Behavior as an Outcome of Unconscious Interaction
Behavior is an outcome of an unconscious interaction. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel that was published by Robert Louis in the year 1886. Even though it was developed earlier before the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Fred, it can be closely associated with the concepts about behavior as discussed in theory. From a glance, the novel can be considered to be just a scientific work of fiction which its remedy is coming with unpredictable side impacts (Siegfried 2014). It presents a better way of comprehending the plot in the narrative whereas the psychoanalytic approaches established a new platform to perceive the interaction between Jekyll and Hyde. About Freud's Psychoanalytic theory, the narrative can be considered to be Jekyll's inner struggle of his conscious state.<\/p>
Key Concepts in the Plot
To make a better psychoanalytic approach to the book, it is important to first mention a few key concepts in the plot. The novel puts its center of focus in Utterson who is an ally and a lawyer. For the beginning of the novel, Utterson starts by having a conversation with his ally who had earlier on observed a strange scenario.\u00a0 Hyde had just run over a lady and later to compensate the family with a check from Jekyll. What makes the scenario to be even unique is the changing nature of Jekyll's will thus leaving Henry to take control of the inheritance. As a result; John feels that the two are distinct persons and perceived Hyde was oppressing Jekyll. John then asks Jekyll about Hyde. Jekyll instructs him just to mind his own business. John would not be at a position of just minding his of business. As a result, behavior becomes an outcome of an unconscious interaction between the ego, the id and the superego.<\/p>
The Impact of Hyde's Immoral Nature<\/h3>
\u201cHe had in his hand a heavy cane, with which he was trifling; but he answered never a word, and seemed to listen with an ill-contained impatience.\u201d Within one year, Hyde encounters another person whom he beats up with a cane until death. After the incidence, the police entailed John in the case as they believed that he knew the victim. John takes the police to Hyde's house, and they gathered their first evidence by finding the murder weapon that John ha given to Jekyll as a gift. This helps to depict Hyde\u2019s immoral nature and how it drives him to doing evil.\u00a0 In a second instance, John seeks to inquire more of Hyde from Jekyll who tells him that Hyde just escaped.\u00a0 Jekyll then gives a goodbye note that was left by Hyde. John saw the handwriting was similar to that of Jekyll's. Within a short period, the departure of Mr Hydes transformed into becoming a reality as a result of Hyde going I into missing. His non-appearance impresses Jekyll. Later, in the novel, John's ally died and just before his death, he had left a letter that he addressed to Jekyll and the letter was only to be opened after his death. Following the above series of events, Jekyll now begins to conduct himself in a funny manner where he locks himself up in his laboratory (Steveneson 2014). John then breaks into the laboratory since they heard a voice that was different from that of the doctor. To their surprise they find Hyde dressed up in the Doctor's clothes but death. He had committed suicide, and his body just rested next to the letter.\u00a0 John gets access to the two letters, and at home, he tries to read them. The letter from his friend stated that Hyde and Jekyll were similar persons and only that they kept transforming to and fro. The other letter deliberated on the reasons for the transformation. Jekyll wanted to make a distinction between his good and bad perspectives. Later he put into place several trials to stop the changes, but none of them brought forth a positive outcome.<\/p>
The Gothic Element in the Novel<\/h2>
It gives narrations about a man who keeps changing between two personae (Stevenson 2918, p. 106). Henry Jekyll and Hyde. The novel exemplifies a gothic genre. Gothic narratives do depict elements from disgust narrations with components from the romantic stories. Some of the examples of the disgust elements in the novel include the character making transformations on murder, potions and finally taking away his life. The romantic constituent in the novel is encountered in the subject of science and nature.\u00a0 These kinds of novels as well depict the human mind and supernatural scenarios as well (Siegfried 2014). In the novel, the phrase Henry and Hyde are used to denoting person conduct cannot be resigned with one another. The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide is one of the critical fiction narratives which is grounded on several foundation templates developed by Mary Shelley. In the two novels, a literate man carries out experiments which later go beyond his control. The purpose of the experiments is to depict the best limits of human ambition, and they try to question the idea of whether human being needs to be given autonomy on scientific knowledge. The narrative is equally associated with gothic detective status (Shylaja 2015). In the narration, writers provide contesting observer perspectives for the most troubling scenarios where the normal detective body is trying to create sense from the scenarios. The novel depicts the duality theme whereby there are two personalities that are present within a single body. With that component, the novel can be subject to criticism. In several occasions, Jekyll is illustrated to be a superego, which is the part of the human conscious tasked with controlling the desires of the id and then later sieve them through communally accepted tasks. Even then, in cases where repression of the id occurs instead of it being incorporated in a functional mind the person's conduct will grow unpredictably. It is mandatory that anything that is subjected to repression will one day come to manifest itself (Heath 1986). The psychologists refer to this as the return of the introverted.<\/p>
Jekyll's Struggle for Control<\/h3>
\u201cMy drugs were in one of the presses of my cabinet; how was I to reach them?\u201d In the works of Stevenson, Jekyll is seen to be unable to take control of his changing ego, and his distinctiveness is disjointed in into Jekyll and Hyde. Later the Hyde character starts to manifest itself unpredictably. The id, as depicted in the character of Hyde needs more magnitudes of subjugation. An example is the full subjugation of the character by Jekyll denying taking the drugs causing change (Gorvel 2008).\u00a0 The highest levels of subjugation are self-eradication. This is evident from the scenario where Jekyll takes his life just for the sake of oppressing Hyde. The most critique on the novel is the questioning of the nature of the oppressed subject. The most unfamiliar vices that Jekyll is pushed to take action on are not predetermined, but the answers to the question can be the urge to engage in homosexuality and illegal use of drugs. Stevenson's article can be closely associated with the 19th century works like \u2018The picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wild. The novels in that expose the life in London by illustrating the major themes like homosexuality and homoerotic. The characters are just bachelors who are not willing to engage with women (Corlett 2018). They just move by the London streets where they meet with one another. They just lead secret lives as they send each other letters that have private messages. Since his childhood, Jekyll possessed needs that were not communally liked nor recognized (Stevenson 2015). As a result, Jekyll was pressured to act about the inevitable desires. Finally, he finds the costs associated with his lifestyle to be unbearable, and thus he takes his own life. The novel explicitly illustrates Jekyll's desire and need for drugs. It equally reveals Jekyll's weaknesses in controlling his body in the absence of drugs. His mood swings as a result of overlying on drugs are also evident.<\/p>
The Three Components of the Human Mind<\/h2>
"Man is not truly one, but truly two."\u00a0 There are three major components of the human mind that are considered in the psychoanalytic theory. They include the id, the ego, and the superego. When combined they form what is termed as the psych apparatus. The id is closely linked with pleasure, and it is the one that dictates our inner internal needs. The apparatus needs a regulator since it is grounded on gratification. On the other hand, the superego depicts our state of being moral and most importantly it is a behavior that we can learn from the parents. The apparatus makes us go on with satisfying our needs just using the best means that are accepted by society. Last, the ego comes in between the id and the superego to make a balance. As the id is struggling to attain its immediate desires without patience and the superego struggling to maintain the social and the cultural conducts, the ego now becomes the point of reference between the two. It, therefore, plays a major role in ensuring that we attain our desires by upholding both morality and social norms. The ego is seen to be the one that impacts on a person's every day to day engagement. In whichever we conduct ourselves to the world; it is just a clear representation of how the ego is taking control over the superego and the id. The id is about instincts, the ego about reality and the superego about morality (Stevenson 2015). The above approach comes into the novel in different ways. When concluding the narration, Jekyll is illustrating his thoughts about the investigation by saying, "was radically both." He is just deliberating on the good and bad sides that are within a man. As he was struggling to keep his natural desires, he started dreaming about making a distinction between good, morality and the self-evil. The war that is within him depicts the functioning of the id and the superego in the absence of the ego to take control of the two.<\/p>
The Battle Between Internal Desires and External Appearance<\/h3>
\u201cUtterson desired the society of his surviving friend.\u201d From the context, the superego is portrayed by the community where Jekyll's pressure to control his desires stems from the need to appear rational before the public. Since the early childhood, Jekyll was associated with the society, and thus he developed the desire to conduct himself morally (Siegfried 2014). The ego tries to balance the internal desires and the external appearance but Jekyll's status does force him to make several attempts to suppress the id as he embraced the superego. This is evident from where Stevenson quotes, "I for my part and the nature of my life, advanced infallibly in one direction and in one direction only. It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and the primitive duality of man." (1801). Jekyll illustrates some form of ego as he struggles to take control of his basic propensities in line with the community's anticipations. He is deliberating his external being as, "good among my fellow men." And he depicts it as possessing, "every guarantee of an honorable and distinguished future" He is illustrating his competence in keeping societal morals and being under control of the society. His self-being justified his obedience to the superego. In the novel, Jekyll maintains his ego as compared to any other character in the narration (Gorvell 2008). Consequently, he can give in to the demands of the id by desiring to transform himself to Hyde. The ego can choose to lean to either side. On the other hand, Hyde is somehow different, and he is perceived to be wicked. By embracing the violent propensities of the id, his conduct is evident. He is seen just to pass over the body of a child, and he as well punishes a man to death by just using a cane thus making the strong desires of the id be a reality. The id is not regretful of its conduct, and it is the same case with Mr. Hyde who does not feel any sense of remorse for the oversight (Shyalaja 2015). His main purpose is only to get the satisfaction of his desires. Mr. Hyde should have taken control of his desires as did Jekyll, but it is not the case. In the duality of humans, Jekyll recognizes this from the time he spends to satisfy the superego, and finally, he transforms to Hyde.<\/p>
Conclusion<\/h2>
Behavior is an outcome of an unconscious interaction. Dr. Jekyll struggles as much as he can to take control of his nature, but at long last, he fails she transforms into Hyde. The difficulties that Jekyll encounters in the desire to adhere to the communal norms and desire to self-satisfaction is a true depiction of what every human being undergoes before portraying his conduct.<\/p>
Works Cited
Stevenson, Robert Louis. "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." Medicine and Literature, Volume Two. CRC Press, 2018. 105-118.
(Pdf provided already)
Siegfried, William. "The Formation and Structure of the Human Psyche." Athena Noctua: Undergraduate Phylosopy
Journal (2014): 1-3. http://www.gtm.fau.edu/athenenoctua/pdfs/William%20Siegfried.pdf
Gorvel, Jean-Pierre. "Brucella: a Mr “Hide” converted into Dr Jekyll." Microbes and infection 10.9 (2008): 1010-1013.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micinf.2008.07.007
Heath, Stephen. "Psychopathia sexualis: Stevenson's strange case." Critical Quarterly 28.1 (1986): 93-108.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8705.1986.tb00248.x
Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-With Audio Level 4 Oxford Bookworms Library. Oxford University Press, 2014.
https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=S7FoBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT8&dq=Heath,+Stephen.+%22Psychopathia+sexualis:+Stevenson%27s+strange+Stevenson,+Robert+Louis.+Dr+Jekyll+and+Mr+Hyde-With+Audio+Level+4+Oxford+Bookworms+Library.+Oxford+University+Press,+2014.case.%22+Critical+Quarterly+28.1+(1986):+93-108.&ots=FmhgdNOa3T&sig=bovKetNr8Do-zikqwcsrqIeQPqw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Shyalaja, K. S. "Case of Psycho-Analysis in RL Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies 2.4 (2015): 71-73.
http://ijmas.com/upcomingissue/14.04.2015.pdf
Corlett, Michael. "Sexual Orientation and Identity in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." Literary Cultures 1.1 (2018).
[PDF] ntu.ac.uk
