What Are The Similarities Between Frankenstein And Mr Hyde

“Sometimes we refuse to see how bad something is until it completely destroys us.” This quotation by Dr. Anne Brown elucidates the blinding lights of over-ambition and innovation. Although society has pride in how innovative its citizens are, there are multiple consequences with enforcing such expectations. It is common for individuals with significant ambition to exploit their environment and its people for the aim of scientific recognition. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde highlights the negative consequences of breaking the boundaries of nature through the actions and behaviours of Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Henry Jekyll respectively. Both characters present themselves

Jekyll have different goals in mind, both characters in like manner overstep the barrier between ethical and unethical within science. The preposterous experiments of Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll makes it clear to the reader that defying ethical boundaries between their humanity and their aspirations to equate to God are incredibly unjustifiable, as it results in the lost lives of the innocent, moral corruption, and further conflict between the creator and creation.

Transcending the ethical boundaries between humanity and nature puts the lives of the innocent at high risk. This is evident in the events of Frankenstein, as Victor’s creature continuously threatens the lives of his loved ones due to Victor’s negligence. Following the events of the Creature’s disappearance early in the novel, Victor is informed by his father that his younger brother, William, has been murdered. The Frankenstein Family is under the impression that their housekeeper, Justine, is at fault for murdering William. Contrarily, Victor believes it was the Creature who fabricates the false narrative that Justine is responsible for William’s death.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde illustrate the immoral aftereffects of surpassing the ethical boundaries between humanity and nature. Many critical situations that are presented in each respective novel are the deaths of the innocent, moral corruption, and character conflict, which are issues both characters continuously struggle with throughout the entirety of their own respective novels. Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Henry Jekyll may differ in motives and intention, however, they each exhibit strong traits of over-ambition and innovation, which prompts them to create the fruits of their own labours. Both novels thoroughly express the issue with breaking the boundaries of nature within science, as it comes with multiple consequences. The capabilities and strengths of new species are always unknown, and overall can put human existence at risk. Furthermore, playing the role of God with a newfound species causes moral corruption between both parties, and will always prove to be imbalanced. Lastly, the rising conflict between the creator versus creation continuously persists, ultimately resulting in the death between the two characters. Consequently, overly innovative characters such as Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Henry Jekyll emphasizes that citizens should be made aware of the negative impacts of innovation and its limitations to prevent transcendence beyond nature, otherwise, unethical procedures will rise