Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Is the monster within a myth, fairytale or human reality? In this paper I ask the question what’s a monster? I will also compare and contrast the monster within the characters of Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as they illustrate the inherent monster that every person has within them and the potential to unleash their inner monster. In researching the stories of Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde I have learned that not all monsters look like monsters on the outside, what defines them as monsters is what motives them on the inside and who they choose to be.
According to the dictionary 1-“A monster is a strange or imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly and frightening; 2-A powerful person or thing that cannot be controlled
Take for instance, the two characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for example, being one person with a hidden monstrous alter ego. This type of monster depicts the monstrous side of human nature that does not show its’ inner or outer monster at first sight, but keeps it hidden because of the guilt and ridicule that would be endured if one’s inner monster is revealed to the world. Mr. Hyde himself is a monster that is kept inside until Dr. Jekyll wants to express his desires and experience the thrills of life without having to feel the guilt of being self-centered, careless and reckless. This is illustrated in the book, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when Mr. Hyde ran out of potion to turn back into Dr. Jekyll and disguises himself after trampling a little girl in the midst of his rage and chaos. As a monster he still felt remorse and knew that he needed to pay his dues and make up for the hurt his recklessness had caused. He decided to payback his deeds being disguised as Dr.Jekyll by giving an annoymous check to the family of the little girl that was hurt. Later some remaining potion was found and Mr. Hyde was able to take the potion one last time and transform back into Dr. Jekyll for good. After his transformation back into Dr. Jekyll, he realizes that he enjoyed being the unleashed monster of Mr. Hyde and knew he would miss that part of himself having to stay in the body of Dr. Jekyll permanently. Mr. Hyde is an excellent example of the dual personalities that lies within each of us, as we all have a part of ourselves that is private and only a few trusted people see, and then there is the side of person that the world is allowed to see, which is only a shadow of who they are until you get to know a person or take “the potion” metaphorically speaking and see them for who they truly are. This research has shown me that we all have