I keep mental lists of all my rants. Um... the first one that comes to mind is my Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rant, so I guess I'll do that one.
A year or two back, I finally picked up the book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and read it. Of course, like most people, I'd seen it referenced in a lot of other places. I knew it was about the nature of people and good and evil and split personalities and all kinds of fun things, so I was eager to read it. When I did, though, I was sorely disappointed.
The main story goes something like this: Jekyll brews a potion that turns him into a monster and all. He likes the freedom of being a monster but, when he actually has to be accountable for the things his monster side, Hyde, does, he can't stop changing into him!
It's been a while since I read it, so forgive me if I get details wrong.
But the thing that astounded me was that apparently, Hyde was supposed to be the evil one.
Come ON!
Look, Hyde is described as giving off an aura of unpleasantness (maybe he doesn't bathe...?) that everyone else finds repulsive. He's kind of rude to people. He also once, while turning a corner, accidentally ran over a little girl (who was not even hurt. In the least. She started crying because she was freaked out. Pft). Yeah, he killed someone, but I'll address that later.
But JEKYLL is the one who let him loose! Jekyll, as a scientist/doctor guy, doesn't take ANY responsibility for Hyde at all! He's perfectly fine with letting Hyde do whatever he wants, until Hyde DOES actually kill someone.
And when Hyde's murdered the guy, you might expect his good side, Jekyll, to, y'know, REGRET it a bit. "Oh, no! What have I done!? How could I unleash this monster that is me upon the world? I only wish I could pay back this life that I've stolen in my selfishness! These hands--MY hands--have shed innocent blood!!!"
But no!
Instead, his reaction is pretty much, "oh dear, I guess I just committed murder. The police are gonna be after me now. I'd better go on the run. Darn it!"
I find it hard to believe that Hyde's the evil one!
And as for that murder thing in the first place--This is how the murder scene went down.
Setting: a nearly-empty street on an ominously dark night.
Hyde walks down the street, shaking his cane scoldingly at puppy dogs and flowers and everything that's not as cranky as he is.
A Random Dude walks up.
Random Dude: Hi there!
Hyde: (angry grumble)
Random Dude: Do you have the time?
Hyde: ...Wait, you're TALKING to me? I thought I gave off some kind of aura that warded off everything with the slightest bit of sense.
Random Dude: Sense? Huh? No, I don't have SENSE. I'm oblivious and annoying.
Hyde: What a lovely combination.
Random Dude: So yeah, what time is it?
Hyde: It's the middle of the night! Why are you wandering around asking me what time it is?
Random Dude: Do you have the time?
Hyde: I'm not going to tell you the time, you cretin!
Random Dude: PLEASE tell me the time?
Hyde: No.
Random Dude: Pretty please?
Hyde: NO!
Random Dude: Pretty pretty pretty (this goes on for a while) PRETTY please with a cherry on top?
Hyde: NO!!!!!!
Random Dude: Pr--
Hyde: (whacks him with a cane, like every reader has been wanting to do ever since he showed up)
Random Dude: (dies)
Hyde: ...Aw crap.
Hyde walks down the street, shaking his cane scoldingly at puppy dogs and flowers and everything that's not as cranky as he is.
A Random Dude walks up.
Random Dude: Hi there!
Hyde: (angry grumble)
Random Dude: Do you have the time?
Hyde: ...Wait, you're TALKING to me? I thought I gave off some kind of aura that warded off everything with the slightest bit of sense.
Random Dude: Sense? Huh? No, I don't have SENSE. I'm oblivious and annoying.
Hyde: What a lovely combination.
Random Dude: So yeah, what time is it?
Hyde: It's the middle of the night! Why are you wandering around asking me what time it is?
Random Dude: Do you have the time?
Hyde: I'm not going to tell you the time, you cretin!
Random Dude: PLEASE tell me the time?
Hyde: No.
Random Dude: Pretty please?
Hyde: NO!
Random Dude: Pretty pretty pretty (this goes on for a while) PRETTY please with a cherry on top?
Hyde: NO!!!!!!
Random Dude: Pr--
Hyde: (whacks him with a cane, like every reader has been wanting to do ever since he showed up)
Random Dude: (dies)
Hyde: ...Aw crap.
...I think that's about all I have to say about that.
But in conclusion:
The story was written as an allegory for good and evil. To me, this does not work at all--mostly because the "good" side was morally ambiguous at best and completely corrupt at worst, and because the "evil" side's worst crime was crankiness and not knowing his own strength. And when your characters are as annoying as the guy Hyde killed, can you really blame your audience for sympathizing with your villain?
The story might read better if you take Jekyll to be the Superego, who is concerned with society's rules and how he will be perceived; and Hyde as the Id, who does whatever he feels like doing without letting other people dictate his actions. But if this is how the book's supposed to be read, what's the moral?
Disclaimer: As I've said, I haven't picked up this book in years. I just picked out the rant from where I stored it in my brain. If I'm inaccurate in my recollections of the plot, characters, etc., I beg your forgiveness.
But in conclusion:
The story was written as an allegory for good and evil. To me, this does not work at all--mostly because the "good" side was morally ambiguous at best and completely corrupt at worst, and because the "evil" side's worst crime was crankiness and not knowing his own strength. And when your characters are as annoying as the guy Hyde killed, can you really blame your audience for sympathizing with your villain?
The story might read better if you take Jekyll to be the Superego, who is concerned with society's rules and how he will be perceived; and Hyde as the Id, who does whatever he feels like doing without letting other people dictate his actions. But if this is how the book's supposed to be read, what's the moral?
Disclaimer: As I've said, I haven't picked up this book in years. I just picked out the rant from where I stored it in my brain. If I'm inaccurate in my recollections of the plot, characters, etc., I beg your forgiveness.
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