Analyzing the Manifestation of Evil in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This essay delves into the manifestation of evil within Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'. It argues that Mr. Hyde embodies the evil side of Victorian life, characterized by crime, corruption, and societal hypocrisy. The essay explores Dr. Jekyll's creation of an alter ego to express repressed desires and the subsequent failure to control Hyde's actions. It highlights Hyde's monstrous appearance and the moral depravity of Jekyll's actions, demonstrating the theme of the duality of human nature and the consequences of concealing one's true self. The essay concludes that Hyde represents the darkness within humanity and Jekyll's inability to control his creation, ultimately leading to his downfall and the dominance of evil.

Running head: MANIFESTATION OF THE EVIL
Manifestation of the Evil
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

2MANIFESTATION OF THE EVIL
Introduction
“Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” refers to classic novel that depicts the eternal clash in
between the good and the evil. It talks about the emergence of the horror that takes place
owing to the conflict taking place in the soul of an individual (Gutenberg.org). This essay
argues that the symbol of the evil was brought out with the help of the character of Mr Hyde
in the novel who presents evil side of the Victorian life. This essay states that Dr. Jekyll was
unsuccessful in creating the fractured soul as Mr Hyde started taking over Dr Jekyll and
started to act on the basis of his own whim.
Discussion
Mr Hyde have a strange deformity and he represents the evil in the novel. He exudes a
strong feeling of the deformity and it is symbolic of his personality in the novel. Mr Hyde
represents evil side of the Victorian life which is ridden with the crime along with the
corruption. The values of the society are decadent and the character of Mr Hyde represents
the darkness that is present in the inner soul of the man. Utterson in the event of meeting
Hyde exclaimed that he would fail to form the words that can help him in describing Mr
Hyde that speaks of the monstrous appearance of the character. It have been brought out with
the help of the following words in the novel:
“There is something more, if I could find a name for it. God bless me, the man seems hardly
human! Something troglodytic, shall we say?” (Gutenberg.org)
Victorian people had to live very stringent lives and they had to abide by the strict
moral rules within the framework of the society. Dr Jekyll had to create the alter ego so that it
could act as a platform that can help in releasing the inner needs along with the emotions.
This creates the way for the widespread hypocrisy that had a detrimental effect on the other
characters in the novel.

3MANIFESTATION OF THE EVIL
Mr Hyde have been stated to be purely evil by Dr Jekyll however the character of Dr Jekyll
had indulged in the unstated vices that goes on to show that the was also treating the path of
evil in the novel. Dr Jekyll had found a way with the help of which he could transform
himself so that he could commit these crimes without any kind of the fear of the detection.
Jekyll used to control the transformations with the help of the serum so that he could give the
vent to his inner frustrations. Jekyll was weak and so he took recourse to the serum so that he
would not have to confine his inner feelings.
Jekyll made the potion so that he could express the urges without any kind of the
feeling of the guilt. He wanted to undergo the changes so that he would not have to face the
consequences of his crime that would tarnish his good reputation in the society. He named the
alter-ego as Hyde because it is supposed to be a disguise that he would discard like the think
cloak. In the event of describing murder of the Sir Danvers Jekyll states that: “I mauled the
unresisting body” which shows that he was taking the responsibility for the murder. He felt
that he was losing the good life on account of his evil actions and it brings out the evil
intentions of the character. Jekyll can be said to be a repressed man who wanted to conceal
the violent urges in his character. The biggest sin of Jekyll exists owing to the fact that he did
not want to face the consequences for the crimes that were committed by him. Hyde was not
the accidental result of the experiment that was conducted by Dr Jekyll. He was the intended
result of the experiment of Jekyll that goes on to show the moral depravity on the part of the
character. These words show that he was the responsible for the creation of Mr. Hyde:
"I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again. I bind my honor to you that I am done
with him in this world. It is all at an end. And indeed he does not want my help; you do not
know him as I do; he is safe, he is quite safe; mark my words, he will never more be heard
of." (Gutenberg.org)

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Dr Jekyll was not successful in the creation of the “fractured soul” as Hyde started to
carry out the acts on the basis of his own volition that proved to be harmful for the society.
His in ability of being able to control his emotions goes on to show that his attempts were
unsuccessful. Hyde killed Carew as his impulses were caged for a long span of time. Jekyll
tried greatly to stop the transformations however he transformed involuntarily when he was
awake that shows his failed attempts in the novel. The desire of Dr Jekyll have been brought
out with the help of the following words in the novel:
“It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and
primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my
consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically
both; and from an early date . . . I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream,
on the thought of the separation of these elements”. (Gutenberg.org).
The letter which was left by Jekyll for Utterson states the goal of Dr Jekyll in the
experiments. He summarized the theory of the dual nature of the humanity in the letter that
stipulates that the human beings have the virtuous along with the criminal bent of the mind.
Dr Jekyll wanted to free the good side from the dark urges however he only managed to
separate out Hyde. He continued to have the negative aspects in his character that shows the
failure of his attempts. Hyde started to predominate till Jekyll stops existing that shows the
failure on the part of Dr. Jekyll.
Conclusion
Mr Hyde is symbolic of the darkness which besets the soul of the human beings.
Utterson failed to describe Mr Hyde which suggests monstrous and horrifying look of the
character. Dr. Jekyll created the alter-ego that could release inner emotions of his personality.
It can be stated to be an act of widespread hypocrisy which had mad effect on characters

5MANIFESTATION OF THE EVIL
present in the novel. Jekyll took recourse to the potion that can help him in expressing his
urges in a free manner before the society without suffering from any kind of the guilt. Dr
Jekyll did not want to face negative consequences for the crime that made him transform
himself into Mr Hyde. He did not want to spoil the reputation that made him go through the
changes. Dr Jekyll was not capable of controlling his emotions that reveals the fact that the
attempts of the doctor were not successful.

6MANIFESTATION OF THE EVIL
References
Gutenberg.org. "The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, By Robert Louis Stevenson".
Gutenberg.Org, 2020, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43/43-h/43-h.htm.