Dr. Jekyll & Mr.

Hyde
Collected Essays
Ms. Robinette, Spring 2019

Robinette, Anna
HOPKINS SCHOOL
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Table of Contents

I. Analytical Essays

Historical Analysis of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Sam……………..2

Violence Against Women by Alex……………………………………………………………………6

Rising Lower Class by Kevin…………………………………………………………………………9

The Homicide Case in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Qi……………..12

What are the Breaking Points in Jekyll and Hyde’s Relationship? by Cole……………..15

II. Historical Reports

Jack the Ripper and Edward Hyde by Mikey…………………………………………………..18

III. Creative Writing

The Demons from Jekyll’s Past by Liam…………………………………………………………22

The Murder by Kelly………………………………………………………………………………….26

Hyde Unleashed by Ellie…………………………………………………………………………….29

Creative Writing for Utterson’s Reaction by Daniel…………………………………………..33

You Inspire Me by Michelle…………………………………………………………………………35

IV. Personal Writing

Two Faced by Hara…………………………………………………………………………………..40

The Nightmare of Understanding Dreams by Jamie………………………………………….43

Dreams by Dalia………………………………………………………………………………………46
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Historical Analysis of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

By Sam

During the Victorian era, the English feared the idea of experimental science, which is

what, at the time chemistry was largely comprised of. Experiments, often done on animals or

using animal parts to create a strange concoction aroused the fears of a mad scientist in the minds

of the Victorian society. In The Strange Case Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, these fears are brought

to life in the form of a chemist, Dr. Jekyll, who creation and use of a transcendental potion

allows himself to transform from a seemingly normal, good-willed man, into a deformed monster

that wreaks havoc on the streets of London.

In Victorian society, science was a not a respectable field to enter into due to the many

stereotypes of what scientists do and their values and beliefs, which were viewed as incorrect by

the church, and thus by the rest of society who were a part of the Anglican Church. This

differentiation of beliefs between the English (Anglican) Church and scientists began in 1859

when Charles Darwin published the results of his journey to the Galapagos among other places.

In this text, On the Origin of Species, Darwin lays out his theory of evolution: that man evolved

from simpler life forms like chimpanzees. This went against the church’s interpretation of

scripture, which was that God had created humans as humans, and not as single cell organisms

that evolved and became more sophisticated with time. This caused the initial rift between The

Church and the scientific community in England, and because of this event, the twos groups

went their separate ways and did not associate with the other. Thus, whenever a question or idea

arose and one party would take a stance, the other would take the contraposition due to their

history. This was the case with the arrival of chemistry in England. Michael Faraday was a

Victorian electrochemist who dealt with the ideas of electromagnetism, diamagnetism, and
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electrolysis. While today he may be viewed as a brilliant man who made incredible

contributions to the field of electrochemistry, he was viewed by some in the Victorian era as

crazy for toying around with the properties of electricity and measuring the conductivity of

electricity through seemingly odd solutions. Although chemistry and many other fields of

science were looked down on, doctors were respected due to their study of human anatomy and

the practicality of their work. They also saved many lives and helped those who were sick

recover. Therefore, they were not viewed in the same light as chemists. In fact, doctors joined

the rest of society in looking down at what they thought were contemptible men trying to pursue

chemistry.

Dr. Lanyon, a medical doctor at the time was one of these men. He looked down upon

Jekyll, and even thought he had gone insane after he entered into the field of chemistry. He

expresses these feelings by saying that “it is more than ten years since Henry Jekyll became too

fanciful for me. He began to go wrong, wrong in mind; and though of course I continue to take

an interest in him for old sake’s sake, as they say, I see and I have seen devilish little of the

man”(Stevenson 12). Dr. Lanyon’s disdain for chemistry causes him to stop seeing his longtime

friend due to Jekyll’s new profession as a chemist. Lanyon even goes so far as to call Jekyll’s

profession, chemistry “Such unscientific balderdash” (Stevenson 12). Lanyon’s experience with

science is the study of anatomy which is a lot of memorization and practical knowledge about

illnesses as well as bones and muscles. Jekyll’s science is nothing like anatomy and physiology

and to Lanyon this disqualifies chemistry as science altogether. The ideas of transcendentalism

and dark magic are also both feared by Victorian society due to their association with evil and

the devil. Robert Louis Stevenson elucidates this when Hyde drinks a transcendental potion

transforms into Jekyll infront of Lanyon. Hyde mixes together several ingredients then pours
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them into a glass and drinks it, then he “seemed to swell — his face became suddenly black and

the features seemed to melt and alter — and the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped

back against the wall, my arm raised to shield me from that prodigy, my mind submerged in

terror”(Stevenson 50). Lanyon is abhorred by the transformation and the use of seemingly dark

magic that goes against everything he knows as a scientist. He is so scarred by this occurrence

that the imprint it leaves on his mind drives him to his grave only a few weeks later. After the

transformation, Lanyon regains his composure and Jekyll explains to him his story of how Hyde

came to be. Even this story is so disgusting and heinous that Lanyon’s very soul is sickened. In

Lanyon’s letter to Utterson, he expresses this by saying, “What he told me in the next hour, I

cannot bring my mind to set on paper. I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul

sickened at it”(Stevenson 50). Stevenson chooses to use the word soul in this context because of

its association with the church and Lanyon’s good, christian soul is sickened at the very idea of

using dark or devilish powers in order to create Jekyll’s potion.

In order to fully understand literature, you must know the provenance of the work, which

is in this case, is Victorian England in Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and

Mr. Hyde. It is essential to understand the atmosphere in Stevenson’s novella because he wrote

the novella for a Victorian audience who would understand all of the religious, political ,and

scientific background information needed to achieve a replete understanding of the purport of the

novella. This being said, if the reader did not have a full understanding of chemists and how

they were viewed as well as the relationship between society and science in the context of the

novella, they would not get as much out of reading it because they would not realize the

importance of many figures, including Dr. Lanyon and their roles. They would not understand

that Dr. Lanyon represented the views of the church and Victorian society. Not only is
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understanding the context of the work important in this case, but it is always important in order

to grasp a replete understanding of the work because the author writes for an audience that

understands the context.

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Violence Against Women

By Alex

A constant theme throughout The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is violence

and abuse against women during the Victorian era. The book expresses how Dr. Jekyll has the

duality of egos being both good and evil. Mr. Hyde is the evil part of Dr. Jekyll that is unable to

be suppressed. Throughout the book, Mr. Hyde is violent toward women, similar to the well

known serial killer Jack the Ripper. When comparing Jack and Hyde’s crimes, the extent of their

offenses are nothing alike. Jack’s crimes are murders of women while Hyde’s is typically

abusing females. The reasoning behind the violence is similar: the evil of their id suppressed

leading them to abuse women.

Mr. Hyde and Jack the Ripper have similar characteristics and actions that leads to

violence against women. Stevenson wrote a book based off a dream. He imagined a man

drinking a potion and transforming into an entirely different person. At the same time, news had

spread about the killings of Jack the Ripper and Stevenson subconsciously may have based his

book off of real happenings in London. Many presume that Jack of the Ripper was a doctor due

to the precise incisions made into the bodies of the women found. Though Hyde and Jekyll

embody one person, they both think and act differently causing the assumption of them being

unalike people. Since Hyde and Jekyll are indeed the same person, Hyde is an upperclassman

because of Dr. Jekyll’s title as being both a doctor and a chemist. Both Hyde and Jack can be

considered as being some sort of upperclassman, and people who possess vast amounts of

science and knowledge. These men have similar characteristics and encounter the same

experiences in society. They both challenged the idea of how a moral person could do such bad

deeds. The concept of a refined upper class man with mortality, and education possibly altering
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the civil way of how society is perceived was unheard of. The duality of Jekyll is an awakening

for Victorian society which unveiled that every Victorian man suppresses the uncivilized and

evil inside of them, unlike what society wanted them to be. This idea is scary for Victorians

because of how the mutilations of Jack’s victims women were described. The thought is scary to

think someone who could be so highly respected as a doctor is murdering these not so innocent

women.

Both Hyde and Jack the Ripper cause scenes due to their negligence toward women. Jack

continuously murders women without caring about the harm he is doing to them while Mr. Hyde

bumps into a small girl and causes her to fall over. Hyde “trampled calmly over the child’s

bodying and left her screaming on the ground.”(Stevenson 7) Hyde walks over her body like it is

nothing and does not care for her. In this scene, the evil in Mr. Hyde drives him to harm the little

girl, and he feels no remorse for her as he “was perfectly cool and made no resistance” (Steveson

7). She screams in pain but he feels no compassion toward her, no sorrow and coldly walks over

her. Mr. Enfield describes the scene as “horrible”, which shows that Hyde is a man that neglects

the feelings of other women since he felt nothing after hurting the girl. This passage clearly

depicts the physical violence Mr. Hyde used against women as he stomped all over the girl with

no remorse.

The two men Jack and Hyde’s victims have always been female. Jack’s targets were only

female prostitutes and Stevenson creates the metaphor “the pale moon lying on her back”

(Stevenson 34) of the moon comparing it to Hyde and the little girl’s interaction. It is a reference

to when the girl fell and was stomped over by Hyde. The moon is personified as a female as the

moon is referred to a “her”, while typically a moon isn’t given gender. An image of the moon

being moved as “ the wind had tilted her” (Stevenson 34) depicts an object that is blown over by
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a gush on strong wind. The moon is symbolizing the little girl when she fell on Hyde. The

symbol of a “female” moon shows how Hyde’s victims are female just like Jack’s.

Mr. Hyde and Jack the Ripper used objects to hurt their victims. Jack often stabbed or

used a weapon such as a knife to make insecions into his victims. Hyde who lives nearby a crime

filled area in the neighborhood, often finds many prostitutes outside on the streets late at night

waiting for a man. A prostitute offers him a smoke, and instead of politely declining, he

uses a cigarette as a weapon and “smote her in the face”. (Stevenson 64). He forcefully strikes

her and she runs away. In this scene, the Hyde uses a cigarette to injure the prostitute.

Mr. Hyde and Jack the Ripper’s crimes overlap in alike ways. Jack is a serial killer and

Hyde’s crimes ranged from murder to abuse of women, but their status of upperclassmen makes

then alike. Both were respectable Victorian men with a massive amounts of science and

knowledge making society change their view on the people around. Stevenson may have

subconsciously incorporated the real life happenings in London with Jack into the the novella

and derived Mr. Hyde’s character from Jack. Both men were motivated by their evil superego

and ended up abusing many women.

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Analytical Essay: Rising Lower Class

By Kevin

Victorian society was defined by social classes; the upper class was thought to be

well mannered, polite and generous towards others. The upper class had good looks and fancy

homes. The lower class, on the other hand, were thought to be poor and ill mannered. In the

novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll, a

wealthy scientist is apart of the upper class. In one of his scientific experiments, however, Dr.

Jekyll drank a potion that turned him into an evil alter ego, known as Hyde. This represents a rise

in the lower class population. Edward Hyde is a very evil man and he is unable to control his

actions. Hyde always wore very different clothing than Dr. Jekyll and had very poor manners.

His face became very deformed and he soon isolated himself from his friends Mr. Utterson and

Dr. Lanyon. Dr. Jekyll felt Mr. Hyde taking was taking over his body. It was like an incurable

disease. He went from a man who had great respect for his work in the laboratory, to a depressed

and unstoppable murderer. Eventually this leads Dr. Jekyll to kill himself as he couldn’t reverse

the effects and actions of Hyde. Edward Hyde represents a rise in lower class.

Dr. Jekyll was a man of high dignity at the outset of the novella, but by the end, Dr.

Jekyll had shifted to become a very strange and sinister man (Mr. Hyde). In the beginning of the

novella, Jekyll’s friend, Mr. Utterson, notices Jekyll’s changes and describes his alter ego, Hyde,

as being very mysterious. Jekyll wished there was a way he could reverse the damage he (Hyde)

had caused, but it was too late. Jekyll, talking about Hyde said, “Jekyll was no worse; he woke

again to his good qualities seemingly unimpaired; he would even make haste, where it was

possible, to undo the evil done by Hyde,” (Stevenson 57). Mr. Utterson looked at his actions and

assumed Hyde was in the lower class. But he quickly became confused when Hyde sent a large
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check in the name of Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Enfield (Mr. Utterson’s friend) thought of Mr. Hyde and the

cheque as “an honest man paying through the nose for some of the capers of his youth.” The

cheque was for a lot of money, and it suggested that Hyde was blackmailing Jekyll. Mr. Enfield

said that the signature “was a name at least very well known and often printed,” (Stevenson 8).

At the time, Mr. Utterson had no clue it was Jekyll’s signature. Since it was his signature, Mr.

Enfield had the idea that Hyde was blackmailing Jekyll for something he did during his early

years. He says there is “something displeasing, something downright detestable,” (Stevenson 9)

when referring to Hyde. Mr. Utterson describes Hyde as “pale and dwarfish, he gave an

impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had

borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he

spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice.” (Stevenson 15). No one expected a

member of the upper class to speak or act the way Hyde did. This is when people really start to

question what class this man belonged to. When looking at Hyde, the people never realize it was

actually the well known Dr. Jekyll.

Jekyll explains that Hyde had complete control over himself and harmed him greatly. He

explains how he turned himself into Edward Hyde and how he realized he couldn't reverse the

effects. This represents a rise in the lower class because it seems like the lower class is taking

over the higher class. In the first case of Mr. Hyde, in the beginning of the novella, Hyde

tramples a girl in the streets. According to what Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield saw, "the two ran

into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came the horrible part of the thing; for

the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground," (Stevenson

6). But according to Jekyll's Statement of the Case, when Hyde trampled the girl, Dr. Jekyll did

not mean to do this. Dr. Jekyll was not able to stop his evil side. He had no control over what he
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did that night. “The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll,”

(Stevenson 65). The potion that Dr. Jekyll drank prevented him from being able to control his

actions. Since he was unable to control his actions, people assumed he was in the lower class.

The potion represents a portal to the lower class. At the end of the novella, Dr. Jekyll explains

that when Hyde murders Sir Danvers Carew, he again had no control over his actions. After the

murder, Dr. Jekyll explains that “the guilt of Hyde was patent to the world, and that the victim

was a man high in public estimation,” (Stevenson 61). Jekyll wasn’t blind to what was happening

to him, but he could not stop it. The boundaries of Victorian society crept up on him; he was

truly becoming apart of the lower class. Now, Hyde was known for his negativity in the world,

not his scientific knowledge. He knew after only a few days that he was going to be stuck in

Edward Hyde’s body for the rest of his life. He said when he saw his hand, “It was the hand of

Edward Hyde,” (Stevenson 58). He realized since waking up as Edward Hyde, people will think

of him differently forever. At this point, the lower class version of himself took over the higher

class version of himself. Jekyll’s behavior would be changed forever.

Edward Hyde took over Dr. Jekyll completely and harmed him to the point he lost all

hope in his old-self. He couldn’t bear what Hyde was doing to other people in the city. He didn’t

mean to trample the girl or murder Sir Danvers Carew; but his evil side was unstoppable. He had

no choice but to accept all the negatively he was showing to society. When he started to do these

things, people started to treat him differently. People didn’t realize it was really Dr. Jekyll. The

upper class expected people to have good behavior and good manners and good looks, and Hyde

was the complete opposite of this. Hyde broke the barriers of class in the Victorian society. The

potion was the bridge that connected the different classes of Victorian society and show how

easily a person can move from one class level to another.

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The Homicide Case in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

By Qi

The famous novella- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis

Stevenson takes place in the Victorian era. The Victorian era was the time when Queen Victoria

ruled England (1837-1910). The citizens were separated into three classes, upper class, middle

class, and lower class. There were usually no relationships between the upper classes and the

lower classes, because the upper class was afraid that the lower class would surpass them. In the

novella, the two main characters, Jekyll and Hyde are two opposite figures who have very

different backgrounds. Jekyll is a chemist who comes from a rich family, and Hyde looks and

acts like a lower class man. Jekyll and Hyde represent the two-sided Victorians who were held

back by the rules and expectations of the society, because Hyde is an evil representation of Dr.

Jekyll’s inner instincts and desires. Jekyll, who is afraid that Hyde would exceed him and ruin

his reputation as an upperclassman, and to defend his reputation and morals, kills Hyde, which

ends the story in a homicide.

Jekyll and Hyde are two different identities. “The creature” is a concept that Hyde is

often associated with in this novella, and Jekyll is always depicted as a positive figure in the

upper class. Jekyll is tall and handsome, on the other hand, Hyde is small and “gave an

impression of deformity without any nameable malformation” (Stevenson 15). Because

appearance and public reputation means a lot to the Victorians, Hyde is automatically associated

with the lower class. Jekyll is an upperclassman who is very sociable. Comparing the physical

appearances and manners of the “murderer”(Stevenson 51), Hyde, to the well mannered Dr.

Jekyll, the difference is obvious. In the beginning of the novella, when Mr. Utterson calls Hyde’s

name in the street, Hyde is surprised because he does not think that Jekyll will talk about him.
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Hyde calls Jekyll “he”, “He never told you”(Stevenson 15), which means that Hyde thinks of

Jekyll as a separate individual. Dr. Lanyon states in his narrative that Jekyll refers Hyde as

another person, “on Jekyll’s own confession” (Stevenson 51), Hyde is the murderer, and he is not

associated with Hyde. The two people both think of the other as a separate person, which then

suggests that they are two different individuals. With every evidence that Mr. Utterson, the main

narrative of the novella finds, signs all point to Jekyll and Hyde being two unique people.

Throughout the entire novella, Hyde is representing the uprising lower class and Jekyll

tries to hold him down by killing him. Jekyll has many motives to kill Hyde. Without the

experiment, Jekyll has a “large fortune”(Stevenson 52) in front of him, but when Hyde appears,

he is more related to the lower class which was not acceptable for the upper class back then.

Near the end of the novella, Jekyll discovers how dangerous the growing Hyde can be, and

develops hatred and disgust towards Hyde because he is a lower classman. Jekyll thinks that he

is the “original and better” (Stevenson 59) person compared to Hyde; and because of the social

status back in the Victorian era, Jekyll should have full control over Hyde. When Hyde starts to

act more and more like a lower class person, Jekyll feels uneasy around him, and letting Hyde

lose. Jekyll tries really hard to obtain his morals and the society’s expectation for higher class,

however, he feels helpless against Hyde-- who is growing stronger. He says, “I saw my life to be

forfeit; and fled from the scene of these excesses, at once glorying and trembling, my lust of evil

gratified and stimulated, my love of life screwed to the topmost peg.” Jekyll “preferred the

elderly and discontented doctor, surrounded by friends and chrishing honest hopes” (Stevenson

60), because he honored his status. Jekyll don’t want to be “hunted, homeless, a known

murderer” (Stevenson 60), so he needs to show the upper class’ dominance over the lower class

by killing Hyde at the end of the novella. As an upper class Victorian, Jekyll feels responsible for
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taking down the evil and the uprising lower class to maintain his status, and the only way to lock

down his power is to kill Hyde.

The significance difference between Jekyll and Hyde is a metaphor of the Victorian

society where only perfection was allowed. No matter if it is the past Victorian Era or the

modern days, people all have two sides, and Robert Louis Stevenson addresses this topic in

Strange of Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by making the ending a homicide case. The word

homicide means the act of one human killing the other. The novella ends in a homicide because

Jekyll and Hyde are two different individuals; and Jekyll, who is afraid that Hyde would take all

his upper class reputations from him, defends himself by killing Hyde, which ends the novel in a

homicide.
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What are the breaking points in Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship?

By Cole

In the film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Thomas Sullivan, John Barrymore (Jekyll) says:

“A man cannot destroy the savage in him by denying its impulses. The only way to get rid of a

temptation is to yield to it.” In the novella, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is

seen as a very intelligent and kind person. This is why, when Jekyll becomes cold and distant,

and writes a will that gives a Mr. Hyde all of his belongings, Mr. Utterson believes he is being

blackmailed. However, in the last chapter, Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement Of The Case, it is made

known that through an experiment, Jekyll creates Hyde and can turn himself into Hyde whenever

he chooses. This experiment creates a battle between the two of them. Hyde and Jekyll are

completely different people in two very different bodies with the same mind. Although Hyde’s

mind is filled with anger and evil, and Jekyll’s is full of smarts and etiquette. After the

experiment took place Hyde becomes a parasite to Jekyll. While Jekyll likes him in the

beginning, this turns what used to be release and Enjoyment into pure hatred that later ends with

Jekyll killing himself to finally kill the parasite that has grown to be too strong in his body. The

breaking points in Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship can be described as a feeling of weight lifted

off his shoulders.

After the first transformation, Jekyll is amazed with the release of pressure he feels when

he becomes Hyde. Meaning that he enjoys being him and that all the pressure that falls onto

being Jekyll literally disappears as he becomes Hyde. For example in his letter he writes, “There

was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably new and, from its very

novelty, incredibly “sweet.” (Stevenson 54). Also, Jekyll describes how it feels when he is Hyde:

“Edward Hyde was so much smaller, lighter and younger than Henry Jekyll.” He also describes
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being Hyde as a “thick coat” (Stevenson 56) meaning that being Hyde is comforting and safe.

This shows that he really enjoyed being Hyde from the start and that it just felt sweet.

This all changes when he wakes up one morning in Hyde’s body. “Terror woke up in my

breast as sudden and startling as the crash of cymbals.” Meaning he could tell that Hyde was

getting strong enough that he didn’t need to drink the potion anymore to undergo the change.

Being Hyde makes it very hard for Jekyll to get downstairs and to the potion that will turn him

back. “A journey, down two pair of stairs, through the back passage, across the open court and

through the anatomical theater, from where I was standing horror-struck” (Stevenson 58). This

shows that Hyde was now putting his reputation in danger, if he was to be caught then he would

lose all of his respect and people would be afraid of him. After realising the danger that Hyde

would put Jekyll in, he tries abstinence. Jekyll makes it only two months before “in a moment of

moral weakness” (Stevenson 60) he drinks the “draught” (Stevenson 60) nand becomes Hyde.

Towards the end of his letter, Jekyll describes the “apelike tricks” that Hyde plays on

him, thus describing how Jekyll is not fond of the fact that Hyde is trying to take over and

becoming a Nuisance. “Scrawling in my own hand blasphemies in the pages of my books,

burning the letters and destroying the portrait of my father; and indeed, had it not been for his

fear of death, he would long ago have ruined himself in order to involve me in the ruin.”

(Stevenson 65). One can infer from this that Hyde is killing the things that mean most to Jekyll:

books, and the portrait of his father. Hyde also destroyed letters that would go to Jekyll’s friends

and associates. In doing so, he is destroying the reputation of Jekyll. Jekyll finally finds the

strength to take control of Hyde and squash the “parasite” that had been controlling his every

action once and for all. Sadly, in doing so he also destroyed himself in the process.
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Jekyll and Hyde had a very complicated relationship. In the beginning Jekyll likes being

Hyde and finds joy in being him because of the loss of pressure and the “Men have hired bravos

to transact their crimes, while their own person and reputation sat under shelter. I was the first

that ever did so for his pleasures.” (Stevenson 56). Towards the middle of his sharing bodies with

Hyde, he gets scared and tries abstinence but then starts back up again. Describing the feeling of

being Hyde as “with the most sensitive apprehensions, now with a greedy gusto, projected shared

pleasures and adventures of Hyde. Finally, In the end, he describes being done with Hyde; Hyde

had broken a portrait of his father and scribbled in his books and burned his letters. The

relationship, in the end, can be described as an rapid decline.

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Jack the Ripper and Edward Hyde

By Mikey

Jack the Ripper was a terror and a menace to the citizens of Victorian London in 1888.

During his roughly two month rampage, Jack the Ripper’s kills numbered at least five. Every

known victim was a female prostitute found brutally murdered, covered in grotesque injuries.

The police assigned to the case were never able to bring the Ripper to justice, leaving a mystery

still unsolved to this day. Jack the Ripper was similar to Edward Hyde, from The Strange Case of

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Both Hyde and Jack the Ripper provoked

public outcry with their breaches of the social rules of Victorian society and their brutal styles of

murder. These similarities allow a reader to better understand The Strange Case of Jekyll and

Hyde by viewing it through the historical lense of Jack the Ripper.

The Ripper murders occured from August 31st to November 9th. During this time, the

police had almost no leads and were forced to work on little evidence. Their deficiency of

information was due partly to their lack of modern investigation techniques. There are a few

important witnesses who could have seen the Ripper, but the police didn’t attempt to create

sketches of him from their accounts. The Victorian police also neglected to take pictures of the

victims, and only one was actually photographed. In addition, they didn’t have the same

investigative technology used today, such as fingerprinting and DNA analysis. What evidence

they did have they kept tightly controlled. The police generally distrusted the press and insured

they had limited information. This strategy was partially to ensure the newspaper didn’t

accidently tip off the murderer in their eagerness to publish stories about the Ripper. The press

also received restricted information because the public was ready to blame anyone for the Ripper

crimes from even the most insubstantial of evidence. In one such case, the newspapers published
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a story about a message scrawled in chalk next to a victim’s bloody apron reading,“The Juwes

are the men that will not be blamed for nothing.” This message caused an outbreak of racial

tension, already brewing from the immigration of many Jews to London. In another incident,

when the press published a letter signed with Jack the Ripper’s name, it caused an outbreak of

fake letters sent to witnesses and newspapers alike. These fake letters dramatically increased the

complexity of the situation because it was difficult for the police to determine which letters were

fake and which were important leads.

Jack the Ripper was similar to Edward Hyde because of the grotesque nature of their

killings and the massive public outcry they provoked. After Hyde’s murder of Sir Danvers

Carew, the public was fierce in their demands of justice for such a respected member of

society,“...thousands of pounds were offered in reward, for the death of Sir Danvers was resented

as a public injury” (Stevenson 28). Just as the public demanded the capture and punishment of

Hyde, so did the London citizens demand the capture of the Ripper. The citizenry responded to

the lack of results with an intense longing,“... to lynch somebody, and it looked as though in one

or two cases the police were compelled to make arrests to prevent something of the kind being

attempted”. The extreme violence of Mr. Hyde and the Ripper aided the public’s desperation to

catch them. The maid who witnessed Edward Hyde described him attacking,“with ape-like

fury...trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows, under which the bones

were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway” (Stevenson 20-21). This

description shows Hyde’s attacks to be animalistic and crude. Such a wild frenzy of attacks was

also characteristic of the Ripper murders. Although their weapons were different, Jack the Ripper

attacked with a similar brutality to that shown by Hyde. One of the victim’s wounds consisted of,

“...various mutilations..miscellaneous cuts and slashes about the person of the unfortunate young
 P a g e | 20

woman.” Each attack was performed with utter savagery showing a total detached lack of

humanity and an almost animal nature.

Jack the Ripper and Mr. Hyde are similar because they both broke the bounds of the

Victorian class divide. Stevenson shows Mr. Hyde is an upper high class man when Mr. Utterson

visits Hyde’s house and finds it, “furnished with luxury and good taste” with silver plates,

elegant carpets, and lavish napery (Stevenson 23). Hyde also has several thousand pounds and is

written into Jekyll’s will to receive thousands more. As a member of the upper class, Hyde is

expected to behave with the grace and etiquette of his standing. Instead, Mr. Hyde wears lower

class clothes and is neither polite to people he encounters nor respectful of the rules of the

Victorian upper class. Jack the Ripper was also assumed to be an educated upper class man, but

he acted like a criminal member of the lower class. Jack the Ripper was partially assumed to be

upper class based on his knowledge of the human body, inferred from the speed and efficiency

with which he worked. Mr. Hyde also possesses medical knowledge. As Hyde, Jekyll speaks in

the first person and not in the third person. This suggests Hyde and Jekyll are the same person.

Jekyll himself admits Hyde was as much a part of himself as Jekyll. Because Hyde and Jekyll are

the same person, Hyde must share the medical knowledge both Jekyll and the Ripper possess.

The similarities between Jack the Ripper and Edward Hyde are important because they

give more background on the relationship of Hyde and Jekyll. Although Jack was extremely

similar to Hyde in status and manner of killing, Jack most likely didn’t have the same strikingly

features of Hyde. Stevenson describes Hyde as, “dwarfish” and throughout Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde notes multiple times that Hyde gives off an impression of distinctive deformity. If Jack was

as immediately recognizable as Hyde it is very unlikely he would have escaped capture. Because

Hyde is so conspicuous he is forced to hide within Jekyll. Jekyll serves Hyde as the same type of
 P a g e | 21

cloak that Jack the Ripper’s appearance served him. The similarities between Hyde and Jack the

Ripper also help the reader better understand Dr. Jekyll’s fear of Hyde. Reading newspapers and

letters describing England’s reaction to Jack the Ripper enables a reader to better able to grasp

the fear such a callous and evil individual can give off.

Jack the Ripper and Edward Hyde represent the worst of human nature. Each individual

killed in a brutal, animalistic fashion which caused massive waves of anger and fear. Each broke

the social bounds of their time. Both got away unscathed and without punishment for their

horrific actions. These similarities help the reader understand how the public felt about Hyde and

Hyde’s use of Jekyll to hide from capture.

Works Cited
Jones, Richard. “JACK THE RIPPER HISTORY.” Jack the Ripper - History, Victims, Letters, Suspects., www.jack-the-
ripper.org/jack-the-ripper-history.htm.

“From Hell.” Received by George Lusk, Casebook: Jack the Ripper, 1996, www.casebook.org/intro.html.

Letter to Israel Schwartz and Joseph Lawende. 6 Oct. 1888. Casebook.org,

www.casebook.org/intro.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2019.

Robinson, John. "Another Horrible Murder in Whitechapel a Woman Fearfully

Mutilated Statements by Acquaintances of the Deceased Arrest of a Man on
Suspicion Great Excitement." Daily News, 10 Nov. 1888. Casebook.org,
www.casebook.org/press_reports/daily_news/18881110.html. Accessed 7 Mar.
2019.
 P a g e | 22

The Demons From Jekyll’s Past

By Liam

A thick fog had descended over the grounds at Oxford University in the middle of the

night. And a young Mr. Henry Jekyll was sitting the school’s laboratory. With just the light of a

single lamp illuminating the papers on the desk he was using, Jekyll worked without rest on an

essay for his class.

Frustration filled the young man’s head as thoughts of failure entered his mind. Swelling

inside of his brain, like a balloon about to pop, was a deep rage. A deep rage because

of himself, his awful professor, and most of all: the world.

It was when this rage was coming to a head that the old wooden door to the laboratory

opened with a creak. Jekyll looked up from his work to see his old professor who had wandered

into the lab, carrying some books.

Professor James was a terrible teacher. Throughout Jekyll’s time in his class, Jekyll had

failed 8 out of the 20 test which he had taken. If Jekyll didn’t pass this paper which he was

writing, He would fail the class. Of course, the professor being in Jekyll’s presence did not help

to calm the anger deep down inside Jekyll.

“Henry, how do you do?” The old professor, although being polite, was spiteful and

mean.

“Fine, sir. And you?” Jekyll, still red with anger, started to feel a deep pain as he

answered the professor. He doubled over and stifled the urge to shout in agony as the old

professor stood there, watching in horror.

 P a g e | 23

Suddenly, the pain stopped and Jekyll felt relieved. It felt similar to a terrible storm

which suddenly ceased. As he lifted his head up, he could feel the collar of his shirt hanging

loosely around his neck as though Jekyll had shrunk instantly.

He saw his reflection in a glass sitting on the desk, illuminated slightly by the

lamp. Jekyll had never seen himself as extraordinarily handsome, but the ghastly figure staring

back at him was a complete stranger.

Although fearful of what he saw, his fear was overcome by rage. And in this fit of rage

that he was having, he picked up the lamp and heaved it across the laboratory at his

professor. The old man did not get out of the way in time.

With a thud, he fell to the ground and was not getting up. Jekyll walked over to him, his

feet crashing loudly to the floor with each step. The old man was struggling to move, but still

alive. Jekyll picked up what remained of the lamp, glass piercing his hand as he did so, and

heaved it back down at the old man lying on the ground. With another thud, Jekyll knew that the

man was dead.

Once Jekyll knew the job was done, he stomped out of the lab and started the long walk

back to his home. Jekyll loved this new version of himself, despite the evil that he had done.

When he was his normal self, Jekyll always felt pressured to be perfect. He always felt as

though he could not make any mistakes. This new version of himself, however, gave the

impression that he could do or be whatever he wanted to. As this new person, Jekyll thought that

he was on top of the world.

Despite his struggling and resistance, Jekyll felt another immense pain come over him,

starting in his stomach and spreading throughout his body. He doubled over, grabbing onto a
 P a g e | 24

lamp post for balance. As he looked into his reflection in a puddle on the ground, he could feel

his clothes getting tighter and he watched his face go back to normal.

The next morning, Jekyll awoke in his bed, with his hands still covered with blood. He

arose and went to the basin in the washroom down the hall to wash up before he would go back

down to the lab to clean his mess from the night before.

After Jekyll had cleaned himself, he walked down to the lab from his dormitory. The fog

that plagued the last night had gone away, making the morning sunny and warm.

Jekyll entered his laboratory to see that his professor’s body was no longer there. In fact,

the state of the lab was impeccable. Not a single object was out of place. Jekyll, being a smart

man, knew better than to be relieved by this. He knew that somebody must have found the

murdered professor, and he did not know who.

He immediately left the laboratory and walked across the field in the middle of the

campus towards the building which housed his first test. He entered the building and turned left

into the hallway.

As he did so, another medical professor called Dr. Smith stopped Jekyll in his path.

He whispered into Jekyll’s ear, “I know what you did last night.”

The man gestured for Jekyll to follow him. They reached the door of an empty lecture

hall. The two men entered.

Smith said to him, “I can help you, for a price,” he paused and then continued, “I’ve

been researching what happened to you last night, as was Professor James before you killed

him.”

Jekyll, only concerned with his future, said in reply, “And what exactly is it that

happened to me last night, Sir?”

 P a g e | 25

“You reverted back to the savage form which all men possess deep inside. Now, the way

that I can help you is quite simple: You create a drug to repress your savage side, and I will

never speak of the old professor.”

Jekyll, confused by the offer, asked the Professor, “And what would be in it for you?”

The Professor slowly answered, also seeming confused, “You don’t know who I am, do

you Henry?”

Jekyll shook his head. He had no idea who this man was that was standing in front of

him.

The Professor, “I’m Professor Smith, and my life work has been this idea that men are all

savage, crazy beasts on the inside. And you,” he pointed to Jekyll, “you, my boy, you are going

to help me complete my studies. I want you to create something to repress your inner evil, and I

want you to then give me all of the credit. And then we never have to speak again. Does this

sound good to you?”

Jekyll nodded his head. The two of them shook hands to solidify their deal and then

exited the lecture hall.

What Jekyll believed would be a long week turned into a long month, and then a long

year. Every waking moment was spent working in the lab on how to create a cure to his alter-

ego. And soon it had been six months since he murdered Professor James.

Exactly six months to the very second since Jekyll had started his search for the chemical

compound to repress his inner evil, he found it. His tireless work had finally paid off. As he

drank the compound, he cried tears of joy knowing his evil was buried back, deep down.
 P a g e | 26

The Murder

By Kelly

As I gaze at the beautiful sky of London, I am transfixed by the tiny, glittering stars

dancing overhead. Both sides of the neighborhood are silent tonight. The tall church clock

stands majestic in the distance. The city seems ominous, especially tonight. The bumpy

cobblestone streets stroke my feet as I stroll past houses, so many houses. I am all alone. I have

no home. There is no purpose in my life except for a strong urge to kill. Kill, kill, kill. My mind

has been wandering lately. I have an anger inside of me that is only growing. I never know when

I will snap. I am a ruthless creature. Some refer to me as “ape-man.” I am proud of this

characterization. I spot a neon sign in the distance that reads, “Apothecary.” I decide to enter.

A few months ago, Dr. Henry Jekyll created an extraordinary potion that transforms

himself into me. This peculiar concoction has been life-changing. I cannot control my actions

and therefore I am not responsible for my actions. There is absolutely nothing holding me back. I

have a strong connection to Jekyll which allows me to access his thoughts. As I enter the

Apothecary I am pushed to the ground by a tall figure. He immediately reaches down and offers

a hand. I recognize his face. It is Sir Danvers Carew!

I somehow know that Jekyll is not very fond of this man. Henry Jekyll and Carew were

childhood acquaintances. They were raised in the same neighborhood. Because Jekyll and

Carew’s families were friendly, the two were forced to spend time together. After high school,

Jekyll and Carew parted ways and pursued different career paths. Carew decided upon a

political profession, whereas Henry chose to become a doctor. Several years into his medical

career, Jekyll began to conduct some alarming experiments which displeased Carew. He

believed that Henry was endangering the entire town. So, Carew informed the authorities about

Jekyll’s controversial research. Since then, Henry was unable to socialize with Carew, except for
 P a g e | 27

occasional dinner parties with Lanyon. I am furious that he bumped into me. I am feeling all of

Jekyll’s emotions. The difference between myself and Jekyll is that I am not afraid to ruin my

reputation. In fact, I have no reputation to uphold… There is nothing standing in my way.

“Hey, you! Did you see that I was walking into the store?” snarled Hyde.

Carew had a look of horror on his face when he turned around and saw Hyde standing

right in front of him.

He replied with, “I am sorry to have pushed you down sir, but may I ask, who are you

exactly.”

“Me… Um... well... I am...” Hyde hesitated for a moment as if he was confused about his

identity. “Well, my name is Hyde.”

“Hyde...Hmm. Why haven’t I seen you around town?”asked Carew.

“That doesn’t matter. All I know is that you bumped into me and now I am on the

ground.”said Hyde.

Carew immediately responded with, “Well maybe if you weren’t so short this never

would have happened in the first place.”

At that very moment, Hyde was fuming. Furious with Carew he replied with, “Watch

your back tonight. I will see you later.”

Sir Danvers Carew was quite stunned at this statement. He watched Hyde run off into the

darkness.

I knew I had to hurt that foul man. I decided to hide outside the store and surprise Carew.

As soon as he exited the Apothecary, I sprung into the air and knocked him down. Carew’s round

face turned into horror when he saw me pull out my cane. I beat him to death. I hope it was

painful. After his abhorrent treatment of Henry Jekyll, he deserved a painful death. Feeling
 P a g e | 28

exhilarated, I ran and I ran until I saw a bright, white light along with a maid standing on her

balcony...

I woke up the next morning with the realization that I had transformed back into the one

and only Dr. Henry Jekyll. I remembered what Hyde did last night. He killed Sir Danvers Carew!

Oh what will I do! Last night when I was Hyde, I thought I was invincible. The potion is too

compelling. What have I created! I cannot control when I transform because my anger turns into

violence. I realized that I would have to go into hiding for the next few weeks until I could gain

control of myself. Thinking about last night, I remembered the maid I encountered. What if she

saw Hyde transforming into myself, the prestigious Dr. Henry Jekyll…
 P a g e | 29

Hyde Unleashed

By Ellie

It has been done. I had finally convinced Dr. Jekyll to give me the formula and the

mixture to become Edward Hyde. The years tucked away in the depths of his mind calling for a

solution to end my suffering, longing for freedom, and longing to fulfill my pleasures are over.

Finally, the potion that would bring me to life worked. Looking in the mirror, Dr. Jekyll seemed

to be a distant memory. The only man I saw was a young man of short stature with a head full of

hair and a face that could be described as handsomely dislikable. I felt free, like a weight was

lifted off my shoulder and most of all, I felt myself. All of a sudden, I heard a voice in my head.

Do not do anything I would not do you devil.

I assumed I was hearing things and went about with my business. Thanks to Dr. Jekyll’s

good taste in spirits, after admiring myself in the mirror for a while, I decided to celebrate my

victory with a glass of champagne. As my celebration came to an end, I decided to test the

powers of this new body.

The night was cool. The clouds settled over south London just covering the top of the old

textile factory. The fog provided a perfect curtain for what I would do next. I would go to the

speakeasy in Governor Square where Mr. Utterson spends his nights and finally do away with

that obnoxious fool. Before I became Mr. Hyde, I would constantly hear conversations between

Utterson and Jekyll, and that man never failed to aggravate me with his euphoric demeanor. His

positivity made me feel ill. Every encounter made me become even more suspicious. In no

circumstance could a man always be that positive and not be hiding something. Just as I was

about to leave I started to hear the voices again.

Stay away from Utterson you fool!

 P a g e | 30

This time the voices startled me but again, I thought nothing of them. On my way to the

speakeasy, the streets were strangely quiet. Throughout streets usually filled with taxis and

pedestrians, there was only silence. The conditions of the night were peculiar, yet the silence

mixed with the glare of the full moon set up an ideal environment for me to execute my plan. As

the distance between me and the speakeasy lessened, my pace quickened. I could not wait to test

the abilities of my new body. As I arrived, my heart was racing and my adrenaline was building

up inside me. The speakeasy was located on the south side of the square, and it was hidden

behind a dumpster. The door blended into the brick wall, and the only way you could get in was

a secret knock. Luckily, Jekyll loved to spend time here after long days of hard work, so I knew

the knock.

As soon as the last knock was done, the door opened slightly, a man looked me up and

down, and he let me into the speakeasy. I prepared for the visual check wearing Jekyll’s suit and

tie because I knew he only lets the best dressed in. As soon as I entered, the silence turned into

the sound of jazz music and voices. I looked to the left at a corner booth in the back of the

speakeasy where Utterson was sitting with a glass of red wine just as I had expected, and I made

my way towards him. He was startled by my presence when he looked up from his glass.

“Can I help you sir?”, asked Utterson.

Being as polite as my diabolical personality would allow me, I replied, “You are Mr.

Utterson, correct?”

“That is me. How may I assist you?”, added Utterson.

“Come outside now. Your wife has been terribly injured and I am not sure how much

time she has left. She has been found nearly dead outside of the corner store on 7th

street.”, I exclaimed.
 P a g e | 31

He immediately rose from his seat and followed me out of the speakeasy without asking

anymore questions. As we walked outside, the same silence remained from earlier. The perfect

environment had endured, and I was ready to once and for all get rid of Mr. Utterson. I brought

him towards a quiet street. The street had only one lamp and was lined with dumpsters. As we

turned into the alleyway, he began to become curious.

As I stopped, Utterson asked, “Can you please explain to me what happened to my wife

and where she is?”

Acting like I was pulling out a formal hospital report, I pulled out a knife and jabbed his

chest. After about ten minutes, he died, and I threw him in a nearby dumpster and ran towards

my home. As I was escaping, I turned the corner onto 12th Street, and I started to hear voices

again. They kept on repeating the same phrase over and over again.

That was a horrible mistake. You could be putting my reputation at risk!

I could not understand where these voices were coming from, and as I got closer to my

home, the voices seemed like they were shouting in my ear. My head started to pulse, and they

became so deafening, that I began to stumble and the street seemed like it was spinning.

There is no way you are getting away with this! You have greatly sinned and you will

never be

forgiven.

My insides began to tighten up and I became nauseated. I reached for the nearest wall and

sat against it trying to cover my ears so I would not hear the voices. I was sweating profusely and

my heart was beating out of my chest.

“Lord help me!”, I screamed out loud.

 P a g e | 32

All of a sudden I morphed back into Jekyll. I was just another voice in the back of his

head. He picked himself up and walked home. When he reached his house, he unlocked the door

and went straight past the servants for he was too shocked by the incident that had occurred to

talk. He sat in a chair and pondered all that had happened and right when he sat down, there was

a knock on the door.

“Hello?”, asked Jekyll into the night.

“Good Evening Dr. Jekyll. My name is Officer Brant and I would just like to ask you a

few questions”.
 P a g e | 33

Creative Writing for Utterson's Reaction

By Daniel

When I first found out that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were the same person, I had mixed

emotions. I was at first shocked, but then I became curious, and scared. I was initially surprised

not only because of the death of Dr. Jekyll, but also the fact that he could create a way to have

two different personalities living in the same body. He created a way to be two completely

different people. I then turned to curiosity because I wondered what would happen in the future

if this way to transform became public. The public streets would be filled with violence and

murder. Could I and should I use it? Finally I turned to fear because I thought that nothing good

could come out of this being public. I thought there would be more deaths as seen with Mr.

Hyde.

Initially I felt astounded and a bit confused because I thought that it was impossible that

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same people. When Dr. Lanyon told me that the two are one, I

did not understand why Dr. Jekyll would do that to himself, nor how he could turn into

something like Mr. Hyde. The reason Dr. Jekyll would do that to himself was an enigma. Why

would a sedulous figure like him want to turn into an ill tempered man like Mr. Hyde? It

obviously did not turn out how Dr. Jekyll planned because he ended up killing himself. I am not

sure why he killed himself, but I would predict that he noticed the innocent people that died

because of Mr. Hyde and wanted to put an end to it. I cannot fully comprehend these chain of

events.

After thinking a lot about this I can finally understand what happened and my confusion

is going away. I started thinking about what other people could do with the potion. Now I am

curious for what is to come of the potion that Dr. Jekyll used. Could I use his potion and sell it to
 P a g e | 34

the public or even use it for scientific reasons? Could I make a lot of money? If someone could

prevent the odious side from taking over the body and mind and only create a positive

atmosphere without violence, then that would be great for the public, rich and poor alike. Would

the release to the public create an even bigger divide between the classes, because the upper class

would use it responsibly, while the lower class would use it like a drug. There are many

outcomes from the potion, but most of the outcomes will bring along negative consequences.

Since there is such a high possibility for crime and murder, I ultimately feel fear for what

could happen. If anyone could take the potion and turn into someone that has as much depravity

as Mr. Hyde then homicides would rise. I don’t see why some advanced science and technology

would be worth many lives being lost. I feel like this potion would corrupt the poor classes just

like alcohol corrupts the poor. They would use it to forget about their situation in life and pass

the time by. When innocent people walk out onto the streets they would be afraid of any ape like

person. Anything would elicit the demon inside the sordid man. Hopefully this potion is never

made again nor released to the public. Also, I would have to deal with so many of court cases

with people using this.

For the most part I think this would be a bad idea to make again. Unless perfected,

nobody should ever use it. Instead of making people more violent, what if it makes people more

behaved. I do feel bad for Dr. Jekyll, but I also feel angered by the fact that he made the potion in

the first place. Looking for more answers, I walked over to Dr. Jekyll house. Finding it

completely deserted, I went inside. The lab where he created the potion was not hard to find, and

on the table I saw the mysterious potion. All of the sudden I felt a desire to take it for myself. I

put my hand on it felling a tremendous curiosity. I started to drink a little, then a little bit more,

then downed the rest of the potion.

 P a g e | 35

You Inspire Me

By

B-bum, b-bum, b-bum, bum, bum, bum, my heart clenches. On the outside, one may view

me as an ordinary doctor; however, my interior is set ablaze. Try as I might, I have yet to find the

source of my distress. I make desperate attempts to shake off the indescribable feeling of torture

that overwhelms each and every fiber of my existence. I must keep my suffering to myself, for

causing a commotion would attract unwanted attention. Why, oh, why must I experience such

pain?

Shaking my head, I return to my meeting. The conference room lights are blinding and the

round table is crooked. The walls, although they are still, seem to be inching closer to me. I

continuously twitch every now and then, discreetly examining my surroundings. My eyes glaze

over each human in my vicinity; I look them up and down, deciphering the mighty from the weak.

Weakness… what an amusing word. See, strength does not solely belong to one’s physical

might, but their discipline and will power. Their ability to remain standing under pressure. Perhaps

I do not abide by my own restrictions on tenacity. Being who I am, Doctor Henry Jekyll, I have a

status to consider. Yet, my limits are ruthlessly being tested, as I have an impeccable rage growing.

See, I tend to rage every now and then. I am set off by even the most discreet actions, which seems

to be a part of my primal instinct.

My thoughts are brought to an end when I hear the sickening noise of chairs scraping the

ground, causing the cold floor to retaliate with an ear-splitting sound. I am in need of a well-

deserved rest.

I have yet to discover why I was in such an… animalistic state during the meeting. My

thought process had shifted from content to deadly. As if I was a ravenous animal; I was hungry
 P a g e | 36

for my prey. Restless as I was, I forced myself to sit in that cold, metal seat. Was it pure boredom?

Or perhaps a rude comment from my oh so beloved fellow scientists. Whatever the matter, I find

myself drifting into a deep sleep. My tireless thinking ceases, and, with a gentle, yet shaky breath,

I fall into the hands of slumber.

My mind, suddenly energetic and bright, begins to wander to unmarked territory. A dream

such as this I have never experienced before. I see a mirror--one single mirror planted in the middle

of a dark, empty room. A silhouette approaches; he is tall and lean, standing with his head held

high. The figure glances at his wrist, as if there was a watch there. My heartbeat skyrockets as I

see him look at himself in the ominous mirror. My inquisitive nature pushes me forward for a

clearer view, but my legs don’t obey. I am stuck watching from a distance. His mouth turns upward

to reveal a toothy smile. The person in the mirror stares back, mimicking him. His maniacal grin

becomes a sharp sneer; he must not like what he sees.

My curiosity grows, and my eyes widen with both fear and excitement. The strange

character lifts an arm, and the mirror-man copies. With the brisk snap of a finger, faint dripping

sounds echo. I glance at the ceiling of the room to see rain, but the rain is far from blue. A deep,

blood red swirls in the droplets, wavering back and forth from red, to green, to purple. Perhaps it

was a hallucination of mine, but I saw the color suddenly remain a bright, neon green. The figure’s

shoulders shake; he’s laughing. My eyes, struck with terror, watch the rain douse the silhouette,

but he is unaffected. The reflection, however, becomes its own entity, viciously transforming into

a beast. The man walks away with a spring to his step, leaving the raving monster in the mirror.

My eyes pop open.

My thoughts! Oh, how wild they are racing again. As I’m pondering my strange dream, I

vaguely remember the reflection morphing in the mirror. My mind wanders to the anger evident
 P a g e | 37

in the man’s expression as he studies his reflection. Personally, I picture this peculiar scenario as

a man in a battle with himself; two traits are dwelling inside, itching to be in control. My hands

rest in my lap as I connect the dots between my dream and reality, my inner battles and conflicts,

and the two sides of me that continuously fight. I have a reputation to hold, yet gripping onto this

peg on the social ladder costs me my sanity. I’m sure my colleagues would go to great extents to

sit in my seat at a meeting. But, at the same time, that same metal chair lights a fire in me that no

one could extinguish. I tend to find my sense of human nature to be overpowered by my primal

instincts.

My dream also showed me a liquid, a serum, a solution. I snap out of my daze, run to my

laboratory, and lock the door. I would give anything for the fix to my problem. Exhausted as I am,

I keep striving to achieve my goal. Although there may never be an answer, my question remains

constant. I must create this concoction. My dream never gave me a clue concerning the ingredients

or the process; I’m starting from scratch.

Papers everywhere, pungent odors filling the room, bottles scattered. I have most likely

mixed every single substance possible, yet my liquid remains red. My last resort: a salt. But, not

just any salt, but a deadly salt. Nobody dares to ingest this item, for it is dangerous simply to

handle. In goes the salt, some other chemicals, and a swift stir with a stick. The stick turns charcoal

black, but my mixture fades from red into a dark, deep purple. Crash as I furiously smack the table.

Why must I be punished in such a ruthless manner! My eyes snap shut as I, once again, return to

that odd dream. Red, purple, green, red, purple, green. My potion is now purple, so how might I

turn it green?

I look in my own mirror. Staring at it for the longest time, my eyes squint. Oh, I simply

cannot wait for my reflection to change from a sophisticated doctor to a beast with no limits. I will
 P a g e | 38

be rid of the side of me that kills me; I will never have to tirelessly fight with myself. My reflection

stares back at me, similarly to the mirror in my dream. My dream: it keeps me going, keeps me

sane, reminds me I have a cause to go on for. I must stamp out this small spark, for it will grow

and burn down the Henry Jekyll that many know and love. The sides of my mouth raise into a

smile.

“Hide as you wish, monster, but, know that your elusiveness only inspires me to find you,”

I think to myself, watching the circular piece of glass.

I will get what I desire.

After months of trial and error, I wrap my large hand around the green vial and run back to

my mirror, shaking with anticipation. I do not fear death, so, if this potion puts an end to me,

Doctor Henry Jekyll, then I will rest in peace rather than in anger.

I down the sickening mixture in one swift gulp, shaking and trembling shortly after. My

transformation is excruciating and detrimentally slow. My bones crack out of place and reform,

my legs shrinking and my face gets pulled and stretched. In approximately an hour, I rise on shaky

legs and feel completely changed. I run out and across my courtyard to find a mirror. Looking into

the glass, I see a different monster looking back. I dare not call this man a human, for he is as

beastly as a wild creature. Everything about me is different--my voice, my hair, my structure, my

emotions.

I find myself constantly feeling angry--more outraged than my tantrums during my time as

Henry Jekyll. However, I feel free, like a weight is lifted off of my weak shoulders. I examine my

new shape in the mirror and grin.

“I do not wish to hide anymore. You have inspired me as well,” the odd voice says in the

mirror. I begin to wander off, and I feel myself losing control. I, Henry Jekyll, am loosening my
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grasp on this new body. My panic is cut off as everything goes black. My fate is now in the hands

of one beast, whom I decide to refer to as “Mr. Hyde,” for he is the side of me that I desperately

wish to hide.

I roam the streets, the alleys, the roads. I receive peculiar looks and induce fear into the

hearts of my pupils. Night time strikes, enhancing my anger and sending a shiver through my

spine. Pat pat and I find myself wheeling around, face to face with a man. His breath smells of

alcohol and his clothes are torn up and shredded. My eyes narrow and my fists clench.

“May I assist you, Sir?” I spit, my voice laced with venom.

His fist meets my face, sending me into a blind rage. How dare he! I crack my knuckles and grin.

“Well, well, I believe you have inspired me to bring out my worst,” I whisper. The rest

seems to be a blur.
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Two-Faced

By Hara

In the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

writes about Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde. He reveals to the readers at the end through a

letter written from the perspective of Dr. Jekyll, that he and Mr. Hyde happen to be the same

person, but in different forms. Dr. Jekyll only reveals this information to Mr. Utterson and no

one else. Dr. Jekyll is hiding the truth about him also being Mr. Hyde from the rest of the

community. Personally, I believe that hiding an alter self would not be beneficial in the future,

especially if the truth is going to be revealed at some point along the journey. I think that both

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have devious sides to them, but I believe that Dr. Jekyll is the more

devious one as throughout the book, as hiding the secret of his potion and alter personality hints

him to be more devious.

When I was younger I had an experience in which someone close to me had two different

personalities. A girl named Allie was a new student that was trying to fit into the small school I

attended. To help Allie transition into this new school I became close with her. I bonded with her

really well as we shared the common interests of art and playing soccer. Soon she found her

place in the school and started becoming friends with many other classmates including my best

friend. Allie was desperate to make new friends, but what I didn’t know was that she had started

being two-faced in order to gain the trust of her classmates. She would alter her personality

according to the person she wanted to gain the trust of. Personally, I did not know of her two

personalities until I realised that she would alter her personality in front of my friend. She

pretended to have common interests with my friend just to gain her trust. By the time I had

realised what she was doing and that she really did not enjoy art, but it was all a lie it was too
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late. Allie had already gained everyone’s trust through her two-faced personality. Although being

two-faced was beneficial to her because she trapped people to believe that she was innocent and

gained the trust of all her classmates, the aftermath also presented her with consequences. After

Allie’s friends found out the truth she lost the trust that she gained. This lead to the end of Allie’s

many friendships. Another consequence Allie had to face was constantly being afraid of her

personalities clashing. In the end what she was afraid of became the reality and the consequences

she had to face hurt her in this situation. Like Jekyll has two personalities he battles between,

Allie also struggled between two personalities. In the end for both Jekyll and Allie the

consequences outweighed the benefits.

In this novella, Stevenson’s idea of writing indicates that Jekyll wanted to hide the fact

that he had an alter ego and he had made a potion until he commited suicide. Hyde is Jekyll’s

alter ego and this was not revealed until the end of the novella when Jekyll writes a letter to Mr.

Utterson. This suggests that Dr. Jekyll was dishonest and was hiding something. He always

fights between his alter ego, Hyde and himself, but did not realise that it was affecting not only

him, but the people he is surrounded by as well. Dr. Jekyll is guilty of making the potion he used

to transform into Hyde and thus he is battling between what is good and what is evil. I feel as

though this means he is devious because after all Jekyll is the one responsible for the wicked and

immoral crimes of Mr. Hyde. I feel like people direct themselves away and hide their problem in

a situation and this as a result is what makes a person devious. Therefore, in this book Jekyll is

considered devious because he does not originally reveal that Mr. Hyde is just an alter ego of

himself.

I think that there is a certain way that individuals should behave in a situation, and my

experience suggests that individuals should not hide the truth from others as eventually the
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benefits will be outweighed by the consequences. It is harsh for other people’s future experiences

as well as their own. It can make your life as well as others’ lives really harsh and miserable if it

continues. Like in the novella Jekyll hiding the truth made his life harder. The truth is bound to

come out at some point so it is beneficial to not be devious in the first place. I believe that even

when no one is around and there is no fear, there is no reason to hide the truth. From my own

experience and from reading this novella I think that an individual should not be devious,

because it may cause more problems along the way. This ties into my personal experience,

because no matter how hard Allie tried to hide her second ego from her friends the truth

eventually came out and revealed itself to everyone. My experience conveys the message that

hiding the truth will not be in your advantage when trying to reach your purpose.

Overall, I think that Jekyll is the more devious one here. Although, Hyde’s odd

appearance, personality, and actions may differ from the ones from Jekyll, Hyde is a part of

Jekyll. In the case of this novella Jekyll fights over himself and Hyde to decipher what is good

or evil. In the end, Mr. Utterson found out the truth and Jekyll was the one to admit it. This

shows that no matter how hard you try to be devious and hide something it is always noticeable

to people. Just like in this novella, it is the fate of an individual for their story, whether virtuous

or unpleasant, to come to an end at a certain time.

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The Nightmare of Understanding Dreams

By Jamie

Dreams are a uniquely human phenomenon; although scientists have documented

evidence that animals may be able to enter a dreamlike state, the complexity of the human mind

lends itself to a higher level of awareness of dreams. Throughout the centuries, philosophers and

scientists alike have grappled with the significance of dreams, arguing that they act as a

reflection of daily experiences, or that they give a person a window into their subconscious mind.

While countless ideas about the meaning of dreams exist, some of the most commonly

referenced originate from Sigmund Freud. Freud believed that dreams can be divided into

categories of information. He described one category, manifest content, as the parts of a dream

that one can remember after waking up, such as images or thoughts, whereas the latent content

contains the subconscious’s desires and will. He argued that the brain attempts to veil the

meaning of the latent content, creating dreams that seem nonsensical. Freud believed that

through psychoanalysis of a person’s dreams, and the latent content of them, subconscious

desires and tensions would emerge, revealing an underlying issue, or helping to alleviate an

issue.

Robert Louis Stevenson cited his inspiration for Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

as a nightmare, and throughout the text, Stevenson references common themes in the Victorian

era, specifically the connotations of class and status in society of the time. In Victorian England,

the divide between the upper, middle, and lower classes was visible - society expected people to

dress according to their place in the social hierarchy, creating a noticeable distinction. In the

novella, Stevenson emphasizes the appearances of Jekyll and Hyde to express the contrast

between a higher class man and a lower class man. When Mr. Utterson visits Jekyll, Stevenson
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describes Jekyll as a “large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish

cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness- you could see by his looks that he

cherished for Mr. Utterson a sincere and warm affection” (19). Jekyll’s standing as a respected

doctor shields him from suspicion, although his involvement with Hyde seems nefarious, or at

least questionable. The maid who witnessed the murder of Sir Danvers Carew subtly suggests

that he pertains to a lower social class, as she says he did not seem to be “of great importance”,

and that she “conceived a dislike” for him (20). Through the lens of Freudian dream analysis,

Stevenson’s fear of the lower class manifested itself in the form of Mr. Hyde, whereas Dr. Jekyll

may represent the upper class, afraid of being overtaken. Whether Stevenson truly believed that

the downfall of the upper class was imminent, or that the novella acted as a criticism of Victorian

culture, his dream reflects the reality of Victorian society; the divide between the rich and poor,

and the associations that come with status (or a lack of it).

Although Robert Louis Stevenson’s dream certainly fits with the concept that dreams

reveal subconscious desires, my own personal experience contradicts this, as many of my dreams

have a partial connection to daily life. Once, I dreamt that I was standing on a rocky shore, next

to a dilapidated blue house. There were wind chimes echoing in the distance, and an owl sat in

a grey, lifeless tree. The owner of the house, a woman wearing a flannel, smiled at me, and

encouraged me to climb onto the roof of the house. I did, and I sat there, with the smell of ocean

in the wind. I was distracted, so I didn’t notice a bright pink animal falling from the sky. I picked

it up, and it was a tiny hamster wearing a pink tracksuit. It looked up at me, and asked me to

teach it how to ski. This dream, although really strange, is not an uncommon occurrence for me.

It combines elements of my everyday life with books and movies that I otherwise would not

remember. My dreams all follow the same pattern of daily life. From my own experience,
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dreams are not a snapshot of a person’s hidden desires, as Freud says, but rather they are a

patchwork of ideas, experiences, and images combined into a nonsensical jumble, such as a

hamster wearing a pink tracksuit.

The complexity of imagination and the human brain allows dreams to alter perception of

reality. Perhaps Stevenson’s dream acts an example of the connection between dreams and

reality. The amalgamation of his thoughts and everyday experiences created a dream that

reflected the reality of Victorian society, rather than a manifestation of his subconscious fears, as

Freud would suggest. The resulting novella, a powerful representation of London during

Victorian times, and an exploration of human nature, represents the power of the human mind,

and the intricacy of dreams.

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Dreams

By Dalia

My anxiety dreams usually consist of me not being prepared. For example, leading up to

summer camp, I have a lot of dreams where I forgot to pack my bedding, or I forgot to pack all

of my clothes. When I have these dreams, I believe they are real even though I know when I am

awake that I would never forgot all of my clothes. I believe that this is because I have anxiety

about forgetting small items like a camera or a book, and my subconscious amplifies these small

things to forgetting entire bags of clothes or blankets. This is an example of how my

subconscious controls my dreams, which supports Freud’s theory about dreams and the

subconscious. Sigmund Freud was the “Father of Psychoanalysis,” and an influential thinker of

the early twentieth century. One of his main beliefs was that someone’s unexplainable actions, or

more importantly dreams, were controlled by hidden mental processes. These hidden mental

processes can be described as the subconscious, which people cannot control, but that can show

itself through dreams. I believe that Sigmund Freud’s theory about the subconscious and dreams

is correct due to Robert Louis Stevenson’s experiences, and my own.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote his novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,

based on a dream. Based on Freud’s theory about dreams and the subconscious, one way to

interpret it is to say that Stevenson had this dream because his subconscious was afraid of Hyde.

Hyde could be a symbol for many topics like alcoholism, a rising lower class, or the pursuit of

scientific knowledge, which were all topics people were afraid of in the Victorian era. Stevenson

uses the word “evil” many times in the last chapter, describing Hyde as “the evil side of my

nature”(55) and “extraneous evil”(53). This choice of vocabulary suggests that Stevenson was

afraid of Hyde, as it is common to be scared of something evil.

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Another way to interpret Stevenson’s dream would be the theory of the Id and the Ego.

The Id is the part of your subconscious that is animal instinct, and shows the less pleasant side of

someone. The Ego is the part of someone’s brain that balances out the Id and is our everyday

thoughts, not our subconscious. Using the Id and the Ego to interpret Stevenson’s dream, I think

that Stevenson sees himself, or his Ego, as Jekyll, and his Id as Hyde. Jekyll is a doctor, so he is

very smart and has advanced problem solving skills, which represents the ego because the ego

keeps everything balanced in the brain. Hyde is violent and ill-tempered, and can be described as

having pure animal instinct. In fact, he is said multiple times in the book to have “ape-like

fury”(20). Jekyll must balance himself and Hyde, just like the Ego balances itself in the brain.

One of my dreams that reflected my reality was one that I had at a time close to when my

great-grandmother died. In the dream, I was driving on the highway in the backseat of my Dad’s

car, wearing a pink ballet tutu. Suddenly the window of the car opened, and I climbed out in the

open air. However, instead of hitting the pavement, I floated upward. High in the sky, there were

six dominos that acted like trampolines, and I jumped up and down on them until I bounced high

enough to keep climbing higher into the sky. When I finished my journey up, I found myself in a

white cloud Heaven. The last part of my dream is the strangest part. I saw my great-grandmother

wearing all white walking past me, and she was carrying a light green couch on one shoulder.

She should not have been able to carry it, because she was old and frail and it was a regular-sized

couch.

This dream relates to my reality because the light green couch could have been a couch

that I had in my living room, but meant almost nothing. My great-grandmother, however, had

recently passed away and my subconscious was focused on her which caused me to see her in

my dream. Also, my religion has always been a large part of my life, so I believe that a part of
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my subconscious is always focused on that and that is why I pictured her in heaven, along with

the fact that she had died recently. Driving in the backseat of my dad’s car has always been a

vivid memory for me, so that is why the dream started that way. Even this example of one of my

strange dreams shows how dreams relate directly to one’s subconscious.

In conclusion, there is a direct correlation between dreams and reality, as stated

by Sigmund Freud, who believed that dreams came from one’s subconscious. When Stevenson

dreamt of Jekyll and Hyde, his subconscious was showing its fear which is what Hyde stands for.

It also shows how Jekyll is Stevenson’s ego and Hyde is Stevenson’s id. Lastly, my dreams

definitely reflect my reality, either showing the focus of my subconscious, or showing what

anxieties I have. It is important to understand your dreams because if you can decode your

dreams you will know what is happening inside your subconscious, which you cannot see or

control.