What Are The Key Differences Between Jekyll And Hyde?

Question

For classic horror fans debating Dr. Jekyll's moral struggles versus Mr. Hyde's monstrous actions. Which character truly represents the darker self in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

V Missv · Answer

In the famous story by Robert Louis Stevenson, the respected scientist Dr. Jekyll creates a monstrous alternative personality in Mr. Hyde to allow himself to do things that his normal self would reject. An important difference to the more recent story ‘THE WEREWOLF SWITCH’ is that Dr. Jekyll is a fully conscious person whereas the monstrous alternative personality created by him is more and more in control with each transformation. The struggle between Jekyll and Hyde is not so much a power struggle, but rather the downward slide of one person. This story made me think of ‘THE WEREWOLF SWITCH’ because in that story too a person with a ‘hidden self’ is the main character. However, in ‘THE WEREWOLF SWITCH’ the internal battle is caused by a curse which makes the protagonist turn into a werewolf. In this story, the transformation from human to werewolf is tied to the lunar cycles and is characterized by a very physical and bestial rage.

Ma Veronica Delgado Fare · Answer

In terms of their relationship with lawyer Utterson, this is particularly poignant. While Jekyll values his friendship with Utterson (even while he is deceiving him), Hyde has no regard for the man at all, threatening him on several occasions and definitely perceiving him as a enemy to be disposed of. It is here that we see a marked difference between the two men, and it tells us that while Hyde is indeed Jekyll without morals, he is not Jekyll without love. For it is clear that Hyde is Jekyll without loyalty, and therefore without friendship, the greatest part of himself lost in the instant of his creation. While splitting off the evil part of himself, Jekyll had also managed to split off the good, leaving him a small, anxious man, cut off from his only real supporters.

Tyson · Answer

This classic novel gives us a very interesting insight into the human psychology. The character of Jekyll symbolizes the efforts of man to resist his natural urges within society. The character of Hyde is the physical embodiment of these darker and wilder urges. He is the image of the ‘devil’ that sits on our shoulder and even though we are able to resist him at times, there is always a part of us that wonders whether we really can defeat our own shadow.

Much can be said about how Stevenson developed the two characters and gave them depth. Not only is Jekyll good, he is also flawed and insecure which drives him to create the very person he despises in Hyde. Yet Hyde is not purely evil, he was created through obsession to be liberated, and this is extremely cool yet extremely tragic too. We can see that there is a great deal of depth in every individual and this is something that can be pondered long after finishing a book such as this.

Lillian · Answer

There is a very striking change from Jekyll to Hyde. The respected doctor Jekyll has all the sophistication of his time and holds himself to the highest moral standards of his class, whereas Hyde is his exact opposite, the embodiment of our lower nature, with its more primal and generally repulsive characteristics. I found it quite frightening in places to read of someone who simply gave in to his lower nature, and was so very nasty in his actions and behavior towards others.

In Stevenson’s work the darker side of man can reveal itself in the most surprising and tragic ways when the more respectable side is unable to keep it hidden. Yet, by the same token, he successfully conveys the inner conflict of a man torn between two selves and thus creates a work of lasting interest and significance.

Many of your favorite stories across genres have similar themes of a great guy struggling to keep the worst parts of himself from coming to the surface. From the Yard’s quest to find Heisenberg in ‘Breaking Bad’ to Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ struggling with his ‘Precious’, a vastly wide array of characters deal with internal conflicts of this type. And it’s precisely this conflict between a refined gentleman, such as Jekyll, and his morally reprehensible counterpart, Hyde, that makes Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde such an incredibly powerful story.

Denis · Answer

This makes a great visual comparison of the two men’s living spaces. Jekyll’s home is neat and dignified, with books upon shelves and many fine objects to adorn the rooms. In contrast, the rooms that Hyde uses to indulge his baser nature are connected to the back of Jekyll’s house by a back door. They are dusty, neglected, and clinical in their appearance, like a lab or prison. One is for living, the other for experimenting. So the two areas of Jekyll’s life are very separate. The front of Jekyll’s house is his respectable home, and the back is his secret lair where he can indulge his other self. However, as the story progresses, Hyde starts to invade the front of the house, symbolising the breakdown of the barrier that Jekyll had tried to create between his two personas.

Ligia Chuc · Answer

It’s interesting to note that there’s a reversal in the creation of Jekyll and Hyde in this version of the story. Jekyll created the alter ego of Hyde through careful scientific experimentation, hoping to find a separate vessel for his many sins. However, in turn, Hyde recreates Jekyll and becomes his puppet. Interestingly, at the end of the story, Jekyll transforms not in order to find freedom from his painful life, but because Hyde has forced him into the transformation through addiction. Thus, Jekyll is the creator and Hyde his creation. But in typical Frankenstein fashion, the creation gains power over the creator. It’s an interesting reversal, for typically the architect is also the master of his creation. But in this version, the architect’s blueprint of the cage to hold his soul in has been fundamentally flawed – he has locked himself inside.

Chombo Ramos Nilton · Answer

And what they leave behind is also completely different. Jekyll leaves behind his circle of friends who were left to pick up the pieces of his life and try to make sense of the strange happenings that occurred while he was possession of Hyde. There is also the remnants of his once good name and reputation, and of course the many, many written words of his confession. This is what Jekyll hoped people would remember of his life. The story of Jekyll is a cautionary tale into the nature of humanity. As for Hyde, all he leaves behind is a trail of violence and fear, and a dead body or two. His 'story' is simply a list of the many horrific acts that he committed while possessed by the man. The impact that he had on the world is one of pure revulsion and horror, unlike Jekyll whose impact is one of sadness.

Ellie · Answer

The characters of Jekyll and Hyde present two sides of the same individual in the novel ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. The struggle between the two characters is very apparent. Jekyll is the respectable scientist, trying to contain the dark impulses within him, whilst the other half, Hyde, is entirely selfish and gives in to his deepest desires. This novel causes us to contemplate between our own good and evil natures at times and to make a choice. The way in which the two characters battle against each other is truly captivating!

Christiana Marie Vergara · Answer

Are there any decent stage/and/or film adaptations of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Most make him a grunting monster but the little creep is so subtle – mostly petulant and sly. His difference from Jekyll should be psychological not physical – not just big and ugly versus small and ugly. Some versions get this right but most fail miserably. Such a delicate line to tread between realism and the core of the story.

Owen · Answer

On the surface, Jekyll represents all of humanity’s civilized endeavors and characteristics. Hyde, on the other hand, is chaos, pure and unadulterated. In their attempt to better understand human nature through scientific means, Jekyll uses his knowledge for good. He struggles with the temptation that Hyde represents, while Hyde cares for nothing and allows himself to indulge in the lowest aspects of human nature without hesitation or repression. Each character is incredibly interesting to read and learn more about as the story progresses. More importantly, it forces the reader to look within themselves and to wonder what would become of them if they were to give in to their dark side. These two characters can also offer insight into the complex nature of the relationships that we are involved in. Something to think about.

WILDMAX · Answer

In the narrative, there is a reversal in the two characters’ motivations for transformation. When Jekyll first transforms into the Other, it is voluntarily and in order to have a “fine feeling of pleasure.” After that, it is Hyde who remains constant while Jekyll changes. But later in the story, Jekyll’s transformations into Hyde become involuntary: he turns into Hyde while he is asleep or under stress without having taken the potion. Thus, his transformations change from voluntary action to compulsive and uncontrollable emergence. Also, when he first begins to transform into Hyde, Jekyll believes that he can call up the Other at will and, when he wishes, change back into himself. By the end of the narrative, however, Jekyll is a mere prisoner in his own body, locked up in his own house, and unable to prevent the constant emergence of the Other. The total reversal of agency that occurs in this narrative is the true “descent into hell.”

Mandin Berkler · Answer

There is much made of the physical appearance and behavior of both Jekyll and Hyde in the novel. Jekyll is described as a gentleman, composed and controlled in all of his movements. Conversely, Hyde is often described using animalistic verbs such as “hissed,” “sprang,” and “trampled.” His sinister and even predatory nature is evoked in many of his physical actions. Here, Jekyll’s body is seen as a vessel for his rational mind. However, Hyde’s body is actually his mind and it is all impulse and motion. Often it is suggested that Hyde is not just thinking of evil actions, he is actually doing them. In terms of a fight between the two, I would imagine that Hyde would win not because of physical strength, but because he is a man of action who does not hesitate. His nature is that of the fight-or-flight response, choosing always to fight.

What Are The Key Differences Between Jekyll And Hyde?

12 Answers

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