Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde Response journal

Essay by jleeboy17High School, 11th gradeA+, March 2006

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Througout the novel of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", by Robert Louis Stevenson, Jekyll is searching for a way to separate the two sides of the human mind. He believed that the human mind was a battlefield which two opposing sides of personas battle nonstop. He suceeds and unleashes Mr. Hyde, which is the evil part of him. Mr. Hyde is a form which has no compasion for anything but his own dark desires. Jekyll intended to purify himself of Hyde when he drank his potion but he only gave Hyde the oppurtunity to take complete control. In the beginning Jekyll is able to control Hyde but as time passes he starts to lose control and is transforming into Hyde more often. Then with the death of Dr. Lanyon, Jekyll is unable to create the potion which changes Hyde back to Jekyll and Jekyll becomes something of the past as Hyde wins the battle over Jekyll as he ends both of their lives.

The reactions of the public to Hyde represents a Victorian time period in the novel. Hyde is often described as a hideuous human but most are unable to put many words why. Even the narrator, Mr. Utterson is unable to explain what makes Hyde so unhumanlike. This is not surpriseing in a society that puts great emphasis on the importance of reputation.