’ the more ‘evil’ he made Hyde” (Stevenson 22). Thus, it can be determined that Dr. Jekyll suffers from such a psychological illness as a split personality. At the end of the work, the author shows that in the absence of proper treatment and assistance to individuals, the disease can lead to severe consequences.

In conclusion, Robert Louis Stevenson’s literary work “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” provides valuable information about what can happen to an individual in such a deviation as a split personality. The author skillfully conveys all the experiences and difficulties of the main character and shows the dualism that arises in human nature. The study and analysis of the story promote awareness of the need to help patients with this psychological disorder.

Work Cited

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Chump Change, 1886.

Introduction

The novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” revolves around a London based lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson. In the film, Gabriel investigates the strange deeds that take place between Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. He does this in order to discover the truth about the relationship between the two individuals.

Dr. Jekyll suffers from a rare mental condition referred to as the split personality or dissociative identity disorder. He has two traits or personalities. One of them is good, while the other is very evil. The wicked side is represented by Hyde. The doctor is successful and has a brilliant mind. He is highly respected in the community where he lives. Jekyll does his best to keep his dark character under control. The reason behind this is to maintain his good reputation in the society and avoid being permanently evil.

In this paper, the author will critically analyze and discuss the nature of Jekyll and Hyde’s case. A critical review of the novella reveals that “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” has both criminal and medical elements. To this end, the two phenomena are interrelated. As such, the medical elements give rise to the criminal aspects and vice versa. A number of examples from the primary source are used to support this argument.

Analyzing the Criminal and Medical Aspects of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

With the help of the two characters portrayed by the doctor, the writer of the novella brings out the element of duality. Jekyll reflects on the profound deception of life and the dualist nature of man. He comes to the conclusion that all individuals have more than one personality.

He believes that man is not truly one, but two. As a result, his convictions drive him to split his traits into two separate identities. In the long run, the move creates a major conflict. The film centers on the self-righteous and unwavering Doctor Jekyll and the evil Mr. Hyde. The shift between the two personas is cleverly done. As a result, it is hard for the observer to realize that Jekyll and Hyde could be the same person.

As already indicated, “The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde” is both criminal and medical. The highly respected doctor commits a number of evil deeds, which are influenced and aided by his medical background. The medical aspect comes into play when he produces a portion of himself in the course of experiments to free himself of the evil personality. His activities give rise to Edward Hyde. The new person is very wicked and amoral. In addition to being evil, Hyde’s body is different.

It appears as if he is suffering from a medical condition. The body is ugly and deformed. It is also pale and dwarfish (Leslie, p. 41). In addition, he has a kind of black sneering coolness. The expression makes him look like Satan. Jekyll believes both personas can receive the pleasure they yearn for without the demands conflicting with each other. However, things turn out differently.

The dark half gradually becomes more powerful than the good side. The development forces Jekyll to commit criminal acts, which lead to his destruction. In this instance, it appears that the medical aspects of his appearance predispose him to criminal acts.

The medical experiments conducted by the man bring out two entirely different and independent entities. Jekyll considers Hyde as a natural second form that substituted his original self. The new form bears the stamp of lower elements associated with his soul. However, he does not embody the good virtues he possesses the same way Hyde exemplifies evil.

By splitting his personalities, he only succeeds in dealing with the wicked side and leaves his original self in the same mixed state as it was before. Jekyll fails to liberate himself from the dark side he unleashes through his medical experiments. The desire to take the portion was influenced by wicked urges, such as ambition and pride. To justify the existence of the evil side, he blames his state of mind at the time of taking the portion. However, this cannot be used as an excuse. It only shows that Jekyll is entirely evil.

If he was a good and moral man, it would have been hard for the dark side to take over his personality. The doctor would have been able to control the persona he created preventing, it from becoming powerful. On its part, drinking the portion may have led to the rise of a beatific creature. It gave rise to a being that participated in charity activities aimed at helping the society and not causing harm to the innocent people. Mr. Hyde’s personality was just lying deep within him.

It was waiting for the opportunity to be unleashed. As time goes by, Jekyll gets in touch more with the evil form than with the original one. As a result, only Hyde exists at the end of the novella. He is depicted in the film as a primitive creature. The reason is because he is a strong force that can no longer be controlled by anyone, not even himself. Hyde represents the true criminal nature of Jekyll, which had been repressed for a very long time. The instinctual side of man is very strong and should be unleashed with caution.

The transformation of Jekyll into Hyde acts as a cover for committing criminal activities. What this means is that the case has some elements of crime to it. If the case was entirely medical, he would have created another portion to counter the evil side that emerged. The frequent shifts in persona are indications of the fact that he is comfortable with the evil character of Mr. Hyde.

He strikes out on any person who witnesses his deformed nature. Much of his past is unearthed in the film. For example, he has never been photographed before. In addition, the master of the servant maid had only seen him twice. Furthermore, his family cannot be traced. Hyde operates very safely to ensure the identity remains under cover. As time goes by, he becomes more violent and Jekyll no longer needs to use the portion to unleash the demon.

The violent nature of Mr. Edward Hyde causes him to attack and murder Sir Danvers Carew. He committed the dreadful act without a clear reason. The action made him a wanted outlaw in England. In addition, Hyde had also trampled on a girl she had met accidentally. The incident involving the young girl aged between eight and ten years was witnessed by Richard Enfield. He was a distant relative of Lawyer Gabriel Utterson. It took place at about 3 o’clock on one winter morning.

Hyde was walking eastward when he bumped to an innocent child on the side street. Due to the collision, the girl fell and Hyde went on to tramp on her instead of offering a hand to help her off the ground. In addition, he left her screaming. On witnessing what had happened, Enfield went forth to confront the perpetrator.

However, he neither questioned Hyde nor helped the kid. The reason is because the deformed and ugly Hyde gave him a look that made sweat drip off his face. Help came from the young girl’s family after hearing the screams. She was on her way to summon a doctor to tend to an ill family member. The incident takes place early in the novel.

Women at the scene are filled with rage and as a result attack Mr. Hyde. In addition, they threaten to shame him by spreading the word from one end of London to the other. After realizing that the issue could get out of hand, Hyde promises to pay a hundred pounds to calm the angry crowd. He goes into a nearby two-storey-building to fetch the money. He comes out moments later with ten pounds. He is also carrying a draft for the remaining payment.

The document is signed by a different person whom Enfield failed to mention. However, he stresses that it was done by a man who holds a good reputation in the society. As a result, he speculates that Mr. Hyde could have blackmailed the individual who signed it. Enfield goes ahead to examine the building after the incident. He discovers it has no windows, only a door. No one enters or left the dwelling apart from the deformed perpetrator.

Enfield further argues there is something wrong, displeasing, and detestable about the look. He dislikes Hyde for no apparent reason. The actions of Mr. Hyde portray criminality within Jekyll. The portion and medical experiment only acts as a tool to help him accomplish his desires of committing evil deeds.

Another act to show the case is criminal in nature is the murder of Carew. The dreadful act takes place at night near a river. Carew was Utterson’s client and a member of parliament. The murder is witnessed by a house help. She was looking out of an upstairs window at the time. She spots an elderly gentleman in the company of a short and ugly looking man. Within no time, the latter turned on the aged friend and struck him mercilessly with a cane. In addition, he trampled on him, breaking his bones.

The woman hears the cracking sound. She is so shocked that she faints. Immediately after regaining consciousness, she calls the police and informs them about the murder. In addition, the servant identifies the perpetrator as Hyde. While conducting a search on the victim’s body, the police find a golden watch, a purse, and a letter addressed to Mr. Utterson. However, the deceased had no paper or cards to help uncover his identity. As a result, it took Utterson until morning to confirm the victim was Sir Danvers Carew.

Utterson then leads the Police Inspector Newcomen of Scotland to the two-storey building, which was Hyde’s dwelling place. Upon arrival, they met an old woman at the door. She confirms Hyde was not in the building at the time. In spite of her word, the Inspector and Mr. Utterson conduct a search in all the rooms. Drawers are opened and the pockets of all the attires turned inside out.

A checkbook is found lying around. It is in the fireplace. The other half of the strong wooden stick was also found behind a door. Moments later, the lawyer pays Doctor Jekyll a visit. He is escorted to the dissecting rooms where Jekyll was and in a seemingly ill state. Upon questioning, he claims to have cut all ties with Mr. Edward Hyde.

To support the statement, Jekyll presents a letter written to him by Hyde promising he will never cause any trouble again. In addition, it highlights his desires to disappear. However, it does not disclose the perpetrator’s hideout. That was something that the police and other investigators has to work out.

Judging from Sir Carew’s murder and the events that transpired later, it is evident that the case is criminal. Taking another person’s life is inherently criminal, especially if it is not justified. Hyde committed the act without a valid reason. He also did not steal anything from the victim as the golden watch and letter were found intact.

No man can just execute such a crime without intent. Jekyll may have had a problem with Carew, which made him commit the murder. The case is very different to that of the young girl he had bumped on. Dr. Jekyll knew what he was up to even before taking the portion. He only used it to clear his conscience by arguing it was the evil persona’s desire to murder. The concoction is just a cover-up for his evil inner self.

Another point to show the case is criminal is Jekyll’s plan of making Hyde his benefactor. The respected doctor writes the will in spite of his friends’ negative thoughts towards Hyde. Utterson, for example, describes him as something troglodytic in nature. Jekyll’s move shows he found pleasure in Hyde and his monstrous activities. If he indeed disliked the dark personality, he would not have harbored the thoughts of disappearing. Instead, he would have done away with Hyde and maintained his original personality.

Conclusion

The case of Jekyll and Hyde is part medical and part criminal. However, the criminal aspect is portrayed more than the medical element. Jekyll knew he had an evil side deep within him. Conducting the experiments and drinking the portion shows his desire and intent to commit criminal acts. He has to take another form to accomplish his goals and maintain a clear conscience. He did it in a form that was ugly and deformed, just like the dreadful actions.

If the case was entirely medical and Jekyll did not find any pleasure in Hyde, he would have conducted another experiment. He should have tried to invent a portion that would give rise to a better persona. If indeed Jekyll was psychologically affected by the actions committed in Hyde’s form, he would have taken the concoction earlier. As a result, his positive traits would have dominated his dark side. The medical experiments were only meant to justify his criminal actions.

Bibliography

Bricusse, Leslie and Frank Wildhorn, The World of Jekyll & Hyde (Blacksburg: Cherry Lane Music, 2000).

Stevenson, Robert and Jenny Davidson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other Stories (Pleasantville, N.Y.: Barnes & Noble, 2004).