Comparison Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde And Batman Begins

"Man is not truly one, but truly two." (Stevenson 55). The fear of public slander encourages people to exhibit appearances different from their true selves, while others do it to manipulate people and take advantage of them. The truth of the matter lies in the fact that a person's true intentions hide behind an invisible mask. Robert Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins bring this idea to light by showing how a man has two sides to himself through the embodiment of evil in Jekyll in the form of Hyde and Bruce Wayne's idea of peace and him maintaining it through Batman, proving that society causes people to keep up appearances and create separate identities to do deeds that they normally wouldn't.

Jekyll’s family was well respected around the city and had a sizable fortune. Their standards of living meant that Jekyll always kept up the perfect appearance while simultaneously concealing his pleasures, but he did not take pride in this gesture and was rather ashamed of it: "Many a man would have even blazoned such irregularities as I was guilty of, but from the high views that I had set before me, I regarded and hid them with an almost morbid sense of shame." (Stevenson 55). The implications of him losing his reputation if he displayed traits of his true nature imply that behind the perfect Jekyll was an evil, irregular being. It is also stated that he hid these abnormalities, proving that Jekyll needed to create an alternate identity if he wanted to express his true self. Likewise, Bruce Wayne’s family was extremely wealthy. He was the heir to his parents, Martha and Thomas Wayne, and their billion-dollar corporation, The Wayne Enterprises. Wayne was served a golden platter, and his life was smooth sailing until his parents were murdered in front of him (Batman Begins). Experiencing something so traumatizing would have left most children lifeless, but Bruce wanted vengeance and made an oath to get rid of evil in the world. Unfortunately for him, he now represented the face of Wayne Enterprises, and the only possible way for him to execute his goals would require a pseudonym. Both characters faced circumstances

Jekyll, a man of science, developed a solution that allowed him to alternate his body's structure to that of Hyde. Other characters in the story could only describe Hyde as ominous and devilish. Jekyll had an evil side to him and would use Hyde as an outlet to commit vile deeds without repercussions. Hyde demonstrated this idea when he ruthlessly tramped over the little girl and also when he murdered the MP using a walking stick: "he old gentleman took a step back, with the air of one very much surprised and a trifle hurt; and at that Mr. Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth. And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows, under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway." (Stevenson 22). The use of the phrases "ape-like fury" and "bones were audibly shattered" emphasize the true evil nature of Hyde, which contradicts the nature of the normal Jekyll, proving his duality. Bruce, on the other hand, used his alternate persona to fight for peace. He spent his young years studying science and learning different types of martial arts. He was then able to create technology that would aid him in fighting criminals with ease. Bruce used a bat-shaped mask over his face to hide his identity, which led to his being called Batman (Batman begins). Bruce represented Wayne Enterprises,