Home > Media > Books > Robert Louis Stevenson, Peter (RTL) Crowther, T. Ernesto Bethancourt, Anna Maria Hong - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Student Activity Book
Robert Louis Stevenson, Peter (RTL) Crowther, T. Ernesto Bethancourt, Anna Maria Hong - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Student Activity Book
Bruguru's Full Review: Robert Louis Stevenson, Peter (RTL) Crowther, T. E...
Dr. Henry Jekyll is a man obsessed. For he believes that as man progresses and becomes more and more civilized, yet within him still dwells a dark and ugly beast, an immoral and evil creature that threatens to rear it’s ugly head at any time. It is this beast that is responsible for the evil that men do. The only thing that keeps the beast in check is reason, the good aspect of all human beings that causes us to labor for the betterment of ourselves and for others. Thus, all human beings have a “dual nature”, and in each of us rages a constant battle between the two halves for preeminence.
But what if the evil could be exorcised, leaving only the good? What if man’s bestial nature could be defeated once and for all through the labors of science, perhaps the ultimate achievement of the good in man? One can only imagine the astounding feats mankind could then accomplish. It is to this very end that Dr. Henry Jekyll dedicates himself, though the fruits of his labors will sadly not be quite those he wishes for.
Dr. Jekyll is a respected and learned man, amongst his friends and amongst his professional colleagues. Intelligent, hardworking, amiable and benevolent, the good doctor would seem to be the last person one might expect to be associated with the repulsive Edward Hyde. Unpleasant to look upon, immediately repulsive, self centered and withdrawn, the enigmatic Mr. Hyde is the very antithesis of Dr. Jekyll. The two truly seem an incongruous pair.
And yet, a connection between the two becomes more and more apparent to the doctor’s friends, especially one Mr. Utterson, close confidant of Jekyll to whom the shocking truth of events will eventually all be revealed. Initially Utterson is perplexed by the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde, but eventually he begins to fear for the doctor’s safety. And with good reason, as a body is found in the streets and Hyde is seen as the likely murderer.
As the mystery begins to unravel, Utterson finds that Jekyll and Hyde are, incredible as it may seem, one and the same. As he struggles to deal with this dilemma, Utterson learns how Jekyll’s efforts to improve man went terribly wrong, and in the end destroyed the doctor completely.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is much more than a simple tale of an experiment gone terribly wrong. Indeed, the novel is a study of the very essence of Man, of his dual nature, of his potential for both good and evil. “Mr. Hyde” is, then, exactly what the name implies, the beast that we keep hidden within all of us. And yet that dark side is an inescapable part of every one of us, something Henry Jekyll unfortunately discovers to his dismay.
Stevenson also seems to be giving us a warning with his novel. As man advances in the ways of science, there is even more danger that the evil in man will destroy us. Much like Mr. Hyde, who callously runs down and crushes a child (the very symbol of innocence) in the street without a second thought. Could science run amok overrun the innocence of man in much the same fashion? Stevenson seems to imply this is a distinct possibility. After all, it is science that unleashes Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a very succinct work. At only seventy pages, it is direct and to the point. Although there is little room left here for character development, the work does not suffer for it. Mostly, this is because the symbolism’s the thing here. The brevity of the novel does lend it to reading in one sitting, allowing it to be enjoyed at once from beginning to end as one would a movie.
The lesson of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde applies to all of us. An entertaining read with relevance more than one hundred years after its initial publication, this is a novel that can be appreciated on many levels, including Stevenson’s beautiful prose. If you’ve not already read it, why not make it a point to do so? It is a read well worth the time spent.
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