In The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a man explores the confuzzling actions of Mr Hyde, while attempting to convince Dr Jekyll not to leave his entire fortune to him, as he has become a known murderer, and Dr Jekyll’s money in his hands would cause chaos. The man, Mr Gabriel John Utterson, has his loyal friends at his side, and he eventually discovers that Dr Jekyll doesn’t simply seem like two men, he is two men! By some miracle caused by drinking a potion made from special ingredients, Dr Jekyll is able to switch back to his good side, but he is running out of the salt needed to make the potion, and he fears he will be stuck as Mr Hyde, his evil side, forever. He doesn’t want Mr Hyde to continue on his murderous rage, so he commits suicide as to prevent Mr Hyde from taking over. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an astounding book featuring magical elements and the secrets of the mind.
Even without magic or even science, the naked eye can still see that there are two sides to every person, one that makes all the good choices, and the mischievous, greedy side that comes out when we lose control and anger takes over. Everyone has to rein their evil side in, and keep from lashing out in anger and hate. In The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the potion that Dr Jekyll drinks is a potion that symbolizes self control. It allows Dr Jekyll to keep his evil side in check, and to make it so he can control his transformations. But when he runs out of it, he is stuck as Mr Hyde, and commits self suicide to keep Mr Hyde from being able to be the horrible monster that he is. Everyone loses control of themselves occasionally, but the key is to be able to drink that metaphorical potion and calm ourselves down. Good and evil are often mixed in nearly evil quantities, and you add more to either side with every action you make. You are defined by your actions and what you have done. Life is a test to forever keep your evil side in check, to keep wars from breaking out or crimes from happening, and most people can do this and keep themselves at a harmonious balance.
Supernatural beings are strange and often powerful, but it depends on the nature man who discovers something supernatural. Millions of people have reported sightings of a ghost or other supernatural beings, but known have had the courage to act on it, or investigate. In The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dr Jekyll’s nature was that he was curious, and quite credulous, so he sampled a bit of his potion, causing him to transform. This unlucky incident was caused by his curiosity, as the popular saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Supernaturalism can have good effects, but most often they simply cause panic and scare the masses. The idea of monsters is frightening, with big horns and sharp teeth. That’s why most people don’t like the thought that monsters could be so close to them, yet they won’t know it. Supernaturalism is a science best left to the superstitious, and to be kept quiet so that the people do not panic.
Science can do many things and allow us to improve life for all, but science is also how the beginning of many powerful weapons were started. From the nuclear bomb that has caused the deaths of millions to other theoretical concepts such as lasers and deadly biological weapons designed to kill without remorse and with ease, they were all conceived by science. In The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, science allows Dr Jekyll to create this potion, and the harmful effects are easily apparent: Mr Hyde is the evil part of Dr Jekyll, so he is a murderer and would stoop to any level to gain what he wants. This was all powered by Dr Jekyll’s brilliant mind, yet despite his intelligence, he still fails to fathom how this powerful potion could hurt people. Science’s benefits are equal to the problems it causes, but we need to place the gift of intellectuality on the right people, or else one person could overturn the entire society as we know it using complex weapons made from simple tools.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a bewildering book that shows clearly the nature of humans, and how science can be used for nefarious purposes, but most importantly the power of friendship and how it can help keep you strong throughout life. Every single person has some amount of good and some amount of evil in them, and it’s up to us to control ourselves and keep our evil side in check. We are like a dual mask that can only show one side at a time, and we need to try to show our good side. Science can be deadly, and can come up with even deadlier concepts. We need to restrain ourselves and keep away from the allure of having a lethal weapon before anyone else does, because this would simply lead to the doom of the human race. Our friends can help us do this and allow ourselves to grow. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a great book, and I recommend it for all ages.
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