The Out of Control Alter Ego Essay -- Literary Analysis

The story â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde† by Robert Louis Stevenson conveys the theme of duality in nature in which man is fighting himself, or in this case, another version of himself. Being a psychology major, it is interesting to see a case this serious over how an alter ego can control the main psyche up to the point where it no longer conveys influence, but instead manipulation. In order to understand the control an alter ego can eventually have on the individual, it is important to comprehend exactly what an alter ego is and how an individual can lose dominance over it. A common misconception with this story is the readers’ belief that Dr. Jekyll suffers from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia (also called dementia praecox) is a psychotic disorder characterized by progressive deterioration of the personality, withdrawal from reality, hallucinations, delusions, social apathy, and emotional instability. In layman’s terms, someone who suffers from schizophrenia is born with this disease and believes they hear voices, or see images, in their minds commanding them to complete certain tasks. They have no idea who the voices are or when they came to exist, but eventually they give into the demands in order to silence the voices. Subsequently, they withdraw themselves from society in the process. These symptoms do not accurately match up with the symptoms of Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll did extract himself towards the end of the story only because he could no longer manipulate his transformations. Nothing in the story reveals him being born with such a disease. Due to this, he cannot be classified as a schizophrenic. Another universal misconception is that Mr. Hyde is Dr. Jekyll’s split personality. This seems comprehensible ... ... song represents the emotions tied in with someone who has an alter ego. The movie â€Å"Mr. Brooks† is a reflection of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and how he battled with himself to contain control over his mind and his nature. This is how each source reflects the story of â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde†. Works Cited Stevenson, R. Louis. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The Norton Anthology. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2008. Print. Mr. Brooks. Dir. Bruce A. Evans. Perf. Kevin Costner. Blockbuster: 2007, Film. Celesty. â€Å"Demon Inside.† Song and lyrics retrieved 3 May 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kXgeIzVLuU Hamilton, John. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." www.imdb.com. Web. 3 April 2012. Florentino, Sonya. â€Å"Alter Ego†. Poems by Sonya Florentino. New York, New York. Penguin Publishing. 2009. 48. Print.