Creator-Creation Relationships In "Jekyll And Hyde" And "Frankenstein"

In the novel, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” it is clearly presented in the novel that the reaction and opinion of Dr. Henry Jekyll had changed as the novel progresses. In the beginning of the novel Dr. Jekyll is seen to be defending Hyde- Dr. Jekyll’s creation-and stating that he really cares for him; but at the end of the novel Hyde’s creator stated in his letter that he began to hate the person he had become. During the novel “Frankenstein,” the intelligent creator of the destructive monster, named Victor Frankenstein, had similar feelings and opinions as Dr. Jekyll near the end of his existence. Victor had hatred of his creation throughout the entirety of the novel. Victor Frankenstein thought that his creation was hideous so he later abandoned him and left him to fend for himself. In their respective novels, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein, the reactions and opinions of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Victor Frankenstein about their creations have noticeably changed as the novel significantly progresses.

In the beginning of the novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Dr. Henry Jekyll really enjoyed the company of his creation named Mr. Hyde. As the beginning of the novel progressed, Dr. Jekyll became more fond of his creation. If Mr. Hyde did something horribly wrong, Dr. Jekyll was always there to defend him. For example, Mr Hyde had done some horrible things that no normal and sane being could’ve done. Mr. Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s longtime friend and cousin, later confronted Dr. Jekyll and aimed to tell him of the things he has been learning about Mr. Hyde. But Dr. Jekyll began to get angry and shut Mr. Utterson down. “‘I have been learning something of young Hyde.’ The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes. ‘I do not care to hear more,’ said he. ‘This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop’” (Stevenson 18). Dr. Jekyll took a very great interest in his creation so much that he made his good friend and cousin Utterson promise to him that he will bear with his evil-natured creation and get his rights for him. Utterson didn’t agree with this at first but he made up his mind that he’ll do it for his best friend. “But I do sincerely take a great, a very great interest in that young man; and if I am taken away, Utterson, I wish you to promise me that you will bear with him and get his rights for him” (Stevenson 19). In comparison to Dr. Jekyll, Victor Frankenstein had a different reaction towards his creation at the beginning of the novel. In chapter 4 of “Frankenstein”, Victor dedicated his life to creating this monster. He neglected everything and everyone around him.

He spent months attempting to make this. The goal was to create a species that Victor could treat as his own child and so he can be referred to as its creator and father. Victor selected the features and the body parts for his monster to attempt to make him beautiful-looking. But in chapter 5 when Victor finally finished creating his monster, he was overwhelmed with what he had created. “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful” (Shelley 58). It seems as if Victor regrets working so hard for so many months on his own monster. He describes to have had deprived himself of sleep and was often forgetful of his own health and well being. Victor implies that his creation is really ugly and he even calls his own monster a wretch. “No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived” (Shelley 60). Victor was so horrified by his monster’s appearance that he abandons his own creation without a care in the world. Unlike Dr.Jekyll, Victor Frankenstein truly hated his own creation at the beginning of the novel.

Midway through the novel, it seems as if Dr. Jekyll has gotten tired of Hyde. After the murder of Sir Danvers Carew, Jekyll receives a letter and doesn’t know what he should do with it so he gets his cousin, Mr. Utterson, to help him. During their conversation, Jekyll says that he is done with Hyde and who he had become. “I cannot say that I care what becomes of Hyde; I am quite done with him. I was thinking of my own character, which this hateful business has rather exposed” (Stevenson 26). This point of the novel is when Dr. Jekyll began losing control of his body and Hyde became more superior. Jekyll knew this because he began to feel really ill and low. “‘I am very low, Utterson,’ replied the doctor drearily, ‘very low. It will not last long, thank God’” (Stevenson 37). Jekyll realized that he had to put a stop to this before Hyde completely takes over. He later kills himself right before Hyde could completely take over. In comparison to Dr. Jekyll, Victor Frankenstein is so saddened and affected by the news that he even considers suicide after losing William and Justine to the monster, but snaps himself out of that thought by thinking of Elizabeth and his father, the people that care for him deeply. “These events have affected me, God knows how deeply; but I am not so wretched as you are.

There is an expression of despair, and sometimes of revenge, in your countenance that makes me tremble” (Shelley 105). Victor later decides to travel to a summit to revive his spirit with the amazing view. While on his journey he sees the monster again and it approaches him. “‘Devil,’ I exclaimed, ‘do you dare approach me? And do not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust” (Shelley 113). Victor clearly has the same reaction and opinion about his monster. Victor and the monster talk for awhile and the monster asks Victor to make a companion for him. Victor agrees, but in the process of making it he destroys it while the monster watches. This angries the monster, so it seeks revenge on his creator. These two creators are losing control of their monsters and they are starting to take over. But hopefully the creators can put a stop to this before it gets out of hand. At the very end of the novel, in Dr.Jekyll’s full statement of the case, it appears as if Dr. Jekyll had grown to really despise his own creation. After all of the evil and nasty things his other half has done such as trample a little girl and kill an innocent man, Dr. Jekyll finally realized how much of an evil being Hyde was. Near the end of his time, Dr. Jekyll began to realize that Hyde was beginning to take over and control his body. “There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last; and this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul” (Stevenson 73). At the beginning of the novel, Dr. Jeyll was very happy and proud of what he had created, but that seemed to have changed near the end. As Hyde became more superior, Dr. Jekyll began to hate him and became less of a happy person. “Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end” (Stevenson 78).

Dr. Jekyll knew what Hyde was capable of with the superiority of the body that they have been “sharing” so he knew that the only way to stop this madness was to take his own life. In comparison to Dr. Jekyll, Victor Frankenstein had a similar reaction to his monster as the novel came to an end. Victor Frankenstein has grown to despise the monster even more than he did at the beginning of the novel. He has so much built up anger because he realizes and has to live with the fact that it was he who created the monster who killed the people that Victor appreciates. After grasping that matter, Victor made sure to devote his life to chase down and kill the destructive monster that he had created months, maybe years ago.“My rage is unspeakable when I reflect that the murderer, whom I have turned loose upon society, still exists. You refuse my just demand; I have but one resource, and I devote myself, either in my life or death, to his destruction” (Shelley 248). The monster made Victor chase him for months by leaving clues and trails for Victor to find him, but the monster outsmarted him. Victor later became very ill, but luckily, he was rescued by Robert Walton. Victor makes Walton swear to him that if he dies, Walton will kill the monster for him. “When will my guiding spirit, in conducting me to the daemon, allow me the rest I so much desire; or must I die, and he yet live? If I do, swear to me, Walton, that he shall not escape, that you will seek him and satisfy my vengeance in his death” (Shelley 258). Victor died shortly after talking to Walton. The monster shows up and grieves the loss of his creator. He tells Walton more about himself and later insists on committing suicide by jumping off the side of the boat into the darkness. Both of the creators were in the same predicament. Both of them had created something terrible and regretted it later on in their lives. Making the decision to create such things resulted in the death of both Dr. Henry Jekyll and Victor Frankenstein.

In comparison to both of these amazing novels, it is discovered that Dr. Henry Jekyll showed that he had great interest in Hyde at the beginning of his novel but that seemed to change near the end. Dr. Jekyll became miserable and depressed when Hyde began to take over his body and become more destructive and evil. Dr. Jekyll knew what Hyde can truly do if he doesn't put an end to this, so to stop Hyde from completely taking over the body, Dr. Jekyll commits suicide to save the people in the community. Compared to Dr. Jekyll, Victor Frankenstein despised his creation throughout the entire novel. From the first moments of the monsters creation to the last wish on his own deathbed.

Victor had so much hatred in his heart that he wanted revenge and wanted to kill his creation after the monster murdered almost all the people that he loved the most as revenge. Victor made it his final goal to kill the monster but he became seriously ill and failed. Victor just wanted the monster to be dead after ruining his life. Since he couldn't finish the job, he asked his friend Walton to attempt to murder the monster Victor created but the monster insisted he would commit suicide and later jumped off the boat into the water. In the end, it appears that these creators are much alike. Both creators hated their creations and set out a goal to kill the horrible things that they have created. Dr. Henry Jekyll successfully murdered Hyde, but the monster that Victor Frankenstein created, jumped off of the boat that they were on, supposedly committing suicide. But the real question is, did the monster that Victor Frankenstein created, really die?