Human Nature in Jekyll and Hyde

Robert Stevenson, in the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, portrays humans as complex creatures who have multiple dimensions. The novella tells the story of Dr. Jekyll, who has become fascinated by the duality of human nature and uses scientific knowledge to separate the "good" and "evil" in mankind. When pursuing his scientific experiments and validating his work, Jekyll claims, "man is not truly one, but truly two." Thus, in Jekyll's mind, every man contains elements of good and evil, but one is always dominant. Even though Jekyll portrays "good" and "evil" to be the two main concepts that divide mankind, the development of the novel establishes that man is not a dual being. Rather, man is an animalistic being who represses its savagery and that has become civilized based on the expectation that society has placed upon human beings.

The text shows the duality of human nature as its central theme and encourages us to ponder the properties of this theory. Jekyll asserts that all people share this battle between good and evil within their own subconsciousness. The dominion of the winning side proves apparent to the onlooker, thus confirming that one's actions are encouraged by a single forceful portion that characterizes the entire person. The evil represented by Hyde only makes up a portion of the entire person Jekyll has become. Evil, good, and many other qualities will ultimately be discovered to encompass the entire person. Jekyll and his experiments prove that our existence has two parts--one good and one evil. This story proves a timeless representation of the struggle felt within every individual between one's good side versus one's bad side. Any person can reflect upon this story to be reminded of the role an evil side can play, and therefore, prevent it from dominating one's inner self. If we allow the evil to overcome the power of control, we will in the end be destroyed. Therefore, it is important to never openly exhibit our evil beings.