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  • Essay / The Problem of Evil in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Robert Stevenson's The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    Alexander Solzhenitsyn once said: "The battle between good and evil runs through the heart of every man.” This problem is presented in the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley and in the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Stevenson. The novel Frankenstein is about the protagonist Victor Frankenstein and his quest to create new life. This new life, also called the creature, soon turns into his enemy and he is out for revenge. In the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a London lawyer named Mr. Utterson investigates a mysterious occurrence between his old friend Dr. Jekyll and his evil side Edward Hyde. Both novels illustrate that in society, a person may appear good to the human eye, but the evil lurking in an otherwise respected person may go undetected. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Both Victor and Dr. Jekyll have an internal conflict as their creations were meant to benefit them for good, but it took a toll on their lives. Victor is in mourning because his creation led to situations of pure crime and evil. As William's death spread through society, Justine was found guilty of the murder. As the trial begins, Victor reflects on the harm he has caused his family. Victor reveals with sadness: "A thousand times I would have preferred to confess myself guilty of the crime imputed to Justine... a declaration would have been considered as the ramblings of a madman, and would not have exonerated the one who suffered because of me." Victor's creation was not meant to abolish his family, the internal conflict Victor experiences is that Justine experiences the suffering that Victor should feel, Victor is responsible for the monster's actions and should be found guilty of the crime. Victor has a positive side as he understands the effects his creation has brought on Justine and William, but his evil side is portrayed as he is not able to be upfront about his actions. Inside there are still thoughts about society's opinion, Victor risks his own family to cover up the terrible creation Victor has made. Additionally, Victor not only depicts an internal conflict due to his guilt, but also that life will change if people find out the truth. He believes the monster's actions will represent him, and Victor does not want to be seen as a person who created the monster. The evil that Victor portrays by letting his family members take responsibility for the monster's actions, shows how Victor is the real monster even though he meant good intentions by feeling sad and guilty. His internal conflict shows his good side as he doesn't want his family to be blamed for his actions, but at the same time he is in conflict with himself over what society will think of him for his creation, which leads him to make bad decisions. in his life. Similarly, Dr. Jekyll has an internal conflict as his potion transforms him into an evil person. Like when Dr. Jekyll leaves letters for Utterson explaining his double life as his good side turns to evil. It was at this point that Dr. Jekyll said: "I observed that when I wore the appearance of Edward Hyde,... This, I believe, was due to the fact that all human beings, such as ourselves we meet, are mixed with good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of humanity, was pure evil.” The internal conflict described shows how Dr. Jekyll prepared the potion to express his feelings without feeling guilty, while not perishing his reputation. Additionally, it shows his internal conflictwhile he gives his transformed ego a different name, Hyde is basically a disguise to cover, Dr. Jekyll is remorseful as he enjoys being Hyde. Additionally, it is implied that Dr. Jekyll is a depressed man who is hiding because of his violent impulses, he feels bad for not wanting to face the consequences of his action. Both Dr. Jekyll and Victor have internal conflicts as their actions cause them to feel guilty, at the same time they both understand their good and bad sides. their internal conflict is the regret they feel when they go to the bad side. This presents the internal conflict of the two protagonists, their evil side causes many horrible situations in their lives. It presents that a man can be good or bad, but society can only see the pure side of the heart. Both Victor and Jekyll have evil sides, the shame they have shows their empathy, but the evil side is superior because they do nothing to fix their actions. (need transition to next argument) Both protagonists develop traits of secrecy as their inventions cause both men to make decisions that affect their relationship with people in society. Victor's creation makes him anxious because the monster cannot be discovered by his longtime friend Henry. As Henry arrives in Ingolstadt, Victor explains how busy he is without going into detail. Victor soon invites Henry to his apartment, with Victor anxiously reflecting: “I was afraid of seeing this monster, but I was even more afraid of Henry seeing him.” Victor is more concerned about Henry finding out what he's been working on for the last few years. , rather than security. Victor's secret ruins his relationship with Henry because he is not himself, Victor does not show the fear he has but rather shows pride towards Henry to hide his emotions. Henry always considered Victor to be an intelligent young man. Victor believes that if he explained his suffering, Henry would lose his admiration for him as a scientist. This makes their relationship very different, as Henry would be placed in a superior position when helping Victor, something Victor is not used to. Just as importantly, Dr. Jekyll develops traits of secrecy as he is afraid of ruining his well-known name. In the letter that Dr. Jekyll wrote before his death, he sets out his perception of both sides, saying: “Therefore I have hid my pleasures; ...I was already engaged in deep duplicity on my part...I looked at them and hid them with an almost morbid feeling of shame.” Dr. Jekyll keeps his evil side a secret because he wants to portray a person with a high social status in society. Dr. Jekyll wants his actions to remain hidden, so that he can integrate into society. The decision to keep his evil side a secret makes his evil side stronger and more damaging when it breaks free, this is due to the reason why Dr. Jekyll's emotions are repressed for a very long time. This affects his relationship with society, because when Dr. Jekyll becomes evil, he ends up committing crimes, which makes him more vulnerable to members of society who discover the truth about him. Ultimately, both Dr. Jekyll and Victor develop the secret for selfish purposes, they are both ashamed and want to keep their evil repressed to maintain high social status. This jeopardizes their relationships with friends and society. Both protagonists hide their evil side in the hopes that society only knows them as being highly respected scientists, they are not suspected of being evil because they will do anything to protect their name. Through the portrayal of the character, both companies present a positive attitude towards Victor. and Dr. Jekyll, but.933)