We have unfortunately come to terms with the evil that is committed in The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. While alcohol is considered a sin because it pulls a person further and further from consciousness, Henry Jekyll seems to have the same effect with this rather say “drug.” Many actual-life occurrences can be associated to this book to explain Henry Jekyll’s experience, yet Dr. Jekyll is a man who was encouraged to do evil by his “concoction.” As I comprehended it, Mr. Hyde embodied the damaging impact of illicit substances on human beings; given his “detestable” appearance and inhuman characteristics, we can see that he is the contradiction of Dr. Jekyll and, therefore, the result of stealing someone’s identity as well as a well-known case in the Victorian Era; Manic Depressive Psychosis, which is known for its delusional and hallucinative patients. Henry Jekyll, was the other side of which was enslaved to this drug in order to escape his “unhappy” lifestyle.
“Man is not truly one, but truly two.” (Pg 67)
Despite being a brief quotation, this captures the logic of the narrative in its entirety. In order to separate the two within him, Dr. Jekyll need the support of the potion. Though, from my viewpoint, Henry ultimately regretted the drug abuse he had committed on his body, hence the end where he gives up fighting to be his best self. The numerous “Imaginary elements” aim to blur the lines of the story’s true meaning, causing it to be an exercise in deception. If you didn’t appreciate Stevenson’s writing, it’s highly possible that you wouldn’t succeed in identifying the true elements. Stevenson himself experienced duality from an early age; his medical and mental illnesses prevented him from ever being a child. It is reported that in 1886, he was taking medicinal cocaine when he wrote this narrative, which gave rise to its two central characters, Jekyll and Hyde, who had originated from a recurring nightmere. Though the story is focused around its supernatural abilities and story-line, it’s a cover up for its true meaning.