V. Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde are the characters created by the famous writers M. Shelly and R.L. Stevenson. These are deathless, and in some way, cult images familiar to many of those who are interested in world classical literature. Each of these fictional personalities is incomparable, individual, and inimitable by nature, as well as their image has a unique layering and diversity. The characters show their own vision of community based on specific properties of thinking, personal qualities, character, and temperament peculiar only to them. V. Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have a completely different and dissimilar vision of society and people.
For example, Frankenstein is not interested in public affairs; he has an indifferent, distant, and cold attitude towards community. The young Swiss scientist Frankenstein is smart, talented, and persistent, but at the same time, the man shows manic behavior concerning his “project.” Victor’s important goals are revealing his abilities to the fullest, pushing the familiar’s limits, and creating a new living organism, an unusual and special creature in its structure. The desire to make the planned ideas a reality absorbed the scientist’s mind so much that Frankenstein distanced himself from society. The man is used to working alone, isolating himself from all kinds of contacts and connections. Human, earthly problems are no longer interesting when a great discovery is at stake. Victor describes his condition as follows: “I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit” (Shelley 39). Consequently, having created an ugly monster, Frankenstein rejects the generally accepted norms, breaks the standards, and goes against society.
On the contrary, Dr. Jekyll is a respectable, honest, law-abiding, and trustworthy citizen from the point of view of public positions; he shows decency and honesty in his actions and deeds. Despite this, the man has his own hidden “skeleton in the closet” – this is his second facet of personality, Mr. Hyde, with whom they shared one body. Initially, the doctor aspires to become a part of society, but he needs to overcome a lot of difficulties and obstacles. Obviously, Jekyll wants to get rid of his wrong side, the “mistake” in his head, the “stain” that discredits his “clean” reputation. From the point of view of ethics and morality, Jekyll’s actions are justice and are more than natural and normal. The man shares the same social, moral values and principles and understands what is “bad” or “good.”
Nevertheless, if other people are mired in sins and dark deeds, the main character grieves and suffers more than them. Dr. Jekyll reflects on his “flaw” in the following manner: “If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also” (Stevenson 74). Eventually, he found a way to separate the personalities, but the result was devastating. Thus, Mr. Hyde, an evil, unpleasant, and disgusting-looking man, “rebelled.” Hence, a certain dilemma arises – on the one hand, the doctor accepts universal standards but at the same time rejects them and does not take them seriously. In the body of Jekyll, Hyde denies social principles, human norms and seeks to “swim against the current.” The author says about the hero: “he was out of spirits, he had grown very silent” (Stevenson 43). And now, he avoids contacts and does not want to make new acquaintances.
In conclusion, each person determines who to communicate with or, to avoid all kinds of contacts. Therefore, someone lives according to generally accepted societal norms, and someone deliberately wants to break and destroy them. Hence, Frankenstein is initially single and a man who leads a hermit lifestyle and does not adapt to society. Society and communication are uninteresting and boring to the man, and he fills all his “leisure” with experiments. On the other hand, Dr. Jekyll seems to be a decent and law-abiding citizen, respecting shared values. However, when an evil nature wakes up inside him, the man changes his views and beliefs on society and tries in every way to break the rules.
Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. The Mit Press, 2017. OAPEN, Web.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Gutenberg, 1992. Gutenberg E-book, Web.