Monster Smack-down: Dracula versus Hyde - Book Report/Review Example

Monster Smack-down: Dracula vs. Hyde Literature of the late 1800s introduced some of the more fascinating monsters of the next century. These monsters, creatures such as Dracula from Bram Stoker’s novel of the same name written in 1897 and Mr. Hyde from Robert Louis Stephenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde published in 1886, were hideous not only because of their inhuman activities, but because of their ability to pass for common humans when they put their mind to it. Although one story details the ambitions of a vampire to gain a new populace to terrorize and the other details the sad results of an ill-advised experiment gone wrong, both of these stories focus on the ways in which the characters deviate from the expected social norms as evidence of their monstrosity. As can be seen in a comparison of these two characters, they are identified as monsters not only because of their behaviors, but also because their outward appearance does not meet up to the expected norms. While it is impossible for both characters to associate with normal human society as a result of these characteristics, it must be concluded that Dracula would win the prize of the more monstrous of the two. From his first introduction, Dracula as a character immediately stands out as an outsider to polite Victorian society. Harker focuses on purely physical terms, describing Dracula as having ruddy red lips that give him an “unexpected air of vitality” (Ch. 2), but the count’s breath is terrible enough to make Harker’s stomach churn with a queasy feeling. In this way, Stephenson brings a great deal of attention to the lips as an unusual feature in this character and something to be concerned about. Harker then refers to Dracula’s extremely pale complexion, his unusually pointy teeth which extend over his bottom lip and the icy cold touch of his hands. In commenting on the last, Harker also makes the startled observation that the fingernails on these hands have been manicured to resemble talons. All of these features differ from what is expected in polite society. The strangeness of them creates a sinister air rather than because of any action that is taken with them. As a consequence of this somewhat shocking physical appearance more than anything he actually does, Dracula is only just accepted into the fringes of English society. The evil in Mr. Hyde is similarly reflected upon his outer appearance. Because of the nature of Hyde’s appearance, this creation was left without any kind of conscience or other reason to restrain his actions and was thus free to commit any sort of evil he might choose to engage. The creature that emerges with the help of Dr. Jekyll’s potion appears as primitive to many people, even being referred to at one point as a troglodyte, even though he shares the same body as the good doctor. This appearance was not tempered any by Mr. Hyde’s habitual interaction with others. In an age when manners and comportment were of primary importance in determining the worth of the individual, Mr. Hyde made it a point to forego such niceties. As Mr. Enfield tells Mr. Utterson, “my man was a fellow that nobody could have to do with, a really damnable man; and the person that drew the cheque is the very pink of the proprieties, celebrated too, and (what makes it worse) one of your fellows who do what they call good” (6). This illustrates not only the evil of the man Mr. Hyde and the differences this change in attitude brings upon his physical countenance, but also the level to which manners and proper behavior were held sacred and the effect such a person might have upon the reputation and good-standing of the people they may come into contact with. In spite of his appearance, Dracula presents himself as a well-mannered country gentleman who can easily work his way into genteel company. His manner is described as ‘courtly’, ‘charming’ and ‘courteous.’ He knows the rules of hospitality as he provides his guest with a warm and comfortable luxury suite in which to stay and excellent meals to eat (Stoker, 1897: Ch. 2). He is ruled by his passions, though and has been cut off from his social circles because of his willingness, described as a battle fought long ago by a distant relation, to allow his friends to die in personal pursuit of his goals. Predictably enough, his goals now are to regain his former exalted social status, “I long . . . to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is. But alas!” (Ch. 2), expand his territory and wreak vengeance on those who took his glory from him. While he seems to blame this long-ago defeat as being the reason for his long separation from society, it is actually his strangeness that keeps him isolated from the social group. Although he expresses a desire to re-establish human connections within the appropriate social circles, he remains unable to do so because of his unwillingness to adapt to the expected social rank the English society is willing to concede. Unlike Dracula, Mr. Hyde’s evil is immediately apparent in his actions as well as his appearance as the talk of the town after he trampled a young girl in the street indicates. “It sounds like nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see. It wasn’t like a man, it was like some damned Juggernaut” (5). Regardless of what the respectable and good-hearted Dr. Jekyll might have felt about these actions, Hyde was capable of carrying them out without feeling any remorse or guilt. Hyde is also able to completely throw himself into his evil as this same incident illustrates, “And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot” (21). Mr. Hyde begins emerging in Dr. Jekyll’s sleep and, once released, this constrained evil bursts out in even greater force, this time committing murder. The details provided from the maid’s story indicate that “all of a sudden he [Mr. Hyde] broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman.  The old gentleman took a step back, with the air of one very much surprised and a trifle hurt; and at that Mr. 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, under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway” (Ch. 4). Hyde cannot hide in society because he is completely incapable of blending in even to the degree Dracula is able to reach. Each of these creations has his own set of strengths and weaknesses. Dracula gains his strength by feeding on the blood of humans. As he is described in the book, he has the ability to turn into a bat or to transport himself as a mist. Harker describes the way that he can climb the sheer vertical face of a wall and the arrival of the ghost ship discharges only one living passenger in the form of a great black dog that was seen running in the night. He is capable of killing in a moment by sucking all of the blood out of his victim, or of doing it slowly, converting the victim into another vampire. Against these amazing abilities, there are a number of limitations that Dracula must overcome in order to pursue his ambitions. For example, Dracula must spend a part of each day immersed in Transylvanian soil. He is also weakened by the sunlight. It is assumed that this is because the sun is not as bright in his homeland as it is in England but also symbolizes his exclusion from any chance of redemption. In matter of fact, both England and Transylvania (a region within Romania) have temperate climates, but Transylvania actually averages higher temperatures in the summer and less rainfall, thus a greater quantity of sunny days. Another characteristic of the vampire that must be considered is his weakness for women, which may also be considered a strength. He is quickly and easily distracted in his pursuit of a woman, but he is able to charm them into doing just what he wants them to do. Although Dr. Jekyll struggles to contain the evil nature within himself, Hyde’s freedom and guiltlessness prove impossible to control. At no point does Hyde stop to consider the consequences or be concerned about the niceties of society. He takes what he wants, immediately and physically expresses his rage and moves on. Dr. Jekyll is able to gain some control over the creature by stopping the potion, but Mr. Hyde eventually emerges even during the day. Although Hyde has fewer physical limitations than Dracula, he remains limited by the internal goodness of Dr. Jekyll and by his heedless approach. In pitting these two creatures against each other, it seems clear that Dracula would be the victor. If Hyde were willing to consider his actions, he might be able to defeat the vampire by attacking during the day and using his supreme strength to tear the vampire apart, but he is no match for the smooth and behind-the-scenes trickiness of Dracula. When both are at full power, Dracula would still be able to turn himself into mist or another creature to avoid Hyde’s blows and then attack from behind, draining Hyde of blood before Hyde could properly react. Works Cited Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York: Bantam Classics, 1982. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Penguin Popular Classics, 2007. Read More

In an age when manners and comportment were of primary importance in determining the worth of the individual, Mr. Hyde made it a point to forego such niceties. As Mr. Enfield tells Mr. Utterson, “my man was a fellow that nobody could have to do with, a really damnable man; and the person that drew the cheque is the very pink of the proprieties, celebrated too, and (what makes it worse) one of your fellows who do what they call good” (6). This illustrates not only the evil of the man Mr. Hyde and the differences this change in attitude brings upon his physical countenance, but also the level to which manners and proper behavior were held sacred and the effect such a person might have upon the reputation and good-standing of the people they may come into contact with.

In spite of his appearance, Dracula presents himself as a well-mannered country gentleman who can easily work his way into genteel company. His manner is described as ‘courtly’, ‘charming’ and ‘courteous.’ He knows the rules of hospitality as he provides his guest with a warm and comfortable luxury suite in which to stay and excellent meals to eat (Stoker, 1897: Ch. 2). He is ruled by his passions, though and has been cut off from his social circles because of his willingness, described as a battle fought long ago by a distant relation, to allow his friends to die in personal pursuit of his goals.

Predictably enough, his goals now are to regain his former exalted social status, “I long . . . to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is. But alas!” (Ch. 2), expand his territory and wreak vengeance on those who took his glory from him. While he seems to blame this long-ago defeat as being the reason for his long separation from society, it is actually his strangeness that keeps him isolated from the social group.

Although he expresses a desire to re-establish human connections within the appropriate social circles, he remains unable to do so because of his unwillingness to adapt to the expected social rank the English society is willing to concede. Unlike Dracula, Mr. Hyde’s evil is immediately apparent in his actions as well as his appearance as the talk of the town after he trampled a young girl in the street indicates. “It sounds like nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see. It wasn’t like a man, it was like some damned Juggernaut” (5).

Regardless of what the respectable and good-hearted Dr. Jekyll might have felt about these actions, Hyde was capable of carrying them out without feeling any remorse or guilt. Hyde is also able to completely throw himself into his evil as this same incident illustrates, “And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot” (21). Mr. Hyde begins emerging in Dr. Jekyll’s sleep and, once released, this constrained evil bursts out in even greater force, this time committing murder.

The details provided from the maid’s story indicate that “all of a sudden he [Mr. Hyde] broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman.  The old gentleman took a step back, with the air of one very much surprised and a trifle hurt; and at that Mr. 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, under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway” (Ch. 4). Hyde cannot hide in society because he is completely incapable of blending in even to the degree Dracula is able to reach.

Each of these creations has his own set of strengths and weaknesses. Dracula gains his strength by feeding on the blood of humans. As he is described in the book, he has the ability to turn into a bat or to transport himself as a mist. Harker describes the way that he can climb the sheer vertical face of a wall and the arrival of the ghost ship discharges only one living passenger in the form of a great black dog that was seen running in the night.

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