The world as we know it is constantly moving and changing; events occur that can affect people’s lives even if they are thousands of miles away. Whether or not these happenings are good or evil can shape one’s mindset and outlook on the actions they take themselves. Both have distinct strengths and weaknesses; however, the real question one must ask is which side of the spectrum is more capable of influencing humanity. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a wealthy and well-respected doctor by the name of Henry Jekyll, who believes that man is not one but two separate people, constructs a potion which unearths his inner evil (Mr. Edward Hyde), and in the end is engulfed by the strength of his malevolent persona. Adolf Hitler can be used as an example of this; his greed for the perfect Germany drove him to do things which are appalling to imagine. With the article being based off of Hitler, it debates, “Vice is the easy option, whereas virtue denotes difficulty and sweat. As the great Roman philosopher and dramatist Seneca wrote: 'Nature does not give a man virtue, the process of becoming a good man is an art.'” (Masters). Human beings are always searching for an easy way out. It can be applied to everyday life, taking an escalator rather than the stairs for example. When faced with the decision between good and evil, one is swayed towards evil simply because it is the easier decision to make. To be good and pure is to ignore impulses for revenge or selfish acts, which give one a sense of satisfaction and are hard to resist. It is a natural instinct to be bad, and one must work hard to escape the evil of their own self. Once somebody defeats the demons that lie inside of them, it is a whole other battle to face the evil that lay in front of them in their life. No matter where one may try to go, it is near impossible to escape the constant influence of bad people and bad things. No matter age, race, or sex, corrupt people are out there that can hurt and destroy. Evil is something that has the ability to spread like a wildfire, and affect all who crosses its path. In an ABC News article titled “‘Depraved’ Behavior in Ordinary Life”
Related Documents: Good vs Evil Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay
characters in Robert Louis Stevenson's novella Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Society represents the superego as the self-critical conscious. Dr. Jekyll's role is the ego, his presence is there to make a plan in order to satisfy the id. Mr. Hyde, being the id, is the primitive and instinctive component of personality and the impulsive part of our psyche. In this case the ego and superego crushed the desire to satisfy the id to a breaking point driving Dr. Jekyll to near madness.The id operates on the pleasure…
Narrative Criticism: “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “Greasy Lake” Studies in Literature Kathleen Lohr August 25, 2012 Prose Narrative Criticism While reading any composition of literature, the reader must address how they will connect with the text. To do this, the reader considers different forms of literary criticism. There are an abundance of approaches to literary criticism. For the purposes of looking at “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson and…
the demise of a heroic figure (a tragic hero) as a result of his struggle between desire for power and attempts to retain his integrity. Explain how Stephenson explores similar ideas/themes through the changing character of Dr Jekyll in “The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. Explain how many years apart the two texts were written, and what you think the main effect of the context of each text was on the overall meaning of it. Now you are going to write the main body of your essay, first exploring…