Dr Hyde Frankenstein Analysis

Whereas Victor creates and then rejects his creation, Henry does not, he sees his creation as an alter ego, and whilst Edward lacks the innocence of Victors monster; ‘an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul. I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil; and the thought, in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine. ’ His creation is embraced by Henry, as a means to escape from the Victorian necessity to conform as a member of the respectable, professional, upper middle class, and to be a public example of morality and strict virtue. Another fear of Victorian society at the time, was that Britain’s empire interests could lead to degeneration in the form of gentlemen travelling to the dark continent, subsequently ‘going native. ’ This is a theme that is
In the same way that Frankenstein serves to highlight the undermining of the position of women in society, so do Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and The Island of Doctor Moreau. The novels largely exclude women, showing a world that is primarily composed of leisured upper middle class bachelors. The only real mention of women in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, is in relation to the actions of Edward, the incident with a young female child where Edward; ‘trampled calmly over the, child’s body and left her screaming on the ground. ’ Her purpose serves to highlight the difference between the civilised and morally virtuous public persona, and the possibility of the monster beneath, with the reaction of the doctor called to attend the child. Initially, Richard Enfield deems the man to be ‘as emotional as a bagpipe,’ however, as the scene progresses, Richard notices