Jekyll and Hyde 2: Tokyo Drift In this essay, we’ll be analyzing how cultural shifts can affect the plot and characters of a story across adaptations. The differing depictions of characters born in Stevenson’s original novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, across adaptations and spinoffs have perfectly highlighted just how thoroughly cultural changes can alter a character. For the sake of organization, each key character will be analyzed separately at first and then analyzed as a whole to address my main point.
Our society has always had a bit of an obsession with evil. From demons to monsters to serial killers, our stories have always been haunted by these vile figures. But while these sorts of characters may be a bit frightening, they can’t shake us on a deep level. What sensible man is actually scared of the boogeyman, a figment of nightmares that cannot actually exist? No, what truly leads to fear is a more realistic and tangible character: The Corrupt Man. No character/s can better exemplify this archetype than Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll …show more content…
While further reading and research may contradict this, it doesn’t seem like Stevenson cared too much about including female characters. Today’s culture pushes writers to include more heroines in their work, but the term ‘feminism’ was scarcely coined in Stevenson’s day. By the time Mary Reilly is published, however, the ideology is a major sociopolitical force.
The eponymous character gives us a new lens to see the story fold out. Reilly’s account fleshes out details while remaining true to the original, allowing us to get a better understanding of other characters. While the other characters augmentations may be important, they aren’t as important as Mary Reilly herself. Seeing someone go from unnamed to the titular character makes for an interesting shift, and with such a change comes a lot to
Our society has always had a bit of an obsession with evil. From demons to monsters to serial killers, our stories have always been haunted by these vile figures. But while these sorts of characters may be a bit frightening, they can’t shake us on a deep level. What sensible man is actually scared of the boogeyman, a figment of nightmares that cannot actually exist? No, what truly leads to fear is a more realistic and tangible character: The Corrupt Man. No character/s can better exemplify this archetype than Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll …show more content…
While further reading and research may contradict this, it doesn’t seem like Stevenson cared too much about including female characters. Today’s culture pushes writers to include more heroines in their work, but the term ‘feminism’ was scarcely coined in Stevenson’s day. By the time Mary Reilly is published, however, the ideology is a major sociopolitical force.
The eponymous character gives us a new lens to see the story fold out. Reilly’s account fleshes out details while remaining true to the original, allowing us to get a better understanding of other characters. While the other characters augmentations may be important, they aren’t as important as Mary Reilly herself. Seeing someone go from unnamed to the titular character makes for an interesting shift, and with such a change comes a lot to