DR. JEKYLL AND MR HYDE – ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

Dr Jekyll and Bay Hyde

MY COMMENTS :

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the work tells the story of the extraordinary adventures of the main character, lawyer Utterson, and Henry Jekyll.

Although the main character directly narrates the events in the work, Henry Jekyll and Mr. Hyde can be considered as two separate main characters who share the real message that is intended to be given in the work. As it is revealed at the end of the work, in fact, the good and bad sides of man are expressed to the reader as two separate bodies, one side is Mr. Hyde, who disgusts everyone with his short and evil side. The other is Henry Jekyll, a respected doctor, whose goodness has won everyone's love throughout his life. Although Jekyll succeeded in his work to have the good and bad sides of man find a separate body, after a while, as mentioned in the quotes, he tried to make a lot of effort to return to his old self because he lost control to his evil side.

When he became Mr. Hyde, he found himself doing evil unintentionally, so he killed his beloved doctor friend when he went to him to ask for help, and then he retreated into seclusion as Henry Jekyll for a long time in order to disappear. However, since these changes started to be more involuntary than before, the main character, who woke up in the mornings and saw that he was Mr. Hyde again and saw that it was impossible to recover, after a while, he left his life to his best friend Utterson by letter.

At the beginning of the work, Utterson tries to get his friend to tell him why he named Mr. Hyde as his heir and whether he forced him, but Jekyll tells his friend, " Believe me, he is in no position to harm me ", but before committing suicide, he changes his mind and leaves all his property to his lawyer friend.

As can be seen, although the work appears as a fantasy novel, it frequently uses symbolism to give the same person two bodies in order to show the good and evil within a person more concretely to the reader. Therefore, it definitely contains important sections about the ongoing battle between good and evil within a person, and it is recommended to read the doctor's statements in the quotations section.

In conclusion, the work can be considered among the modern classics that deserve to be read with its extraordinary plot that can attract the attention of people of all ages.

MY QUOTATIONS(*) :

1. " I am very sensitive about asking questions ," he replied, " there are many similarities between asking questions and the Day of Judgment. Asking questions is like moving a rock . I stick to my principle: " When someone is in a difficult situation, don't ask him too many questions ."

2. What made me what I am was not the lessening of my faults but the forcefulness of my passions; and this caused the worlds of good and evil, which divide and unite the twofold nature of man, to open in me a gulf deeper than that of most men.

3. With each passing day, I came closer and closer to the truth that I had partially discovered, that I was doomed to become a terrible wreck in both the moral and intellectual aspects of my mind: In fact, human beings had not one but two selves. If I say two, it is because my knowledge is sufficient for now.

4. The evil side of my nature, to which I had now transferred the power of shaping, was not so vigorous and developed as the good side which I had just overthrown. After all, nine-tenths of my life had been spent in toil, in the endeavor to be virtuous and to subdue my desires, and my evil side had lain dormant and was not so much battered. This, I think, is why Edward Hyde was so much smaller, thinner, and younger than Henry Jekyll. While the one's face was bright with kindness, the other's face was full of evil.

5. What I mean is, everything seemed to come down to this: My original and good side was slowly disappearing from my hands, and I was slowly becoming one with my second and bad side.

MY EVALUATIONS:

Subject : The work tells the story of the extraordinary adventures of the main character, lawyer Utterson, and Henry Jekyll.

Style: The author has managed to convey the plot to the reader with a plain and simple narration from the beginning of the work. Since the description is given to the extent it should be, there is no stagnation in the narration for the reader.

Originality : The work clearly shows that it is among the original books in terms of its nature and subject matter.

Character : The character scheme in the work consists of 2 main characters and 2 supporting characters. Therefore, the character scheme is at a sufficient level for the plot and the messages to be given and is in sufficient numbers that will not make it difficult for the reader to remember.

Fluency : Considering the other criteria above, it can be said that the work becomes a gripping story with a fluent narrative, especially towards the end. However, it is necessary to mention the presence of static parts in the initial stages according to the subject.

General : In the evaluation made out of 10 according to the criteria stated above:

Subject: 8

Style: 8

Originality: 8.5

Characters: 8

Fluency: 7

The overall average of the work, which received 8 points, is 7.9 points . Considering that the work has almost reached the 8-point threshold, it can be said that it is one of the books that should be examined, especially for readers who like fantasy-themed novels, in terms of its subject and the messages it conveys.

(*) : All parts under the title My Quotations:

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

Author : Robert Louis Stevenson

Publisher : Türkiye İş Bankası Culture Publications

Edition : 18th Edition – July 2023

The photo used on the cover was used as a quote from the book.