LogFAQs > #911985530

20. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Novel) (25 points)
Nominated by: handsomeboy2012 (2/5 remaining)
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43/43-h/43-h.htm

Importance: 10
Fear: 8
Snake: 7

A horror novel just as important as Frankenstein or Dracula, Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an interesting story that mainly explores the inner duality of man, as the split-personality of the titular characters represent the "good" and "evil" sides of the human personality. The novel focuses on lawyer Gabriel John Utterson, an everyman-type protagonist and friend of Dr. Jekyll who serves as a grounder for the reader whilst the extraordinary surrounds both him and us. The story here is set-up like a mystery; it's not supposed to be known from the onset that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same. As Utterson gathers clues and evidence, things start to become a little more clear however, which is where the horror and the truth proceeds to take a hold: Jekyll had invented a serum to deliberately bring out his inner urges without fear of sacrificing his upstanding reputation. The transformation was controllable at first, but Hyde was starting to become the dominate side of his personality and Jekyll was involuntarily transforming into Hyde while he slept. Eventually, it became so bad that Jekyll realized he was going to be eternally stuck as Hyde, and so he decided to end his life rather than live as a monster. There's obviously a lot to unpack about human nature here. Hyde represents our base desires, to indulge and participate in excess and instant gratification with little repercussion, whilst being as cruel and uncaring towards others as possible. The ending even implies that Jekyll may have even be happier in that state; as mentioned, the original reason he creates the potion is so he wouldn't have to repress that side of him anymore. It's also a larger commentary on how the upper-class rulers hide dark intentions behind deceptive smiles. In the end though, Jekyll does reject the uncivilized form, choosing the good over the evil. Utterson himself also stands in stark contrast to Hyde; Utterson may have his flaws, but he remains a trustworthy, loyal, and honest friend to Jekyll right to the very end. The novel presents the inner evilness in all of us, but also shines a light on the ultimately more prominent altruistic side of our personalities, making note of the codependency between the two as well. In the end, It's entirely up to our choice if we decide to be a Jekyll, or decide to be a Hyde, and while both are valid, what we finally decide could mean the difference between success and downfall.
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If the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will!
http://tinyurl.com/zqwzc9a - https://i.imgtc.com/3qwvxhc.jpg