Similarities Between Hyde And Frankenstein

Jeanette Galvez
Professor Esther Houghtaling
ENG 2013.02
8 December 2015

Both novels by Stevenson and Mary Shelley showed similarities in themes concerning the limits of nature. In Frankenstein a monster is created from different body parts to bring to life and that in itself is challenging the balance between the rules of nature and man, “One man's life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought, for the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race” (Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft 4.21). Dr. Jekyll created a potion that allowed him to separate himself and his evil side, Mr. Hyde. This also challenges the rules of nature "All human beings are commingled out of good

and evil" (Stevenson 10.6).
In both cases there is a consequence for what was done, almost like a punishment from God if it seen from a religious aspect. Victor Frankenstein had an ambition of distinguishing himself in science with his unholy creation but instead created a monster that killed his friend and brother and in the end Victor also dies as a result from his ambition. Keeping with the theme of ambition and consequence, Dr. Jekyll’s ambition in successfully creating a potion that released his evil side, Mr. Hyde became a constant struggle for control. In the end his consequence for his desire to go beyond the limits of nature to the unknown is to be taken over by his evil side. Death seems to be the ultimate punishment for both scientists in the novels.
Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Frankenstein are both scientists who try to revolutionize society’s views of the meaning of life through their controversial experiments which both end in tragedy. Nothing good came from the creation of the monsters; they were both unfit for the human world and only brought sorrow, death, and misery to both scientists and the people around them. By the end of each experiment and the successful creations both Dr. Jekyll and Victor Frankenstein regretted what they had created because they did not know what they were getting themselves into by exploring the unknown and breaking the rules of nature. There are some things in the world that are not meant to be explored and rules that must be followed.
We can relate to the suffering in Frankenstein because at one point or another we all know what it's like to be excluded, to feel like we are inferior from everyone else, and to feel hatred and envy of others. Frankenstein's creature is part of his creator just as Hyde is a part of Jekyll. Both the creature in Frankenstein and the evil side of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, speak best to today’s readers because they both are exposing the monsters that either live inside us all or the monsters that we can become from hatred and exclusion.

Works Cited
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Lincoln: U of Nebraska, 1990. Print.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. Charlottesville, Va.: U of Virginia Library, 1996. Print.