Dr Jekyll And Hyde Research Paper

Within every person exists temptation, whether it be dormant or active, which varies in form from one individual to the next. Usually always negative, temptations arise from the lesser qualities of man and expose an individual to develop even more nefarious ambitions. In severe cases, the temptation transforms into a desire, in which the individual experiences a lack of control accompanied with self-infliction and remorse. The story of one man’s dark desires is examined in Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Appropriately termed, Stevenson peruses the eerie case of a respected doctor who becomes associated with Mr. Hyde, who is essentially Dr. Jekyll’s counterpart. The bizarreness of this case is the fact that the two men are the same person; they have different personalities and physical

Jekyll and Hyde, viewed as individuals, are positioned on opposite sides of a nature spectrum; Jekyll embodies purity and holiness, where as Hyde signifies the virulent, primitive side. Essentially, the two men are complete opposites. However, one must ask this question: “why did Dr. Jekyll create Mr. Hyde?” Jekyll created Hyde with the intention of ridding himself of evil, so that he would be able to exist as himself (Dr. Jekyll) and have a completely pure soul; however, he “had come to a fatal cross-roads” and was presented with a temptation. He realized he would be able to become Mr. Hyde with the gulp of his potion; therefore, he could commit scandalous acts while retaining his strong reputation as Dr. Jekyll. Overpowered by the temptation, he chooses to become Mr. Hyde, which he admits near the end of the story when he says, “Had I approached my discovery in a more noble spirit, had I risked the experiment while under the empire of generous or pious aspirations…I had come forth an angel instead of a