Jeykll and Hyde - Number Four

Authors Note

Throughout every chapter of this novella, biblical references from, specifically, the Our Father prayer, jumped out to me like nothing else did. Each word of the verse can directly vary in the mess Henry Jeykll brought upon himself.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name”. The gracious and holy man who created the world we live in today sees us as all great and wonderful people; he believes his children deserve a second chance under the conditions of the original sin. Dr. Jeykll, much like the lord, showed compassion and respect to men as if they could act as his brothers- exhibiting a positive label to this special name for so many people.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.  The sincerity Jeykll elutes as a holy, angelic beam of heavenly energy in comparison to the cynical, devious energy his own alter ego projected of him. The gentle half of this distorted man enlightened the people around him with the grace that heaven could even provide- explicating the initial polar duality of the two.

“Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”. While the world turned its back to old Henry Jeykll, causing him enough craze and dysfunction to perform such a task as to become another, he directed himself down a destiny of disoriented despair. Mr. Utterson held out his hand along the way to help find an answer to the madness he felt all around him. A serving of daily bread provides a stepping stone in order to achieve forgiveness; forgiveness of the sins Utterson sensed had occurred stirred his insides but other outcomes had a potential for positivity.

“And lead us not into temptation”.  Temptation circled Jeykll like a hawk until its unattainable annoyance lead to the resort of indulging pains, physical disarray, and an unstable mental outlook. The possibilities sparked his interest into the shoes of a new man, a new set of eyes, a new set of problems. Temptation intoxicated his body and brain both figuratively and literally, leaving his own life with an eternal sin as a price to pay.

“But deliver us from evil. Amen.”

Jeykll and Hyde - Number Three

 Authors Note

As overflowing layers of clothes may have disguised Hyde for a while, but his suspicions rode on. It was obvious that something was not right when he initially was wearing clothes far too big for him, and the men were starting to see straight through that. Eventually, when Hyde is transformed back into Jeykll, his clothes fit perfectly and they connected the baggy clothes with the transformation. My story expresses the idea that clothes are always just a shield and if they are a bit crazy, they usually have some meaning behind them.

            Weights around his neck keep his head hanging low. Loosely fitted clothing drags behind him makes even walking in a straight line a difficult task. A poncho type shirt enables the controlled movement of his arms, which connects throughout the rest of his body. This cloak of appearance creates an effect of distraction- the act of a shield. Layers and layers protect him- his mind, his ideas, and his thoughts that push and shove to break through his brain every moment of every day. A mask of manifestation brings him comfort; around his friends, he exhibits what they except, what they want. Behind the covers the drape his body is a regular person. The clothes cannot change who he is, they merely cover it, hide it even, to give off the impression he is so desperate to display.

Jeykll and Hyde - Number Two

Authors Note

The last paragraph in Chapter Seven highlighted one moment as “a glimpse for the window was instantly thrust down”. Mr. Utterson and Enfield caught themselves a glimpse of Hyde somewhere within the features of Jeykll. At this point, there was no possibility of innocence anymore. They finally realized that being a part of the will and Jeykll and now the dangers of Hyde was all a very cynical path they were leading themselves down. My very short, completely fictional creative piece I wrote expands the concept of these men realizing the evil they were now a part of and would always have to be from then on out.

And now he is yelling. He never yells. This is not even his voice; his voice is soft, respectful, fake at times almost. Now his eyes are wide, he allows his typically simple, self conscious face to a distorted mess of emotions. He never does this is front of me, ever. There has to be something better, I do not find joy here: My body shudders from the cold welcoming his presence generates; my stomach wrings our like a soaking wet towel never releasing its grip; voices scream back and forth from opposing sides of my brain- “You are so happy some of the time; happier than you’ve ever been”, “Why are you still here, you’re miserable.”

            A relationship of excitement and anticipation has intoxicated itself into a tumbling, crumbling array of unspoken words, stories, and secrets. Never again will my eyes light up with joy despite the situation, for now I see the darkness on the other side. Never again will I jump up and down with a sparkle in my eye like a little kid on Christmas morning running downstairs when I see his face; that tingle through my body has been replaced with shivers down my spine. Those tears of joy fogging my vision flushed away with a waterfall of desperation and uncertainty. The element of surprise had been demolished- hook line and sinker; the queasy feeling that lingers in the pit of your stomach you feel when you know a secret you are not supposed to know- that feeling. That moment when your little sibling tells you what is wrapped under the tree for you, and no matter how hard you try to forget or attempt to express that excited emotion when it is truly reveled, you cannot. Your reaction is written all over your misplaced, deformed assortment of the features on your face. This gentle, carefree soul my mind used to chase after is now haunting me from the inside out, and there is no way out. An assurance of his evil overthrew everything my brain once believed as his voice truly began to make my bones shake and my entire body tremble itself to a feeling somewhere between sick and numb- and I knew I could not leave. There is no way that leaving could be a possibility, he would never allow it. God forgive me, for I know I am not only unhappy, I am negatively enthralled in a life my heart can no longer live in.

Jeykll and Hyde - Number One

Authors note

So far throughout Jeykll and Hyde, I have been repeatedly seeing comparison and contrast between the two, explaining the familiar friend-feeling Utterson has around Jeykll, or even when he is alone, but the dark, mysterious sensation that arises once Hyde approaches the scene. The perfect opposites between the two worlds is even somewhat of exact parallel symmetry, which Stevenson has done a wonderful job so far, indirectly explaining.

Distinctive diversification between the characteristics of Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde demonstrate ultimately exact polar opposites through not only the obvious duality of their approach as people, but through their difference in presence, the enunciating scream of parallel structured universes. As clear as day can be, Jeykll presents himself in a light of positivity. The moment Mr. Hyde comes about, only Utterson, the one far more pure of the two, stands under only a lamp of light; enlightening his solitude and sobriety of the moment in comparison to the darkness Hyde supplies. While standing safely alone in the dead of night, “At last his patience was rewarded… the lamps, unshaken by any wind, drawing a regular pattern of light and shadow.” Once again in reference to Jeykll, the transition between the abominable traits he acquires, flashing in comparison to the dark alter-ego (of a good man) that Hyde possesses, mirror imagery and absolute opposition is highlighted or even more so, simply stated blankly within every sentence. Stevenson is spinning us as an audience into a trance between the chemistry and contradictory the men in this story illustrate; our minds have kept set on the purity and innocence of Dr. Jeykll but the sinister vibe that Mr. Hyde releases into the air through every opportunity that has come- while at the same time, every action, every move, every feature of this evil man reflects directly into a parallel figure that is Dr. Jeykll. The silhouette they each portray matches perfectly inside one another, giving an appeal that these men are not only complete opposites, but identical twins.