Dr. Jekylls Attractions and Fear towards Mr. Hyde - Essay Example

Dr. Jekyll vs Mr. HydeDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde not only differed in their personality characteristics like most people do, but they were also very different from each other in the looks. In character, Dr. Jekyll is a gentleman who is respected in the society and cannot be expected to be involved in violent activities, Mr. Hyde, on the other hand, is a downright criminal. In looks, Dr. Jekyll is taller, older and less hairy as compared to Mr. Hyde. However, in nature, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are alike.

In fact, Mr. Hyde is what Dr. Jekyll aspires to be. This can be estimated from the fact that Dr. Jekyll himself confesses that while drinking the potion, he was driven by his urges of pride rather than nobility. Had he had noble intentions while drinking the potion, he would have transformed into an angel, but since his motives were impure, he attained the self of Mr. Hyde. The dominance of Mr. Hyde in the novel opens new aspects of debate. Having read the novel, one thinks of human nature as an amoral primitive thing that is made to look civilized by the constraints imposed by the society but in reality, human nature is always the same and evil with primitive desires of lust, anger and violence. Dr. Jekyll is actually just as evil as Mr.

Hyde in nature since he wants to break free of the constraints of the society to satiate his cravings for lust and violence. In fact, according to one point of view, Dr. Jekyll is even more evil than Mr. Hyde because first, he makes violence and then tries to cheat upon the society by turning back to his original self. In this capacity, Dr. Jekyll is a hypocrite. Dr. Jekyll’s attractions and fear towards Mr. HydeUpon transforming into Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll completely loses all ties with his original self in all respects.

He becomes a short, plump, hairy man who is younger than his real self. The transformed man has no resemblance with the original Dr. Jekyll. This happens to be the fundamental reason why the character of Mr. Hyde so attracts Dr. Jekyll. Being in the body of Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is able to make his wildest fantasies come true without having to compromise upon his real status in the society. This is because of the fact that the character of Mr. Hyde is governed by primitive wishes that include but are not limited to frivolousness, rage and lust.

It is fundamentally the darker side of the identity of Mr. Hyde that appeals to Dr. Jekyll. After doing all that he wanted to as Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll transforms into his original self in an attempt to escape the consequences of his actions. What scares Dr. Jekyll about Mr. Hyde is the possibility that he would lose control of the darker side within months of drinking the potion. This turns out to be true! The problem only occurs when all of a sudden, Dr. Jekyll is no more able to control Mr. Hyde.

In the end, it is Mr. Hyde who survives and Dr. Jekyll is gone.