Losing Control In Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

1004 Words3 Pages

“Dracula” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” are two works that exemplify the theme of Losing Control. Jonathan Harker, under the control of vampires, feels his sense of control weaken. While Dr. Jekyll played around with the dark side within himself and soon became the victim of his own work. Between the Harker feeling powerless and Dr. Jekyll unable to control his transformations, it is clear that this theme is more than prevalent. Nevertheless the idea of losing control is one that can change a life forever, just take a look at the endgame in both stories.
Dr. Jekyll always had Mr. Hyde inside of him, but it wasn’t til he took the potion that he actually came out. After much research Jekyll found a chemical solution …show more content…

He used Mr. Hyde as a release for his pent up behavior and a new way to express himself. All was well until he started to transform into Mr. Hyde during his sleep and soon began to realize the sheer power he had unleashed. He was losing control of the power he created, the power to feel freedom and invincibility, but instead the power started to control him. This resulted in Dr. Jekyll refusing to transform into Mr Hyde anymore, however the power he created had more power over him than he thought. His urge to transform one night was so strong that it forced him to do so, and feeling his power back, he brutally murdered Sir Danver Carew. The dark side of himself now had enough power to force Dr. Jekyll to cave into his impulses to induce the transformation. After realizing the tragedy that he had caused, Dr. Jekyll vowed again to stop the transformations, seeing as it would be the only thing to save him from himself. Nevertheless he had already lost control of his dark side, and it would only keep coming back to wreck havoc. Eventually one day, Dr Jekyll was in a park and transformed without the use of the potion, also for the …show more content…

Harker traveled to the Count's Castle to conclude a business deal about the sale of a property named Carfax. It wasn’t until after his arrival that he realized Dracula was no normal man. He received a warning to not go into any room but his own, however he defied this warning, resulting in three female vampires swarming over him. The Count burst in a pull the vampires away from Jonathan proclaiming, “When I am done with him you shall kiss him at your will” (Dracula Chapter 3). This makes Jonathan feel uneasy and horrified about his situation, as if he is losing control of his surroundings. He awakes the next day unsure if what had happened was a dream or reality. As time passes, he realizes more and more that he is a prisoner of the castle, doomed to be stuck there forever. He sees one day a group of Gypsies moving boxes and attempts to get them to post his letters. By throwing his letters out the window along with a gold piece, Harker makes a posting gesture, hoping they man will understand. Instead the letters end up in the hands of the Count, who confronts Jonathan about the matter. One letter is to Peter Hawkins about the trip while, “The other is a vile thing, an outrage upon friendship and hospitality!” ( Dracula Chapter 4) Harker comes to the conclusion that The Count has more power than he realized and fears he will never leave the castle,

Open Document