Dr. Jekyll’s Progression from Sinister to Evil

Author’s Note: Since the beginning of this novel, I have been greatly drawn into the level of sinister qualities that are driving many of the characters, and even more so the progression across the fine line of good or evil, furthermore, the increasing imagery of boundaries being drawn to separate those who have been indulged by the devil. Thus, I come to offer an analysis of the actions of Dr. Henry Jekyll in his progression on this journey of what is good and what is evil.

We all love a little evil and a little sinister in entertainment, it makes life a little more interesting and fun. But too often is the very fine line between something that is sinister yet good and that of pure and whole evil misinterpreted. Until now, I always associated them as one in the same but the truth is that they are in fact quite different. This difference is clearly represented by Dr. Henry Jekyll’s progression of sinister actions yet good to the wholly evil temperament that will inevitably lead not only to his demise but the demise of many others.

Upon my first encounter with Dr. Jekyll’s character during the youth of this engaging tale, I was be founded by his brilliant appeal and great intelligent and intellectual charisma. It seemed that a man that associates himself with those whom are “all intelligent, reputable men” (56), much like himself no doubt could be tainted by anything less than the most pure of intentions. Alas, with great power comes great responsibility and when one is tainted by the power just a tad more so than the responsibility, the result can be a breaching run across the moral line into the depths of evil. Many great men throughout history have been corrupted by their ability and power and Dr. Jekyll is no especially when it comes to his incredibly unordinary relation with the murder Mr. Hyde. While in trying to deny his evil actions and seek riddance of his relation to Mr. Hyde, as he promises to Mr. Utterson that he "will never set eyes on him again" (52). Repentance to his sins, no doubt was the impression that had been made in my mind, and with good reason. It would seem only natural that someone of Dr. Jekyll's great intellect and repertoire would seek immediate estrangement from a man of such evil despite the connection between them. I mean when someone commits and act as malicious as murder, there is no doubt that an action must be made against him. However, Dr. Jekyll having such a connection to Mr. Hyde once again instead of doing what is right, he does what is easy.

As the reading proceeds, Dr. Jekyll becomes very separated from the rest of his society claiming to be in an ill state, and thus refuses guests because it would be, "quite impossible" (60). However, upon further inquiry at Dr. Jekyll's residence, the proof that the good doctor is indeed no longer of good but instead of evil comes screaming into evidence. Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield had caught a glimpse of the man that Dr. Jekyll had sworn to never set eyes on again and "that glimpse had been sufficient" (61). The moment Dr, Jekyll broke his vow to never set eyes on Mr. Hyde again, the moment he allowed Mr. Hyde to cross the threshold into his residence, the moment that Dr. Jekyll began to live a lie was the moment that the progression from sinister but good came to a screaming entry into evil and now Satan's mark will forever lie on Dr. Jekyll. It is indeed a great transgression to lie to friends such as Mr. Utterson but it is a transgression more to allow the figure of the Devil himself to seek refuge in one's home. Dr. Jekyll who was overtaken by what was easy will no forever be doomed by a life at the hand of Satan.

The Motive of the Will

Author's Note: When reading chapter two of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I couldn't help but make a connection to the legality and lawyerly attributes that went along with the will -- it made me want to look closer at the reaction of Mr. Utterson and the decisions made by Dr. Jekyll in regards to the mysterious document. Alas, you have my analysis of the Motive of the Will. Enjoy.

What is a will? Is it recognition that one matter enough in another’s life to be listed in such a document or is it simply a monetary transaction between two parties granting one great benefit at another’s great loss, or better yet is it trust and free will being rewarded after time? One can only speculate as once they figure out that they have been written into a will, the answer is already six feet under. However when it comes to the last will and testament an answer lies in the hands of a third party, bound by the law to execute the will to its full extent.

Somewhere, a lawyer sits in an office reviewing every last detail on an eight and a half by fourteen page. As he sits he reconciles how that document came to be. Mr. Utterson, a character and lawyer in Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, does just this but instead of letting it collect dust in his safe, he inquires further and furthermore to find the motive of the will, "[he] sat down with a clouded brow to study its contents" (45). Mr. Utterson clearly has no desire to execute this document when it becomes necessary for his friend has in his mind committed a disloyalty. Against every shred and whimper of lawyerly and friendly advice that Utterson had put forward, his dear friend Dr. Jekyll saw fit to disregard all of it causing Mr. Utterson to have, "refused to lend the least assistance in the making of it" (46). As a dear friend, Mr. Utterson has no choice to be offended and possibly insulted – he is a man of intelligence and intellect and a man of good and to be simply dismissed is absolutely unheard of. Dr. Jekyll obviously is conducting his will as an order of business, a monetary transaction between two parties. The motive of the will has been uncovered but Mr. Utterson is not satisfied, and with good reason, being a man of knowledge that he is, he has no choice but to address the head of the snake and so he goes to the good Dr. Jekyll in hopes to reveal the reason to the motive. However a distrust of such a degree is not to flee so quickly and it will pay its toll on their friendship in time.

Meeting the Governor

Typing away, shuffling from paper to paper, glancing at the clock...I was entering challenged to recall petitions against Governor Walker. There were eight of us in a small room laptops on our laps as the stack of papers continued to get higher and higher. While there were only eight of us trusted to actually enter the challenged into the computers for the lawyers to review, there was a good 200 more showing their support towards the governor going through packets upon packets flagging down fraudulent signatures. Our enthusiasm was through the roof as we knew that we were making a difference in making sure that justice was done -- while there may be a recall election, we were prepared to take the time to ensure that the opposition sees that we will not buckle but rise to the challenge. Consumed in our work we took little notice when Mrs. Walker entered the building and past our room but moments later we were taken by surprise when Ethan called into us, "Look who's coming in the door! Look! Look!"

I jumped up and run out to the entry way thinking to myself, "It can't be, no, the governor can't be here," oh but he was. Walking casually through the door jeans and tennis shoes. He stopped thanking each of us and shaking our hands, allowing those who wanted a picture, to take as many as we wanted with him before proceeding into the warehouse to address the 200 more volunteers. When he spoke, you knew he was a true leader, he stood tall and spoke with pride: pride of the State, pride for the people, and pride for us who have stood by his side. He has gone through a lot but he said it didn't matter as long as Wisconsin remains on the right track, as long as Wisconsin remains "Open for Business".

It was an honor to be able to meet a man of his great character and great leadership. I know how ever this turns out that our party and our state will have been better under his leadership than without and I am proud to say the I Stand with Governor Walker!

The Blood, Oh The Blood

The man gazed down, his hands were covered with blood, the deepest scarlet blood he had ever seen. It spilled across his hands, coat, and pants, but he couldn’t remember where it had come from. He knew something had happened, something so dreadful that he didn’t ever want to know what it was. Then he heard the gasps from the nosy old ladies on the corner and the runners out on their mid-morning jogs stopping in their tracks eyeing the blood, oh the blood, the stained red sticky blood. Suddenly the splitting pitch of a police siren swarmed the air like a speaker on high in a tiny, tiny room. Not knowing what to do he ran so fast his fist clenched his bulky chest as he gasped for breathe to loosen the horrific tightness binding his chest, but cease did he not, not stopping for anything or anyone.

Upon running several blocks without stop, the man noticed the eyes that followed him at every corner. The blood, oh the blood, he had to get rid of the blood, it seemed like Satan's fingerprint on his very body slowly drying to a deep reddish brown. He soon slipped into a public loo, tore off his stained coat and thrust his hands into the sink under a stream of hot water. Lathering his hands in soap he scrubbed and scrubbed but the blood, oh the blood, simply wouldn’t budge. For what seemed like hours he scrubbed, nearly pulling flesh from bone but even then the blood remained a deep scarlet stain on his hands.

The man recurrently wandered into thought, and subsequently failed to recall any memory of the occurrence. As hard as he tried he could not summon the memory from deep inside his mind. The unknowing of the unspeakable occurrence worried him exceptionally so. He was sure it was a mental blockade preventing recollection of the occurrence, for all he knew, for all he thought he knew was that it was terrible, so terrible that he would even go as far as saying it was as bad as the deep scarlet blood that stained his very skin. The memory of standing alone with his daughter wrapped tight in his arms with a deep look of discontent flooding her eyes remained imprisoned in his mind but beyond that was a black abyss of empty space. Surely it couldn't be...No it was impossible, his daughter was fine. In fact, she was probably waiting for him this very minute. Disgusted at himself for even entertaining the thought of such a terrible thing, the man turned his wrath back to the scarlet blood staining his hands and continued.

After cleaning himself to the best of his ability, although some of the deep scarlet blood remained stained on his body, he proceeded at a brisk walk across the cobbled street and back the way he came walking deeper and deeper into the city and towards the crisp blue ocean. Not knowing whether it would be in his best interest to simply return home or to return to the place of the occurrence, the man decided that neither the latter nor the first would suffice at the present and instead decided to remain walking as he attempted to penetrate deeper into his mind.

Upon achieving little success due to no lack of effort, the man decided that despite his conscious strenuous objection, he must return to the site of the occurrence, he must return to the blood…

An Excerpt From a Short Story

It was a crisp October afternoon, a perfect fall temperature with a cool breeze whisked in his face, the subtle scent of salt reminded him he was in Boston, if the cobbled stone path and brown bricked colonial buildings of the university failed to do so. As he walked across the cobble pathway, he smiled as he observed the brilliant fall colors in the yard. He was a man of no more than fifty and his once dark brown has was starting to fade to gray. With a swift flick of his arm he glanced down at his platinum and gold Rolex watch, it was three after three. He was now running late for a very important cocktail, hastening his stride he nearly collided with a student on his way to class. After exchanging apologies, he continued on his path away from the ever so boring business meeting he barely heard a word of due to his great distraction. In a few moments time he was met by the end of the campus, as he crossed under the gate emblazed with an H and the university crest his black Mercedes came into sight. Climbing into his car, he was met by the instantaneous low rumble of the German engine. It was now 3:13 according to his Rolex, "Seventeen minutes, I can't be late."

A Tribute to Steve Jobs

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Apple Inc.

These words were first used in a commercial that Steve Jobs had made for the original Apple. After his untimely passing this Wednesday, we have come to appreciate all Mr. Jobs has done for society, he was the Einstein of our time. Mr. Jobs is the best example of the American Dream I can think of as he went from nothing to everything simply by following his dreams. He was determined and passionate and fought on to achieve his full potential. By doing what he loved not only did he satisfy himself, but he also did wonders for this world. From the original iPods that revolutionized musical entertainment as we know it to the iPhone that has forever changed wireless connection and communication, we are indebted to Mr. Jobs and his American Dream. It is unfair that someone as great as he has meet his fate at such a young age but always remember his great ideologies. He knew that life was unpredictable and that we must make the best of it no matter what. He made this statement during a Commencement Address made at Stanford University, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. … Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” Our hearts go out to the Jobs family and Apple Inc. for the loss of this great man. We will always remember the joy he brought to all of us. Steve Jobs may you forever rest in peace.

Goodbye Homecoming Number One!

Well Homecoming Week has finally come to a close; why such a negative attitude about such a fun week you may ask? The answer to that my dear friend, is that "one man's fun is another's hell." All of that pomp and circumstance that goes on over those seven long days is put together by yours truly, along with the PHS Student Senate of course. And never before, has more time been spent in Mrs. Fogerty's room, running in and out of her room in-between classes is not necessarily one of the most desirable things one can do, but none the less a job needed to get done and I was ready to do. Even though I did have the flu on Tuesday and felt like the living dead the whole week, I stood up proudly to the challenge. And in all reality I did have a nice time at the dance, that is when I wasn't sitting in the hallway on the floor exhausted talking to one of my sisters friends, yeah I'd say I had a pretty nice time. Well, one Homecoming down, and three more to go!