Thursday, April 8, 2010
Transformation as Release?
One of the oddest things about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to me was not the fact that the dude shifted into a monster... rather, it was the repetition of the act. I really have no basis for this theory other than I think it would be a really interesting way of reading the story, but perhaps somewhere in the good doctor's subconscious, he was relieved by this release of not just a monster but the monster within him. Taking it a step further, what horrified the doctor the most in the end may well have been the fact that he recognized the cathartic effect the transformation gave, despite denying it previously, and he essentially could not live with himself knowing that was inside him.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I do think this is an interesting read. I think the transformation is definitely a release on some levels. It's a lowering of inhibitions and all the things that place him into the perfect box that he finds himself uncomfortable in. I actually have a theory that what should be the violent transformation should be when he changes BACK because that is more the act of suppression. Even with that I think that he eventually has to kill himself because he couldn't live knowing what was inside of him but moreso knowing that he couldn't live in his "released" state.
ReplyDelete