Personal Transformation in Times of Dilemma

M whatever wonder what causes wiz to change a change of psyche. It happens in times of struggle and dilemma, when the line between right and ill-timed is skewed. much everyplace the cause of one to go against what they previously valued is as unique as the situation itself. In the humbug Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, these transformations are seen in characters of all backgrounds. Their Jump from one end of the ideological spectrum to the other is what the figment aims to spotlight. Many are put in situations of constant stress and conflict, which seem to bring out a more unfamiliar disposition.This instability brings the possibility of the characters universe psychopathic, more prominently seen in the character Jekyll. When face with moral and ethical dilemma, the characters of Stevensons Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde experience abnormal personal transformation due to trauma and psychopathic episodes. These dilemmas pushing characters the like the restrained and reasonable Jekyll to become beast-like Hyde. Constantly faced with the moral limits of his inhalation, Jekyll transformed into a valet de chambre with none of his prior values. The most prominent personal transformation in the story was faced by Jekyll.Beginning as a man of order, the pursuit of his twisted medical experimentations drove him to become an adapted being. The altered being was Hyde, a man without the restraints and gentleman-like qualities that defined Jekyll. Stevensons aim was to attempt to describe the nature of an anomaly, (Rosner. ) Whether the King 2 change Jekyll experienced is capable in all people, or Just a special few, is the capitulum the Stevenson raised. The story featured a wide array of characters to show the many forms of transformation that people bed face.Characters were given ersonalities and ideologies that were applicable to all people of the Victorian era. Utterson, an austere and honest man, along with Jekyll, represent the conservative side of the moral spectr um. The two men are focused and ethically restrained. While men like them were commonplace in the Victorian era, the generally straitlaced culture would likewise take a cost on the mind. Although he was a Lawyer, Utterson found that his ambitions were subdued by societal and personal restraints. He still remained on his original path, up until he became a close friend of Jekyll.Jekyll epresents what could be called moral insanity, (Rosner. ) moral insanity is defined as a morbid perversion of the natural feelings, affections, inclinations, temper, habits, moral dispositions, and natural impulses, without any remarkable disorder or defect of the intellect or knowing and reasoning faculties, (Rosner. ) While ab initio Jekyll may non fit this description, as he continues down his dark path it becomes ever more prevalent. Moral insanity represents Hyde in Jekyll. Hyde embodies mans farthest reach from order and restraint he attacks the innocent on impulse, and uides his flavour wi th beast-like aptitude.This savage nature does not abide well with the culture in which ne lives, as his primal ambitions are quelled by family . This side of Jekyll represents the terminal end of ambition, and the wild come across it has over those who feed on it. The three main characters of the story each represent distinct dispositions untouchable restraint, King 3 strong ambition, and one that is torn between the two. The restrained Utterson is conflicted with the dullness of his everyday life and his ambition to act on the curious life of Dr. Jekyll. He sees the dark temptations that wait for him along that path, which makes him cautious.Hyde represents the burning ambition within Jekyll. Though his intellect remains, it cannot save him from the moral weakness that Hyde originates from. Hyde seeks to take over his other fractional by tempting it with wild ambition and exorbitance. From the extremes of the two previous characters, Jekylls struggle in emphasized. The stress ful dual-life that he lives causes him to drift farther away from the norms of society. The less in touch he got with society, the more he began to pursue his dark experimentations. Hyde gained strength the more this happened, which led to an increase in psychopathic episodes from Jekyll. It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man was radically both. I had learned to dwell with separation of these elements. If each, I told myself, could be housed in separate identities, life would be assuage of all that was unbearable, (pg. 123. ) Jekyll recalls his history and struggles with the duality of man. He has seen men transformed by the weightings of life, which in turn has spurred one of his own. Throughout the story, Jekyll distances himself farther and farther from societal norms.The self-inflicted alienation, combined with his Hyde personality, make him a psychopath. As his transformation into Hyde continues, so does his psychopathic symptoms. One of Jekylls more prominent psychopathic events is when he brutally clubbed to death Sir Danvers Carew. Sir Carew was a extremity of Parliament and a client of Utterson. Jekyll had no connection with the man. Hyde, having no moral or social mores that pick up be followed, (Sing, King 4 Chakrabarti,) impulsively bludgeons the man then flees. This impetuous act brings to light a ferocious quality looming within Jekyll.He attempts to defend himself, saying l cannot say I care what becomes of Hyde. I am quite done with him. I was thinking of my own character, (pg. 53. ) While Jekyll may believe that the heinous acts Hyde commits distances the two, it actually strengthens their bond. Both Poole and Mr. Guest begin to realize that Jekyll is covering up Hydes tracks, which makes Utterson increasingly distraught over his friend. Such a psychotic event brings about a transformation within Jekyll, by not only feeding Hydes cultivate, but getting himsel f urther entwined with his other self.Jekylls transformation takes place as he alienates himself from society in order to find salvation from his condition. Throughout the story, Lanyon recalls Jekylls pursuit of scientific heresies, (pg 35. ) Though it was clear that Hydes influence was increasing, Jekyll was able to maintain the desire to remain Jekyll. Sadly, that desire contributed to his utter transformation. Focusing on his eccentric studies, he was under constant stress from Hyde and Society. The distress he suffered from caused his mind to weaken.Lanyon saw the consequences ot Jekylls research, stating He began to go wrong, wrong in his mind, (pg. 21 . ) The point at which he went wrong from was the untainted Jekyll, whom Lanyon was proud to be introduce with. What drove the two apart was their personal involvement in the sciences, as Jekyll has much more of a cause to persevere than Lanyon. Now alone, Jekyll let the sciences overwhelm and define the direction of his life. I n his letter to Lanyon at the end of the story, Jekyll describes himself living under a blackness of distress, (pg. 107,) to whichLanyon came to the conclusion that his colleague was insane, (pg 107. ) Jekyll truly crumbled under the weight of his scientific salvation. Not only did it leave him weak enough for Hyde to take over his mind, but it also King 5 contributed to his psychopathic tendencies. Jekylls dilemma tested the boundaries of scientific ambition and ones morals. He showed how those guided by logic and reason can still succumb to ferocious ambition. Stevenson carefully crafted each character of the story to show different ideological standpoints reaction to the same dilemma.Jekylls psychopathic episodes rought about further transformation into Hyde, as well as increased the overall severity of his psychopathy. He was battling the influence of Hyde while also severe to find a cure for his condition. He was different in mental and physical attributes that were constantly at war with each other, (Sing, Chakrabarti. ) Personal transformation was evident in this story, with distress and psychopathic episodes clearly being the cause. Whether or not such transformation is capable in everyone, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows that duality is strengthened by distress and psychopathy.