As I was reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I found the notion of good versus evil quite interesting. Actually, it was particularly the idea of both good and evil residing in a single person that got me thinking about the duality of human nature. Are we born good? Are we born evil? Or are we born both? When Dr. Jekyll sees himself for the first time in the mirror as the deformed and decayed Edward Hyde, he expresses a feeling of relief: “And yet I looked at upon the ugly idol in the glass, I was conscious of no repugnance, rather of a leap of welcome. This too was myself. It seemed natural and human” (81). Relief of finally being able to do the things he would not have otherwise done, as laws are to be respected in order to maintain social order. The importance of maintaining an honorable reputation is also made clear throughout the book. However, all falls into pieces when Hyde is actually seen committing a murderous act, thus becoming a hunted criminal. Dr. Jekyll loses control over his transformations, and keeps changing back into Mr. Hyde, causing him to withdraw himself from society.
Dr. Jekyll is obviously the “good” side of himself, and Hyde is his alternate evil ego whom he has kept restrained for the most part of his existence. Does this mean that Dr. Jekyll was born good, but turns bad, or was he always struggling with both personas to finally let his evil side take over at the end?
Anyhow, I was reading an article from the Daily Mail, and there was this one passage that got my attention. The article mentions the 18th century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau speaking about the total absence of “fundamental perversity in the human heart” (Daily Mail) and that society is what leads humans to commit evil deeds. This immediately got me thinking of the creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, who only craved for love and affection, but only ended up being abandoned by his creator, Victor Frankenstein, and violently rejected by society. This forced seclusion from the human society sparked a feeling of hatred in his soul, which caused him to murder several people that were close to Victor, all in the name of revenge. Thus, the creature initially had a good and genuine soul, which society twisted into something evil and vengeful.
Sara, I like how you were able to connect The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein and a third source. Although they are all insightful, you are just analyzing human nature, what do YOU think about good and evil? Do you believe all humans have a dual personality?
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ReplyDeleteThank you... And yes, it would have been slightly more interesting to give my own perspective of this idea that is the duality of human nature!
ReplyDeleteWell, to be honest, I do believe that we all struggle with the nature of our true selves. We often ask ourselves questions such as: Who am I? Who am I supposed to be? What is the purpose of my existence? And so on... We might not ask ourselves directly what is the true nature of our soul (Am I a good person or a bad person?), but I find these questions to be a pretty indirect way of asking ourselves that question.
Now, I am not saying that you are either good, or you are either bad, and that's that. What I am saying is that what we do, who we are, is a result of the choices we make in life. Yes, some things in life are unexpected, but it is how I choose to react to the event that defines who I am today.
Again, I am not saying if you react badly to it that you are "evil" or "bad"... We are humans; we all make mistakes. However, you can choose to grow from that mistake. You can learn how to deal and how to cope with something such as a stressful event.
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ReplyDeleteCool picture and interesting exploration of both texts. Though you stop short of spelling it out, it sounds like you agree with Rousseau. What do you make of Jekyll’s statement that at first sight, Hyde was “natural and human” – a part of himself (“This too was myself.”) Is Jekyll wrong to reject the Hyde that hides inside him? Does cutting Hyde off from Jekyll remove an important inhibiting factor? Would Hyde have become so monstrous if left to bumble along as part of Jekyll? I think that might be the argument that the author of the Daily Mail article (thanks for the link) is making: that, as you suggest in your answer to Rebecca, we are the products of our choices and the results of our struggles. The struggle is important.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is what I was trying to convey! It's important to consider both sides of yourselves. Not only one. For instance, Dr Jekyll could have learned from Mr Hyde, and make himself a better person, realizing that his pleasures might not be the best thing to do for one to enjoy....life? Also, Mr Hyde could have listened to Dr Jekyll's little voice so that he knows when enough is enough, and that just might of saved him from being caught in the first place. Like you said, the struggle is crucial. It's the whole "learning from experience/mistakes" bit that is really key.
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