But for me, in my impenetrable mantle, the safety was complete. Think of it—I did not even exist! Let me but escape into my laboratory door, give me but a second or two to mix and swallow the draught that I had always standing ready; and whatever he had done, Edward Hyde would pass away like the stain of breath upon a mirror; and there in his stead, quietly at home, trimming the midnight lamp in his study, a man who could afford to laugh at suspicion, would be Henry Jekyll.
In this paragraph, Jekyll describes how he used the potion to avoid facing the moral consequences of Hyde’s actions. He compares Hyde to “the stain of breath upon a mirror”, something that vanishes easily. This shows how Jekyll felt almost untouchable like he could do anything as Hyde and then hide safely behind his identity as a normal man.
The most important part is that Jekyll chose to keep taking the potion, even though he knew Hyde was doing terrible things. He felt safe, hidden behind a mask of respectability. The idea that “he could afford to laugh at suspicion” means that society saw him as a good man, and no one would suspect him of being guilty. He knew Hyde was hurting others, but he kept drinking the potion not because he had no morals, but because the feeling of freedom was stronger than his conscience. And whenever he started to feel bad or suffer thinking about what Hyde had done, he only had to take the potion again to make those feelings disappear. This made it more and more addictive, like a way to escape from guilt instead of facing it.
The message in this passage is that when people have the chance to act without consequences, they might give in to their worst desires, the same idea that we can see in Heart of Darkness. Jekyll didn’t stop because it felt too good to be free of guilt and responsibility. Stevenson warns us that ignoring our dark side doesn’t make it go away it makes it stronger. Instead of hiding it or feeding it, we have to recognize it and learn how to control it before it controls us.
Do you think people act differently when they believe no one is watching? Why?
Have you ever tried to hide a part of yourself because you thought others would think bad about you?
Yes absolutely. People do act differently when they think no one is watching. We have seen it in our own city but also in higher powers. People act differently because they feel that they aren't being held accountable when no one else is there. I absolutely have tried to hid a part of myself because I thought others would think negatively or change their perspective of how they see me.
ReplyDeleteI think people act different when no one is looking. Without someone there to hold us accountable, we fall much easier into temptation. It's a part of human nature, and while some can overcome these temptations, there are still people like Jekyll who will fall short.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that some people act differently when they think no one is watching them. This is because a huge motivator for morality is consequence. And if no one is watching, there are no consequences to fulfil.
ReplyDeletePeople act differently when no one is watching because of a lack of judgment or accountability. People tend to care more when they are being watched to be accepted as a good person. In general, when people are in public they act differently. For example, people tend to smile more when they are with others than when alone.
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