Hollie Wuestman

Major 20^th Century Literature

Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde

I am a doctor! I have many theories on human behavior and I am convinced that all human beings are conflicted with two personalities: good and evil. Why donít you people believe that I can help the people whom cannot balance these two personalities? I can help them control their behavior. Let me prove it to you ‚ let me test my drug on prisoners or mental patients to see if I really can help them attain the natural balance of life. You tell me that testing a drug on helpless humans is immoral, that I should stick to animals. I have tested animals extensively and my theories seem to hold truth. I cannot be certain unless I test human beings! Why canít you people see that this is drug can help benefit humanity?

I understand your rejection for the chance to test my drug on humans; however, I do believe in my theories and I will continue to research the fact that all people have two sides to them and I am determined to learn how to balance and control these personalities.

Those incompetent fools! Donít they realize that they are denying the world the greatest gift a man can offer them? The ability to truly understand oneself and the cause of their behavior? They cannot stop me from this project ‚ I have worked way too hard. If they wonít provide me with a subject to test, then I shall become the experimentís subject. Thatís itÖ..I will take the drug and monitor my behavior in my journal.

15 October 1856 ‚ 8 PM

I have just consumed ‡ cup of the chemical solution

It tastes a little sour ‚ I feel a little dizzy ‚ something is happeningÖÖ..

ÖÖÖÖÖ..

I feel such unbelievable freedom ‚ I feel invincible ‚ I feel ALIVEÖÖ.

16 October 1856 ‚ 3:32 AM

I donít recall anything that just happened. I am covered in blood and it does not appear to be mine. My laboratory is a mess. I do not like this one bitÖwhat is this I see on my counter? It appears to be a note:

My theory works! There truly are two sides to every human being. I must travel the world to seek out people that can benefit from my chemical solution. I need other subjects so that I can learn what happens when the "other" personality comes about.

Where should I begin? How about 18^th century France. Yes ‚ that sounds like a good time and place to begin my search for the perfect subject for my experiment. I am not so sure that I like it here. It is extremely dirty and the people are very poor. I need to find an interesting person to experiment with. I ask the local townspeople if there is any type of mental facility with patients. I met a perfumer named Guiseppe Baldini who told me of an unusual man by the name of Grenouille that used to work as his apprentice. He told me that he had an uncanny ability to create scents and a very peculiar sense of smell. That is it! He is the one ‚ I must find him. As I trek through the countryside I finally come to find this man living in solitude. Very interesting. He appears to be a very good man and I think I can help him become more socially accepted. I decided after a week of close examination to approach him. He told me that he could smell me and knew I was watching him. I was taken back by this oddity. He told me that he despised mankind and wanted to be left alone. I told him to try my chemical solution and it will help him see things differently. I explained to him that much like his love for scents and his desire to create the perfect scent for himself, I too have a desire to make my solution a successful attempt to explain mankindís behavior. After hours of persuading, he finally agreed to take my solution. Once he consumed the solution, his ideas of society changed and he wanted to go back to civilization and live like a human. I was overjoyed at my success. Now was the hard part. I had to observe my subject for another month to make sure his behavior remained in balance. Grenouille began acting a little peculiar when he caught glimpse of a young lady in the garden. It was more than lust, more powerful like hatred yet a sense of holiness. This troubles me. Just when I thought that all was well, "he" came back. The infamous Mr. Hyde. What is happening? I did not take the solution, but it triggered itself automatically. Mr. Hyde senses these intense feelings Grenouille is having towards the girl. Mr. Hyde thrives on the lust and sexuality. As if reading Mr. Hydeís mind, Grenouille begins to murder each girl he comes in "scent" with. The way Grenouille thrives on these girlsí scents in how Mr. Hyde thrives on evil deeds. I must make this end. Grenouille cannot continue to kill these young girls. I will turn him in to the authorities so that he gets caught. I will make sure that Grenouille is punished accordingly and I will deal with Mr. Hyde. This experiment is not going well. I just received word that Grenouille was murdered. My experiment is incomplete. I was not able to analyze the end results of my experiment.

Where should I go next ‚ what about China in the late 1960ís? Once again I have got to pick my subject. I think I should vary my experiment by not only choosing different cultures, but also different ages for my subjects. How about a young girl? Very well then. The best place to find a young girl is to go the Red Fire Farm. There are plenty of young women here that will gladly take a leave from the farm to aid me in my experiment. I need someone with a strong will that will be cooperative.

I canít see how anyone can even stand to live under these conditions! You have 6 ‚ 8 girls in a room. There is no privacy. You are worked day and night until you either pass out or it rains. Ridiculous. These leaders need more than any sort of help I can give them. They need lessons of cruelty to humanity. I am so disgusted by the living conditions and seeing how these women are treated, that I cannot even focus on my work. One morning in my observations, I ran into a young woman by the name of Anchee Min. She was a tough one. Very dedicated to her duties. I found her to be very interesting and I asked her to help me in my experiment. I told her that she would be able to leave the Red Fire Farm, but to my surprise she refused. She told me that her loyalty was to Mao, not to me. Very impressive. Although she refused me I was still obsessed to observe her behaviors. I see so much good in her, and I want to help free her. Although these conditions are atrocious, she still wants to stay. There is something else about her that I findÖÖÖoh no, not again. (Edward Hyde)ÖÖ.hello Dr. I told you that you couldnít get rid of me. What were you saying about the lovely Anchee Min? Let me elaborate for you. She is a peach. She is a pure, beautiful, innocent, naïve young lady. Vulnerable ‚ the way I like them. It excites me to see how much she desires Yan. I love that she is jealous and is simply bursting with sexuality. I think that I might just have to take her myself and show her a good timeÖ.what do you think Jekyll? GO AWAY Hyde. Leave this girl alone. Hasnít her life been hard enough? Donít do this. I want so much to stay and help Anchee, but if I donít leave now, I will cause her much harm.

Funny, although I did not get the chance to give her my chemical solution, I did notice a considerable amount of "evil" traits in Anchee that caused Mr. Hyde to get aroused. What does this mean about my experiment? How are these personalities invoked? What causes these feelings of jealousy? I need to do some more research in this matter. I still need to find myself the perfect subject. I am running out of time. I have to do this quickly without Hyde interferingÖÖ..

I must have had another black out. I am not sure where I amÖ..but it looks like Algiers. I have been following this interesting young man, Meursault all around town. I ate dinner at Celesteís where I learned that this young man had recently lost his mother. It was interesting because he does not appear to be grieving. At any rate, he seems like a decent guy. He works and he spends time with his friend Raymond and his girlfriend Marie. They all seemed to be going to the beach so I decided to follow them. I sure wish that I didnít. There seemed to be a confrontation between a bunch of men, but then it ended. But then, Meursault, this generally normal and good hearted guy killed an Arab in cold blood way after the confrontation ended! I canít believe my eyes. What could have been the reason for it? I can no longer see any good in himÖÖ(Mr. Hyde)Ö.That a boy Meursault! Kill him. All you wanted to do was help your friend Raymond out. That Arab will no longer harass you or your friends. He got exactly what was coming to him. He shouldnít fuck with people he doesnít know anyway. What ever you do, DONíT feel guilty. It was self-defense. Donít let them call you a murderer! When they ask you why you donít show remorse for this Arab or even the death of your mother, tell them it is none of their fucking business. Crying and pity are for weaklings. You are much tougher than that. Let them execute youÖ..you are going to hell anyway and it is a much better place than here anyway. I await your arrival my friend.

Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde ‚ In Hell (NO EXIT)

Dr. Jekyll: Valet, this MUST be a mistake. I am a doctor and I help people. I have never harmed a human being in my life.

Valet: Donít shoot the messenger, I just work here. I donít make the decisions; they come from a much higher order.

Dr. Jekyll: I just donít understand how this could be.

Inez: Quit your bitchiní and sit down. Since you are the last one in here, you donít get a sofa.

Estelle: Be nice to the handsome gentleman.

Inez: Donít start that crap again, Estelle.

Garcin: Hello, I am Garcin. Stay away from these two. One of them is a horny toad, and the other one is a ruthless bitch.

Dr. Jekyll: Thanks for the info.

Garcin: So we hear that you think you are here by mistake?

Dr. Jekyll: I am a doctor. I spent my entire life trying to help cure people. I have never done anyone wrong in my life.

Inez: That is ridiculous. We are all here for a reason. You just arenít thinking hard enough.

Estelle: I can help clear your mind.

Inez: For godís sake, he just got here.

Dr. Jekyll: Well there was a man, his name is Mr. Edward Hyde. He is a very bad man.

Garcin: What does that have to do with you?

Dr. Jekyll: I created him. He is my evil personality. I created a chemical solution that brings out a personís evil/bad side. I believe that everyone has a good and evil personality. I am not sure what he has done, but I know that he has committed terrible crimes.

Inez: Wow, some doctor. You created nothing but a monster and you certainly do belong here.

Dr. Jekyll: My life on earth was a living hell. Every 10 minutes this monster would take over my body and mind making me do things that I didnít know I was doing. It was constant wear and tear on my body.

Garcin: Well unfortunately it isnít going to get any better here. These are the worst bunch of broads to get stuck with too.

Dr. Jekyll: I guess you are right. I have to pay the price. I did it to myself and now I must deal with the consequences. All I have left is my journal.

October 18, 1857

(Dr. Jekyll) Along my way, I encountered a few other people that were also failures in my experiment. First I traveled back to Paris in the late 1930ís and I encountered a man by the name of Henry Miller. I thought he was rather interesting, but I came to realize he was simply a man that had no purpose in life but to eat, sleep, write and get laid. I was disgusted by the way he (and his friends) treated women. Their profanity was simply atrocious and they lived like animals. I didnít even want to spend time with him, but something kept me there. Some force from withinÖÖÖ..(Edward Hyde)ÖÖstupid man, I am what is holding you back. You wish you could live like Henry. Dear Henry. We have had some good times havenít we? I really loved taking that woman home with us last night. She was wonderful!! You were wonderful too. You should have stuck around to hear her scream. She was certainly a live one. She put up such a fight. That only makes it more exciting for me. I wanted to let her live because I wanted to be able to find her again and torture her all over again, but she ruined it. She called me a monster and I did not appreciate that. I had to punish her. She is in a better place anyway. We have to do that again one night, but you will have to stick around. Letís go beg Boris and Carl for some grub. I am starving!

(Dr. Jekyll)ÖÖ..my second encounter was a young woman by the name of Anais Nin. She was something else. No wonder Anais and Henry made such a perfect couple. Two of the most conceited, selfish, self-centered people I have ever met. They deserve each other. There is no good in her. How can I even begin to experiment with her. She has no respect for herself or others. She uses people. She doesnít know what love is. She even tried to get my to have sex with her. She is dirtyÖ..(Edward Hyde)ÖÖThis broad is great. She is really horny and kinky. I like her spirit. She is the first woman I have fucked the shit out of and I canít bare to think of taking her last breath. She is me in a womanís body (without the murder, but give me time to work on that). She is definitely capable of it ‚ I just know it. Anais Nin ‚ you are now my own personal project. You are evil to the core!!

(Edward Hyde)ÖÖÖÖnow you my little pretty Lolita. You have the spirit of my darling Anais, but you are still young. You, like Anais are going to be my project. You have potential. When you grow up, you will be just like Anais. Sex with you was delicious, but we need to get your up to par on your experience. We need to get you to sleep with many more partners, and maybe Anais can show you a trick or two. Donít be afraid of me, you are safe here with meÖ..(Dr. Jekyll)Ö.terrible how this young girl has already been exposed to the evil in this world. Incest is wrong. What is wrong with that man. How could he make this girl do such things. I cannot help you child. You are too evil to turn back. I am so sorry that I failed you and I was unable to help you

As time goes on I realize that I have done more harm than good. Mr. Hyde continued to commit terrible crimes of murder, sex and other evil deeds. He is killing me from within my own body and he must be stopped. The only way to free myself of him is to destroy the chemical solution so that he can no longer change back into me. He will go crazy and since he lacks all sense of morality, eventually he will commit suicide (I hope)!

Song for Dr. Henry Jekyll & Mr. Edward Hyde

"Good ëNí Evil"

Good and evil

And their merits

Men have argued through history

As well as they should!

My philosophy

And child can see

Good is Evil

And therefore

Evil is Good!

How do you tell Evil from Good?

Evil does well ‚ Good not so Good!

Evilís the one that is free everywhere

Good is the one that they sell!

You must decide which is Heaven

Which is Hell!

Good men manintain Evilís a curse!

But is it plain Goodís even worse!

Evilís the one that they tell you to shun

Good is the one to embrace

Say that and Satan will laugh right in your face!

The battle between Good and Evil

Goes back to the start

Adam and Eve and the apple tore Eden apart!

The key thing about Good ëNí Evil

Each man has to choose!

Heaven ëNí Hell

Is a helluva gamble to lose!

But as I persue

The world we abuse

Itís Hell that we choose

And Heaven must lose!

Evil is everywhere

Good doesnít have a prayer!

Good is commenable

Evilís dependable!

Evil is viable

Goodís unreliable!

Good may be thankable!

Evil is bankable!

Evilís for me! You can have Good!

Doesnít suit me to be Robin Hood!

SíEasier by far, from the way that things are,

To remain Good ëNí Evil

Than try to be Evil and Good!

PART TWO

In this section, I will briefy describe how I felt about the some of the writings of each author.

I will start with Perfume. I thought that Patrick Suskind did an amazing job of taking us into the book. I was so consumed by his writings that I felt like I was actually in France. He had a nice even flow in his writing. He described his characters so that it felt as thought I knew them personally. I could actually smell and feel France if I closed my eyes to imagine it. He made it so that although a killer, it was very hard to dislike Grenouille because you lived through the hardships of his life.

Tropic of Cancer ‚ Henry Miller definitely gets your attention by his descriptions and choice of vulgarity. He definitely gets heavily involved in character analysis and you begin to experience the journey that Miller took. Just like Grenouille, you can experience the bad times that Miller faced living in the slums of France. The only difference is that Miller changes time periods without any indications. If one scene takes place at Christmas time, the next scene can be three years later and you never realize it.

Lolita ‚ Vladimir Nabokov using very hard vocabulary that I did not always understand. He doesnít get too involved in character descriptions, but I think that this is purposely done. It starts out rather slow and boring, but it gets more interesting (and weird) as the book progresses.

The Stranger ‚ Albert Camus has a style of writing very similar to mine. He is chronological and very descriptive. I actually felt like I was on the beach at the time of the murder. I felt the tension of the trial. He goes into depth with his characters and their thoughts and feelings.

Incest ‚ Anais Nin is a very emotional writer. She is very descriptive, but she really talks about things from her point of view. She describes things as she experienced them, not necessarily as they happened. Again, since this is a diary it is chronological.

No Exit ‚ Jean-Paul Sartre is excellent at describing his characters. I think we all know people that we can relate to Estelle, Inez, or Garcin. I think he gives a very interesting concept of what it would be like to be in hell and how people behave when in confinement.