Similarities Between Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

In the texts, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, the idea that human minds remain divided within one’s own consciousness is present through the characters Jekyll/Hyde and Orwell. Henry Jekyll was a highly respected doctor in London who had developed means to transform his physical appearance into another man, known in the story as Hyde. While the idea of a substance changing one’s physical appearance so substantially that they become unrecognizable remains complete fiction, the text reveals real insight into the thought and motives of Dr. Jekyll. Similarly, George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant displays what it’s like in the mind of a conflicted man. However, unlike

Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde. Toward the end of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it is finally revealed that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are in fact not two separate individuals but rather the same being. Dr. Jekyll was able to alter his appearance through a drug that he was able to configure. This allowed him to change his identity to the man known as Hyde temporarily. While the idea of a drug that can change your physical appearance is quite fascinating, it is actually a very insignificant component of the true meaning of the story. While the behaviors of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde differed immensely, it is important to note that all of these actions were performed by the same being; the only thing that changed was his appearance. The question then becomes: what is so significant about the changing of identity that drastically alters the behavior of Dr. Jekyll? The answer to this question is accountability. It is human nature to experience immoral desires, but often one’s public image and fear of being caught keep them from acting immorally. Having a second identity, such as Mr. Hyde, provided Dr. Jekyll an escape from his reality. This power of being able to do whatever he wanted without facing the consequences unleashed the part of himself that only wants to cause destruction for personal gain and entertainment. When describing the feeling of transforming into Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll writes, “There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably new, and, from its very novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt younger, lighter, happier in body; within I was conscious of a heady recklessness, a current disordered sensual images running like a mill race in my fancy, a solution of the bonds of obligation, an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul. I knew myself at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil;