DR - Jekyll and MR - Hyde
DR - Jekyll and MR - Hyde
DR - Jekyll and MR - Hyde
I WAS born in the year 18 to a large fortune; and, at a fairly early age, I discovered
that I had a taste for science, and was intelligent enough and rich enough to follow any
scientific inquiry which appealed to me. I was fond of the respect of my fellow men, and it
seemed certain that a distinguished future lay before me.
My chief fault was the fact that I had a liking for gaiety, and there was a certain wildness
in my nature which did not fit in with the common picture of a grave and learned doctor or
scientist. I found it hard to combine these tastes with the image I wished to present to the public
eye. So it came about that I took many pleasure-and was guilty of many sins-in secret, behind
locked doors and without beat of drum.
When I reached years of reflection, and began to look around me and take stock of my
progress and not position in the world, I saw that I had, in fact lived not one life-but two. Most
men would have cared nothing for the sins I had committed, but the better side of my nature
regarded them, and hid them, with a strong sense of shame. It seemed to me that, although all
men are made up of good and evil parts, in my own case the dividing line was most clearly
marked. At various times, and according to the mood of the hour, I was either completely bad,
or wished to do only what was good and right.
Whichever side of me was in control, however I was always earnest. I was as much
myself when I performed an evil deed, in the dark of night, as when I worked, in the eye of
day, at the relief of pain and suffering
It chanced that my scientific studies, which led towards the mystic, began to throw a
strong light on this consciousness of the two sides of my nature. With every day that passed, I
drew steadily nearer to the truth by the discovery of which I have been brought to ruin and
disgrace: that man is not truly one, but truly two. I say two, because that state of my knowledge
does not pass beyond that point. Others will follow and develop my work farther than I have
dreamed.
For my part, I advanced in one direction only. It was on the moral side, and in my own
person, that I learned to recognise the two side of my nature; I saw that, even if I could rightly
be said to be either, it was only because I was both. I began to consider two elements. Was it
possible, I asked myself, that each could be set free to go on its own way? Was it not the curse
of mankind that these two elements were thus bound together, and always struggling to gain
the upper hand? But how could they be separated?
I reasoned with myself that if I could do this, then I could eradicate the unhappiness
that exists in the "darker self," the self that so often makes life seem unbearable. I saw my quest
as humanistic, for if I achieved my goal, man might walk more securely "on the upward path"
and no longer be exposed to the disgrace of evil.
To me, the curse of mankind seemed to be that man should have two separate natures
within himself, forces which were continually struggling with one another. Thus, I began to
speculate that our so-called "solid" body might not be so solid, after all. If one could find the
physical or psychic membrane that bound our duality, it would be possible to sever it. But
because I attempted to rid man of "the bad seed" that resides in him, I find now to my sorrow
that such a task is impossible. My discovery remains incomplete. I feel now that man is doomed
to lead a life which will always be a life of burden.
However, I tell myself, I tried to remove that burden, and I was able to discover a drug
that could extract the "lower elements" of myself. Moreover, I was able to look upon this "self"
and see that it, while ignoble, was a part of myself, therefore "natural."
I want you to know that I did nothing rashly. I attempted my experiment only after
much consideration, for I knew that I was risking death by using so potent a drug as I had
devised. But it was my extreme scientific curiosity that tempted me to try and reach into the
unknown and shatter the theory that man was indivisible. I was sure that human beings had at
least two distinct entities a good self and an evil self. My task was to use my body for my
experiment and try to extract my "evil" self.
I well remember the night I took the potion. I had bought a large quantity of a particular
salt that I knew would be the key catalyst; I mixed it with the other ingredients and watched
them boil and smoke and then, summoning up all the courage I had, I drank the potion. It began
working almost immediately: A grinding tore at my bones, I was racked with deadly nausea,
and when my mind cleared, I felt strangely younger, lighter, and happier. I felt new-born, and,
above all, absolutely free! I had no conscience. I was evil and wicked with no constraints.
I stretched my hands out in joy and was suddenly aware that not only had I changed
inwardly, but that I had changed physically. I had become stunted. Desperately, I sought a
mirror and dashed from the laboratory, ran across the courtyard and into my bedroom, where
there was a mirror. There, for the first time, I saw my evil side, Edward Hyde, sickly and
deformed, despite the fact that I seemingly felt younger and happier. Yet, when I looked upon
that ugly image before me, I felt no disgust, but rather a feeling of welcome. It was in my eyes,
a true image of the spirit; it seemed far more real than the divided character had called my own.
2. When Dr.Jekyll thought of the evil things that he had done, he was filled with a sense of
_______.
A. pride
B. shame
C. sorrow
D. satisfaction
3. Dr. Jekylls new being was different from his old self in the following ways EXCEPT
__________________
A. it was smaller
B. it was younger
C. it was more wicked
D. it was more intelligent
4. When Dr.Jekyll looked at the form of Edward Hyde, he had a feeling of ___________
A. happy
B. horror
C. disgust
D. welcome
Every statement below has an error. Underline the error and write the correct answer in the
space provided.
6. At an early age, Henry Jekyll discovered that he had an interest in history. ___________
7. Dr.Jekyll produced a salt that could control his mind completely and change his body
physically. ___________
Context Questions
9. What does Dr.Jekyll mean when he conclude that man is not truly one, but truly two?
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