Justin Tantalo
Ms. Fassos
ENG-3A1
3 February 1998
The theme of prevailing evil is evidant in the story of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde. At the beginning of the story Dr. Jekyll could change character at his own discretion. As the story progressed Jekyll began to lose control over which entity his body took form too. At the conclusion of the story the evil Hyde's personality is stronger than
Jekyll and slowly takes control of it. Like a cancer, the evil infects the good untill it reigns supreme.
At the beginning of the story,Dr. Jekyll had no problems with his experiment. He could drink his potion to become Hyde, and then drink it again to return to Jekyll. This is essential to the continuation of the experiment. " I lingered but a moment at the mirror...
I once more prepared and drank the cup, once more suffered the pangs of dissolution, and came to myself once more with the character, the stature, and the face of Henry Jekyll."
(Stevenson 85) Thus showing the first time Jekyll preformed the experiment it was successfull. He was apprehensive when he drank the potion, fearing he had lost his original identity beyond redemption. However, the transistion went flawlessly, which consequently gave Jekyll confidence that the experiment was fool proof. Dr. Jekyll succeeds in seperating the two entities " This prove to be true: he succeeds in seperating the conflicting selves from the 'agonised womb of consciousness' by the wonder working drug." (Tymms 322) This reinforces that the preliminary results from the experiment were successfull. In Mr. Lanyon's letter to Mr. Utterson, he states that he saw the transistion performed sucessfully before his eyes; " O God, I screamed, O God... like a man restored from death there stood Henry Jekyll." (Stevenson 80)
Jekyll felt that the experiment had no flaws; "I had but to drink the cup, to doff at once the body of the noted professor, and to assume, like a thick cloak, that of Edward Hyde"
(Stevenson 85-86) This shows the mentality of Jekyll is one of extreme confidance, all he had to do was ingest the potion and he would transform to his alter entity.
As the experiment progresses it was evident that Jekyll was losing control over which entity his body takes form to. "... the smile was struck out of his face and succeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair,, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below" (Stevenson 61) This shows how at an inoportune time Jekyll
transforms to Hyde. The terror on his face was as much fear of being caught as it was fear of losing control of his own body. " his supply of one of the salts he used to perpare the drug that caused the transformation was becoming exausted. When he replaced it he discovered the new consignment failed to give results" (McAlpin 319) This indicates that Jekyll is having problems with his potion. Th reason the potion wouldn't work at times was because the new batch of salt wasn't as strong as the previous and Jekyll may have been devolping an immunity toward the drug. " the power of the drug had not been always equaly displayed, I had been obliged on more than one occaision to double (the amount)..." (Stevenson 89) This shows how the potion isn't always working as planned.
Hyde risks death by increasing the dose of the potion to return to Dr. Jekyll. Also it shows that the percieved 'foolproof' potion may not be perfect. "Only under he immediate stimulation of the drug, that I was able to wear the countenance of Jekyll... if I slept, or even dose it was Hyde that I awakened." (Stevenson 95) This shows how the evil Hyde is strengthining and only with the powers of the drug could Jekylls character prevail. At first Jekyll reigns supremecy and used the potion to become Hyde, however now Hyde is the prevailing character with Jekyll appearing only with the help of the drug. With the potion not working properly and the uncontrollable transformations it is evidant that Hyde is becoming the stronger of the two entities.
In the conclusion of the story the good Jekyll is dead. Overwhelmed by Hyde, Jekyll could no longer control it.“There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last, and this brief condescension to my evil finally distroyed the balance of my soul.” (Stevenson 92) This shows how Jekyll feels that the balance of good and evil in his soul is distroyed. He admits that evil has won supremecy.
“...this is my true hour of death, and what is to follow concerns another than myself. There than, as I lay down the pen, and proceed to seal up my confesion, I bring the life of that unhappy Jekyll to an end.” (Stevenson 97) This is taken from the confesion letter sent by jekyll to Utterson. It waswritten during Jekyll’s last few moments and proves that
Hyde has taken control of the body. Jekylls character is needed to balance the good and the evil, without it the evil prevails. “It is the old, old story of good yielding to evil. Finally the evil reigns supreme.” (McAlpin 319) This reinforces the idea that the evil has
won over the good. The progression of prevailing evil has finally reached its climax, the good Jekyll is dead and all thart remains is the character and staure of the evil Edward Hyde.