Ryan F

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde as interpreted by Ryan F

The theme of "life at all costs" is depicted in the novel and in the book when Dr. Jekyll transforms into Mr. Hyde to achieve his duality. Throughout the whole book, Dr. Henry Jekyll is concerned with the dual nature of man. He states that every man has a good side as well as a bad side. His experiment to create a potion clearly demonstrates the "life at all costs" theme. It is apparent that Dr. Jekyll will do anything to confirm his studies. “Right in the midst there lay the body of a man sorely contorted and still twitching. They drew near on tiptoe, turned it on its back and beheld the face of Edward Hyde." (Stevenson 54). Mr. Utterson and Poole break in to Jekyll's room only to witness the dead body of Edward Hyde. Dr. Jekyll did not care about the consequences on his body, as long as he achieved his goal.

In today's society, there is a certain group of people who will do anything to achieve their life goal, athletes. For example athletes who take steroids severely damage their bodies to get to their peak athletic ability. Much like Dr. Henry Jekyll, they do not care about the consequences. A few athletes, such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, have become so obsessed with being the best, that they will do anything and everything to get to the top. Both these men have had legendary careers, but if you look at them today, they are likely headed to jail for perjury. Money is not an issue with most athletes so obtaining such performance enhancers are quite easy. These men do such great physical damage to their own bodies by injecting these chemicals into themselves. Steroid abuse in professional athletic leagues has become a major problem because of the abundance of enhancers and the desire to be the best by many professionals.