Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde :: William Golding Robert Louis Stevenson Essays

Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The novels The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord of the Flies by William Golding both portray a very similar message. In both novels there are characters, which represent both good and evil showing the contrasts, which occur throughout the whole storyline. Both novels can be described as an allegory as they both show different levels and meanings e.g. in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde one represents good the other evil even though they are the same person. This gives us the indication that Stevenson's message is that evil can be found inside everyone. Also Golding uses characters to bring this message across as well. Lord of the Flies is situated on an island and when the boy's plane crashes they are provided with the ideal surrounding with great resources to survive until they're rescued. The island almost acts as a parent even though they are without parental supervision. The island can be compared to the Garden of Eden as it's described as a "natural beauty". But straight away we are warned there is a "dark side" to the island. Almost suggesting something will go wrong or this is where something horrendous will take place. The children's main aim when they are all together is to pick a leader. This is where the conflict begins mainly because Ralph gets picked and Jack becomes Jealous. Ralph shows maturity and intelligence where Jack shows power and strength. Golding almost suggests that if Jack and Ralph were combined they would be the ultimate leader. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows how scientific experiments can go wrong and Stevenson tells that even though we try to avoid evil it will never go away. The novel all starts with the concern of Mr. Utterson, Henry Jekyll's lawyer. He is worried and confused that Jekyll has left all his possessions in his will to a Mr. Hyde who he has never met. "All his possessions were to pass into the hands of his friend and benefactor Edward Hyde" Utterson confronts Jekyll's old friend Dr. Lanyon but he hasn't heard of a Mr. Hyde. "No. Never heard of him. Since my time" Its ironic that the name Hyde can be heard as hide so we are told that even before we begin to read that Mr. Hyde must be strange or almost none existent. Utterson tracks down Hyde and is horrified by the way he looks and doesn't understand how Jekyll could be friends with such