More Homework...

Three essays in three days is my personal record. And this is not counting the extra essays I do just to torment my self. Here is number two, and number three will follow it tomorrow when I am actually awake with brainpower. BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY LEFT RIGHT NOW! And for those of you who want fiction, I am working on a brand new piece that I will put up in about ten days. You can't rush genius, my friends, you just can't.

Essay II (Theme Essay)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is the story of Dr. Jekyll, a scientist who creates a formula turning him into his evil alter ego, Mr. Hyde. Jekyll does this because he believes it will perfect man: “The unjust might go his way; and the just could walk steadfastly and securely on his upward path” (62). He soon finds out that this is not the case. His story presents the theme that man’s life cannot be improved by separating the two opposing forces of his nature.
Firstly, Jekyll is not successful in his attempt to create two autonomous beings. Hyde, at first, cannot be brought forth unless Jekyll drinks the formula. Even after the potion has been drunk, Jekyll can at any time drink it again and “Edward Hyde would pass away” (67). It is only after Hyde is “much exercised and nourished“ (69) that he is able to bring himself into power without the aid of the potion. This begins a long struggle for control between Jekyll and Hyde. If they had been truly separated, they would have been completely autonomous from each other instead of struggling for mastery.
Secondly, Jekyll has not accomplished a complete separation of good and evil. In fact, “the movement was wholly toward the worse“ (66). While Hyde is completely evil, Jekyll is not made completely good. “Hence, although [he] 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” (66) of good and evil. Thus, Jekyll has not accomplished what he set out to do.
The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows that Jekyll was never fully separated from his evil side, represented by Hyde. They are not independent of each other, causing them to engage in a fierce power struggle. Also, there is no separation of good and evil, only the creation of Jekyll’s completely evil alter ego. Jekyll himself remains a combination of both. Thus, through the example of Dr. Jekyll, it is shown that man cannot be perfected by separating the two opposing sides of his nature.