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A review by thyprecious
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. by Robert Louis Stevenson
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This collection includes three novellas, each raising moral dilemmas and exploring the versatility of the human nature.
The first story is why I picked up this book in the first place: the famous Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Either because of the once heard details of the story or because I’m an a bit more experienced reader than your average Victorian lady, but I quickly figured out the secret of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which in no way spoiled the impression. In the best tradition of gothic horror fiction, this piece of literature delivers a gloomy atmosphere, cryptic experiments and a gruesome murder. I believe that here, the main object of study is surely the duality of human nature.I found that however beastly and cruel Edward Hyde was, Henry Jekyll was not all good either. To think about it, the fact that he is fully aware of his own decisions, and has his own judgment, makes him an even worse person than Mr Hyde who only possesses the negative traits of character.
I shall think that the morale of the story is that if you try to suppress the dark traits of your character instead of acknowledging, seeing and embracing or improving it, it’ll do no good. The very idea of it contradicts what adulthood is all about - being mindful of the consequences of your actions when making choices. There’s good and evil in every one of us, and that’s what makes us human.
To my surprise, despite having only the above mentioned story title on the cover, this edition contained two more curious works.
The Misadventures of John Nicholson I have not encountered before, and it turned out to be quite a sad story. The hero was indeed a very misfortunate man from the early age.
He falls victim of lack of support and understanding in his own family, his father being a rather cold and strict figure, and his religious upbringing posing even more austerity. Would the story take a different turn had John felt that he could safely be seen and heard by his parent? At least, he would’ve considered staying instead of running away. Not to condone his poor choices and blame everything on the parents, however, I truly believe that it did affect his character.
This all said, I have to admit John was truly unfortunate, and he hardly deserves the many misadventures he had to endure. The final chapter - thankfully - gives hope for a better future.
The third piece, Markheim, though the shortest of three, I found harder to wade through, be it due to a late hour or initial lack of understanding the character’s motivations. Surely it is another study of the good and the evil; Markheim - our hero - enters the antique shop with an intention of getting his hands on a large amount of money. However, theft somehow escalates irreversibly to murder. We are presented with an internal struggle to make a choice between falling into a downward spiral or stopping and realising the committed actions, and consequences coming along.
In general, this was a great example of an older classic with its special charm, measured narration, and exploration of the human soul.
The first story is why I picked up this book in the first place: the famous Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Either because of the once heard details of the story or because I’m an a bit more experienced reader than your average Victorian lady, but I quickly figured out the secret of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which in no way spoiled the impression. In the best tradition of gothic horror fiction, this piece of literature delivers a gloomy atmosphere, cryptic experiments and a gruesome murder. I believe that here, the main object of study is surely the duality of human nature.
I shall think that the morale of the story is that if you try to suppress the dark traits of your character instead of acknowledging, seeing and embracing or improving it, it’ll do no good. The very idea of it contradicts what adulthood is all about - being mindful of the consequences of your actions when making choices. There’s good and evil in every one of us, and that’s what makes us human.
To my surprise, despite having only the above mentioned story title on the cover, this edition contained two more curious works.
The Misadventures of John Nicholson I have not encountered before, and it turned out to be quite a sad story. The hero was indeed a very misfortunate man from the early age.
He falls victim of lack of support and understanding in his own family, his father being a rather cold and strict figure, and his religious upbringing posing even more austerity. Would the story take a different turn had John felt that he could safely be seen and heard by his parent? At least, he would’ve considered staying instead of running away. Not to condone his poor choices and blame everything on the parents, however, I truly believe that it did affect his character.
This all said, I have to admit John was truly unfortunate, and he hardly deserves the many misadventures he had to endure. The final chapter - thankfully - gives hope for a better future.
The third piece, Markheim, though the shortest of three, I found harder to wade through, be it due to a late hour or initial lack of understanding the character’s motivations. Surely it is another study of the good and the evil; Markheim - our hero - enters the antique shop with an intention of getting his hands on a large amount of money. However, theft somehow escalates irreversibly to murder. We are presented with an internal struggle to make a choice between falling into a downward spiral or stopping and realising the committed actions, and consequences coming along.
In general, this was a great example of an older classic with its special charm, measured narration, and exploration of the human soul.