A well known Greek god, Narcissus, is famous for fawning over the immense beauty of himself. Narcissus became overly obsessed with his outward appearance, and lost sight of all aspirations. Ultimately, this compulsion resulted in isolation and loss of life. Likewise, several characters in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, suffer from similar dilemmas. The overall personas of Utterson, Hyde, and Jekyll are very incompatible; however, all three men suffer from varied addictions. Addiction plays a dominant role in all that the men do and gradually overcome their lives. Throughout the course of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson exhibits the theme of addiction by attributing each character a varied dependency. Mr.
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Utterson, Dr. Henry Jekyll does not take responsibility for an unlawful experiment conducted, but rather he embraces it and suffers the consequences. The predicament Jekyll involves himself with began exclusively as a science experiment. The astute doctor believed "that man was not truly one, but truly two"(Stevenson 62). With this assumption, Dr. Jekyll then creates a potion which proves science wrong stating that two, or more, beings populate one body. However, once the potion was consumed, Henry Jekyll took on the form of another man. Henry became fixated on this younger more agile version of himself. The doctor "felt younger, lighter, happier in the body" he knew that this version of himself was "more wicked" than his prior self, but Jekyll embraced it (Stevenson 64). At that moment, Dr. Jekyll knew the risk he was taking; however, felt no remorse or hesitation. The doctor even goes as far as telling his close friend, Utterson, he has the authority to "be rid of Mr. Hyde" (Stevenson 22). However, those who are addicted do not have the jurisdiction to end their cycle of dependency. Eventually, Jekyll realizes that he himself will be punished for the actions Hyde has taken because Hyde is a part of his body. The addiction never subsides; therefore, Jekyll turns to suicide to end his life alongside of the victorious
Utterson, Dr. Henry Jekyll does not take responsibility for an unlawful experiment conducted, but rather he embraces it and suffers the consequences. The predicament Jekyll involves himself with began exclusively as a science experiment. The astute doctor believed "that man was not truly one, but truly two"(Stevenson 62). With this assumption, Dr. Jekyll then creates a potion which proves science wrong stating that two, or more, beings populate one body. However, once the potion was consumed, Henry Jekyll took on the form of another man. Henry became fixated on this younger more agile version of himself. The doctor "felt younger, lighter, happier in the body" he knew that this version of himself was "more wicked" than his prior self, but Jekyll embraced it (Stevenson 64). At that moment, Dr. Jekyll knew the risk he was taking; however, felt no remorse or hesitation. The doctor even goes as far as telling his close friend, Utterson, he has the authority to "be rid of Mr. Hyde" (Stevenson 22). However, those who are addicted do not have the jurisdiction to end their cycle of dependency. Eventually, Jekyll realizes that he himself will be punished for the actions Hyde has taken because Hyde is a part of his body. The addiction never subsides; therefore, Jekyll turns to suicide to end his life alongside of the victorious