Frankenstein And Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde example essay topic

Both stories of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tell tales of corrupt scientists that abuse their power to create evil creatures. Through Frankenstein's creation there is a creature created that is far from Frankenstein in character while in Stevenson's creation Dr. Jekyll is a reflection of Mr. Hyde. He transforms into Mr. Hyde with his secret poison and becomes more violent as the story progresses. Both creatures are the reflection of the repressed feelings and desires of their creator in an oppressive society.

Shelley and Stevenson wrap their stories around two men whose mental and physical actions parallel one another. Dr. Jekyll and Frankenstein are scientists who seem welcomed by society but often estrange themselves. Each create an alter ego for himself to live out his unconventional passions, Hyde for Jekyll and the Creature for Frankenstein. Dr. Jekyll creates his creature with the intention for evil and Frankenstein with his creation constructs him with the idea of building a supreme being.

Frankenstein's original reasons for creating life from dead parts are not necessarily evil. He wants to help mankind overcome death and diseases. But when he reaches the goal of his efforts and sees his creature and its ugliness, he turns away from it and flees the horror of what he has created. While he was in the process of shaping his creation, Frankenstein is so caught up in his work and his yearning to be remembered for all time that he does not consider the consequences of creating another being and what will happen after life is given to this being. When his creation comes to life, he refuses to accept his responsibility as the creator to his creation. He does not care for it, shelter it, and provide it with food, love, or affection.

Eventually all the monster wants from the doctor is a companion like himself. Frankenstein even refuses to accept the liability of providing a source of companionship for the creation since he does not allow for any correlation between himself and the creature he has created. To the monster Frankenstein is a father figure, he is after all his creator and when he left him, he felt neglected and deserted, not knowing how to take care of himself. So he left not knowing where he would go or how he would survive. This in turn angered him greatly which resulted in his madness and violence. "I am full of fears, for if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world forever" (Shelley 987).

Apart from his horrible appearance, the Monster appears to be an almost perfect creation, who is often more human than humans themselves. He seems to be somewhat kind, intelligent and cultured. The only reason for his utter failure is his repulsive appearance. However, the monster was full of sorrow, and cursed his creator. Frankenstein goes back on his word and destroys the companion that he had promised to create for his monster, which angered the monster greatly. "You have destroyed the work which you began; what is it that you intend?

Do you dare to break your promise? I have endured toil and misery... I have endured incalculable fatigue, and cold, and hunger; do you dare destroy my hopes?" (Stevenson 1000). He was determined to gain revenge on Frankenstein, and with this, the creature continues a string of murders of Frankenstein's family. Frankenstein, having lost everyone he has ever loved, becomes determined to spend the rest of his life pursuing the monster he created. In Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a repressed man yet again introduces us to an evil creation.

Dr. Jekyll creates Mr. Hyde because he had a theory that man has a good side and a bad side. Dr. Jekyll developed a potion that could release the evil in a person in the form of a totally different person. Then this person could commit any evil act it wanted, and then drink the potion to return back to normal. Much like the creature created in Frankenstein, Mr. Hyde himself appears to be somewhat repulsive. "He was perfectly cool and made no resistance, but gave me one look, so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running" (Stevenson 40).

The reaction of others to him is one of horror because while looking at him, others feel a desire to strike out at him or kill him. His physical appearance brings out the worst evil in other people. "I never saw a circle of such hateful faces; and there was the man in the middle, with a kind of black, sneering coolness-frightened too, I could see that-but carrying it off, sir, really like Satan" (Stevenson 41). He's a deformed character who induces horror and disgust in those who come in contact with him. Since Hyde represents evil, he is symbolically represented as being much smaller than Dr. Jekyll.

Hyde becomes more violent as the story progresses. The first incident we encounter is when he tramples a girl in the street, but as the story progresses his violent nature grows out of control. One year after his first incident Hyde murders Sir Danvers Carew with his cane for no apparent reason, which happened to be witnessed by a maid. "Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth.

And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows... at the horror of these sights and sounds, the maid fainted" (Stevenson 60). The evil or Mr. Hyde eventually takes over both himself and Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll makes so many transformations from himself to Mr. Hyde that in the end he is unable to return entirely to himself. He drank this potion so many times he was no longer able to control this process. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the union exists in one body, and yet the struggle is heightened because both aspects of the character are equal in strength. Ultimately, Stevenson emphasizes it is Jekyll who holds the power of life or death over Hyde.

Hyde is aware of Jekyll's power to cut him off by suicide. It is the awareness of each for the other that confirms that neither can exist alone. Both creations turn more ferocious and more reactive to society. Although they followed similar paths, their motives seem somewhat different. Jekyll invented Hyde for a dive in which he could convey himself and put on display his evil mind.

Frankenstein assembled the Creature in order to create a supreme being. Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tell tales of corrupt scientists that abuse their power and intelligence to create malicious beings. Through Frankenstein's creation there is a creature created that very unlike his creator in character while in Stevenson's creation Mr. Hyde is an evil reflection of Dr. Jekyll himself. Both creatures are the reflection of the reserved feelings of their creators. Both creatures' mental and physical actions correspond to one another. Driven by ambition, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll accept the consequences of their actions and willingly sacrifice their own lives in order to correct their mistakes.

Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll's good intentions lie behind the monsters they create. The monster in Frankenstein is hideous and full of sorrow living in a world where he must accept a life of solitude. Dr. Jekyll isolates himself from society and all his close friends in order to pursue his scientific beliefs. The problem of evil that remained apparent in both creatures and their creators is that both must live with the consequences of their own actions.

Isolation and betrayal eventually led to countless acts of violence. Both stories question the morality of the characters, and the struggle between good and evil that seems to be apparent in both Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.