The book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, a book that tackles the interesting concept of duality in personality, poses an interesting question. “Should Dr. Jekyll be held responsible for the crimes of Mr. Hyde?” Dr. Jekyll should most definitely be held responsible for the crimes of Mr. Hyde, but should not necessarily be punished for them. The reasons for this begin with Dr. Jekyll’s lack of direct control of Mr. Hyde’s actions, and cannot be seen as anything more than “guilty by association”. Secondly, Dr. Jekyll has a claim to plead insanity. Some might argue that Mr. Hyde’s existence is Dr. Jekyll’s fault, drawing the conclusion that Hyde’s actions are a direct result of Jekyll’s. While this may be true, Dr. Jekyll had no inclination or reason to believe the situation would fall out of his control, and no way to stop Mr. Hyde - the only way to assess this …show more content…
People who actually suffer from mental disorders that cause them to split personalities are the only real-life comparison there is for the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These people are often taken into custody but instead of given strict prison sentences as a punishment, they are often treated in locked down wards. Certainly, due to Dr. Jekyll’s mental state, his conscious good intentions, and his responsible but not guilty position, he should be treated similarly. Dr. Jekyll should be given the responsibility for the actions of Mr. Hyde, by repairing preventing further damage, and also be prevented from using the draught in the future (unfortunately due to the fact that Dr. Jekyll was beginning to transform without the draught, he might need to be taken into custody temporarily). This is the only reasonable way to solve the problem posed by the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis
Hyde’s appearance suggests, his behavior is also vicious. One night he tramples over a child’s body leaving her screaming and a sight “hellish to see” (Stevenson 3). Another night he breaks out in rage and beats a man to death with his cane for no apparent reason. As opposed to Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde has no conscience; he feels no remorse in his actions. Mr. Hyde is the embodiment of pure evil, which is why no one could recognize that this man is actually the other half of Dr. Jekyll.
Dr. Jekyll is benevolent and pleasant in his social interactions. He attempts to cover up his darker self by creating a courteous public persona. Everyone has a different persona when they are outside in the eyes of the public and when they are inside. Through Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll reveals his destructive side. Transforming into Mr. Hyde gives Dr. Jekyll a freedom to act and behave without caring about the public’s opinion or about the consequences of his actions. Dr. Jekyll is captured and locked up deep inside, he appears reasonably appropriate on the exterior but his inner reflections drives him towards immorality. As Dr. Jekyll privately turns into Mr. Hyde, not only is his appearance transformed, but also his behavior. This can be a similar caparison on people in today’s society. People with high status or popularity are always being watched with every move they make. If they make one small mistake, then that will look bad on
In the article “What Everybody Gets Wrong About Jekyll and Hyde,” by Steven Padnick, the author explains the real story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The article answered an overlooked question about Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll, which many people tend to not questioned. The article shocked multiple readers that have only read the modified version of the story. The author surprised many readers by stating the missing key points in the modified version of the story. Mr. Hyde who is represented as a separate person from Dr. Jekyll in modified version, is in fact not a person but actually a mask for Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Hyde being a mask makes sense because we are only presented with the perspective of Jekyll and never of his alter ego.
And neither can Jekyll himself, who is a suicide, as his name indicates ('Je" for the French "I"; "kyll" for "kill"). His double is killing him even in the early stages of their association, when he believes that he can with impunity rid himself of Hyde at any time. Initially, Jekyll does not care whether or not Hyde survives: "I cannot say that I care what becomes of Hyde; I am quite done with him" (SC, 52). But as his opposing selves prove inextricably bound, Jekyll becomes "careless" of life itself (SC, 97). He knows he risks death in taking his drug, but he does so quite deliberately. If not uppermost in his mind, suicide lurks there all the same. Jekyll often uses telling language, words like "I had come to a fatal cross roads" (SC, 85). Yet his Hyde-self totally fears death. As Jekyll becomes "occupied by one thought: the horror of my other self" (SC, 95), lie
Good and evil exist in the world. Thought time, the concept hasn’t changed. In Robert Louis Stevenson mystery novella, Dr. jekyll Mr. Hyde, the Victorian era influences the characters’ actions. The Victorian era had a influence on many of Utterson's actions. When Utterson recieved a letter from Lanyon with odd instructions, and he obeys them.
a wooden door on a wall with no windows, and is revealed to lead to
Jekyll is tempted to do bad things and he uses Hyde to overcome his temptations. Jekyll gets his satisfaction of doing bad deeds by becoming Hyde. Jekyll says “If each, I told myself, could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable; the unjust might go his way” (Page 105). He states that he wants to do bad things but knowing he cant and still live the life he has, he uses Hyde as an escape from his temptations. Once Jekyll is able to control his temptations but still do bad as Mr. Hyde he says “I felt younger, lighter, happier in the body” (Page 106) Mr. Hyde is Jekyll’s way of escaping his sophisticated lifestyle and entering a totally separate way of life. Jekyll then didn’t feel any guilt for Hyde’s actions.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll desires to relive his past events that are considered unfit of society, creating Mr. Hyde to do so without getting caught and losing his high reputation. Dr. Jekyll allows his evil side develop as “his temptation of a discovery so singular and profound, at last overcame the suggestions of alarm” (44). Dr. Jekyll lets his curiosity take over his moral judgments by creating a potion that allows him to switch bodies from himself to Mr. Hyde. The emphasis on his temptations being his only and most important ambition gives him reason to create another persona to satisfy his desires. Consequently though, Jekyll acknowledges that “a current of disordered sensual images running like a mill-race in my fancy, a solution of the bonds of obligation, an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul” will be the cost of breaking the rules of society (44). His decision alludes to chaos through the imagery of disorder when being free from responsibilities, but he sees the disorder as something positive and enjoyable. For him, it may be a way to get out of his
The book of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was written nearly over a century ago. The fictional novella was written the year of 1885 in England, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The author wrote a gothic mystery story, told by a narrator that follows Mr. Utterson’s point of view. Mr. Utterson is the attorney of Dr. Jekyll, and his point of view comes from the outside of the home. Stevenson accomplished tremendous success, ensuring his fame as a writer for his previous works and, for “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Moreover, decades later, a successful writer known as Valerie Martin wrote the novel “Mary Reilly”. Author Valerie Martin’s ‘Mary Reilly’ is retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ from the trusted housemaid, living in the home. The books have different insights, but also similarities. These stories portray a good and evil character, who lives a double life. Stevenson and Martin distinguish distinctive perspectives in each book; in addition, the loyalty the narrators acquire to Dr. Jekyll is described through their characterization.
Jekyll not only did an experiment to split his two personalities, but was willing to risk everything to do it. He was willing to risk his reputation, friends, and his life. Dr. Jekyll’s evil persona, even went as far as killing someone. This is what Dr. Jekyll said about Edward Hyde “long as I had considered my position, made enough allowance for the complete moral insensibility and insensate readiness to evil, which were the leading characters of Edward Hyde. Yet it was by these that I was punished.
The key ideas in chapter 1 of ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr
Jekyll from Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a fictional character that may be suffering from this disorder. Dr. Jekyll is a scientist and develops and self- administers a potion that turns him into a person without a conscience, creating a monster also known as Mr. Hyde: “Hence, although I had now two characters as well as two appearances, one was wholly evil, and the other was still the old Henry Jekyll, that incongruous compound of whose reformation and improvement I had already learned to despair. The movement was thus wholly toward the worse” (Stevenson 1994: p. 74). The reality of multiple personality disorder is that most who suffer from it, do not remember the experiences from their separate personalities. However, in the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is able to retain all memories of Mr. Hyde’s transgressions and actions.
Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde consists of reputation, good vs. evil and damage control. In other words, Utterson tirelessly works to prevent his good friend Dr. Jekyll from being dragged into the horrid affairs of Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Jekyll goes to the greatest of lengths to prevent his Hyde identity from being discovered, in order to avoid anyone knowing of his somewhat questionable scientific work and morally despicable behavior. Much of the novel is based on the characters reputations and how they have to maintain a good public image, as they are upper class people. The novel takes place in Victorian England and the main characters are all male members of upper class London. Enfield, Utterson, Lanyon and Jekyll are all aware of social
This novel can be interpreted in many different ways; from the duality of human nature to the loss of control of many things, such as loss of judgment and moral control which plays a huge role in this novel. Dr. Jekyll has the power to have two personalities because of this concoction, and he is fully capable of control his evil side but I don’t believe he wants to completely at first. Yes there is a clear difference between the two characters Dr. Jekyll obviously has a better demeanor and doesn’t commit horrid acts when he is playing this person; however, they are one person. (NCBI) This novel is interesting in the fact the main character transformation is clearly depicted Dr. Jekyll is described as this tall handsome, middle-aged, successful man while Mr. Hyde is described as short, fat, angry man who no one liked. Jekyll and Hyde communicate by writing letters or notes to one another which helps predict what is going to happen next when the next
One of the most vital concepts incorporated into The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the representation and depiction of the duality of mankind. Jekyll works to find a solution which will separate him into his reckless, immoral persona and his respectable, Victorian self. After consumption, this potion causes him to completely transform into a man who is known as Hyde. As Hyde, he can express himself in immoral, evil ways. This not only includes moral and immoral wants but rational and irrational wants. Not only does this transformation enable him to keep his good reputation even while he does horrid, unacceptable things, but it allows him to do things which he most likely would not even