Conformity In Jekyll And Hyde

If not for the medically inspired separation of the two parts of Dr. Jekyll’s whole, this novella by Robert Louis Stevenson might only be the sad tale of a man who is forced, by society and societal morals, to be a man he never wanted to be. Much like Mary Shelley’s monster of Frankenstein, Mr. Hyde is a by-product of society, but, in this case, he is also a by-product of the suppression of self, frequently based on moral and religious beliefs. Mr. Hyde is a reflection of the inner self we sometimes hide and he reveals the reasons that inner self is frequently concealed. At times he is only one part of the influential and respected doctor, but at other times, he seems to be the only remaining survivor of the psychological pair. Mr. Hyde is an example of the conflict caused by conformity and an example of the scarring it may cause. By exerting intense pressure on himself to be the most successful man he can be, Jekyll circumvents his true nature so completely that, eventually, it must fight to be free. Rebelling against its …show more content…
Hyde side of him so warped from the higher standards of the Dr. Jekyll side that the two will never be able to coexist, Jekyll develops an understanding that “man is not truly one, but truly two” (1709). With this idea, as well as new advances in medicine and science, he, like Frankenstein, creates a “monster” of his own. Like the lawyer his father wishes him to be (“Robert Louis Stevenson” 1676), Stevenson creates the main character, if that is what Dr. Jekyll truly may be, with a broad brush of respectability. He gives the unhealthy and unnerving alter ego the questionable role of certain evil and immorality (Stevenson 1677-1719), giving face and form to the distaste his father felt towards the choices made by his son. Stevenson, like Jekyll, shakes “the prison-house” of his disposition, and sets free the man he truly wishes to be (“Robert Louis Stevenson”