Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Jaylen Hunter P.3 2/11/15
Prompt #1

The good and evil of man's character is shown throughout this novel. You can tell by reading this novel that it’s a story that contains a constant battle between good and falling into evil’s clutches.
In the novel Dr. Jekyll portrays the "good" character who is quite an ordinary person. “Well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a stylish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness." Dr. Jekyll usually recognizes right from wrong although his character tends to tempt into evil, Mr. Hyde. " After all, I reflected, I was like my neighbors; and then I smiled, comparing myself with other men, comparing my active goodwill" "I began to be aware of a change in the temper of my thoughts, a greater boldness, a contempt of danger, a solution of the bonds of obligation."
Mr. Hyde is pure evil. He loves to do evil deeds, no matter the consequences. Mr. Hyde is described by Mr. Jekyll as “holding images of terror, a soul boiling with cause less hatreds." These two characters start to collided more often than Dr. Jekyll likes. He begins to not like the terrible things Mr. Hyde has done and the person he is becoming. "A change had come over me. It was no longer the fear of the gallows; it was the horror of being Hyde that racked me." These characteristics displays to us that show the good and evil in man's nature through the internal battle between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Prompt #2

Dr. Jekyll's house and laboratory is physically situated as a symbolic significance in the novel. When reading the novel you can infer that the house and laboratory, hint to the characteristics of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Dr. Jekyll is a doctor who lives an ordinary life. His house is described similarly to how he’s described. His house is described as being "handsome house. Let in flats and chambers...wore great air of wealth and comfort." Throughout the novel Dr. Jekyll is described as being a handsome man and also he is a doctor which implies has a bunch of money. They main thing in the quote to pay attention to is the word "chambers", it implies that there is another living area in the house. On the flip side, Mr. Hyde is usually described as a dark, ugly and shady person. “There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing,something down-right detestable." “Rather, as there was something abnormal and misbegotten in the very essence... Something seizing, surprising and revolting." Mr. Hyde's house was described as being " dingy, windowless structure with curiosity, and gazed round with a distasteful sense of strangeness." You can see how the description of the houses of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde live in turn describes them. The importance of this is that the novel mentions that the houses are intertwined. “I saw Mr. Hyde go in by the old dissecting-room door." This quote indicates that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde might be the same person. With this info you can see the symbolic impacts of the house and laboratory in terms of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Prompt #4
Dr. Jekyll is the good one. He is described as, “Large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty […] with every mark of capacity and kindness" He's the quite type, but has the dream of discovering the mysteries of good and evil in a person. As he morphs into another person entirely, an evil person, Dr. Hyde, gets out of his control. He tries to find a way to control Hyde and isolates himself.
Mr. Hyde is the evil one. He has a hunched back, disgusting face, long, bony fingers, and traits like that. He’s also described as "timid yet bold." He is basically pure evil and has no morals. He does things without thinking, including beating a man to death.
Mr. Hyde’s name is also significant, as he is a hidden man and a split personality that Dr. Jekyll hides. Mr. Utterson notes the significance of the name in Chapter Two: "‘If he be Mr. Hyde,’ he had thought, ‘I shall be Mr. Seek.’" This shows that Dr. Hyde is the secretative dark side of Dr. Jekyll.

Prompt #7
Dr. Lanyon is described as a "hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely white, and a boisterous and undecided manner." He is a man of equal social stature to Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll. The three men have been friends since they were children.
Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll had a huge scientific disagreement, ten years before the book takes place, and their friendship is more respectful than friendly. Dr. Jekyll referred to Mr. Lanyon as "a hide-bound pendant", which we can imply that Jekyll is more balanced, scientific, and logical than his former friend.
Wondering about Lanyon’s death? Having just said that Lanyon is a man of science and a strong believer in logic, you can believe that it would be very difficult for this man to watch his best friend experience a bizarre transition from good to evil. This sight was difficult for Lanyon to believe. Rather than believe it, he dies.