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The Drunkard’s Process
Thoughts derived from my reading of the
 Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Introduction
The perennial dilemma we all face is the battle of two internal forces constantly lobbyingfor our support: The Spiritual Man vs. The Natural Man. Robert Louis Stevensonmasterfully illustrates this internal struggle through the story of a certain Dr. Jekyll whohad a past spotted with rebellious tendencies. Although, at the time the story had taken place, he had put this past behind him and had gained the respect of his peers, friends,and community. He was viewed as a good person and citizen who contributed to society.We all know people who fit this mold, people who displayed base tendencies in their youth but ultimately chose and succeeded in a more virtuous life. In fact, I would go asfar as to say, many of us know this person to be ourselves. This realization engenderedwithin me a resonating interest and association with the character and struggles of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Drunken
Throughout my reading of the
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
the scripturaldepiction of being drunken with something other than alcohol consistently populated mythoughts. In Isaiah 29:9 it states that “they are
a
drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink”. In 2 Nephi 27:1 when referring to the iniquity that will occur in the last days Nephi describes the people to be “drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations”. To be drunken is to lose one’s agency through the intake of somethingmore powerful than ourselves. I will use this analogy to sequentially analyze Dr. Jekyll’sgradual and, somewhat, subtle path towards his own dire destruction. This analysis ismeant to highlight the process we all pass through when succumbing to our pet tequilasand the subsequent results of this surrender.
Experimentation
Dr. Jekyll was a scientist. His vocational training encouraged experimentations of alltypes to gain insight and truth. Conflicted by the inner struggle with his lower self Dr.Jekyll created a drug that succeeded in temporarily separating his good nature from his bad. The newly created concoction mentally and physically gave release to hissuppressed inner demon. The physicality of Jekyl’s natural man matched the grossness of its desires, intentions, and actions. This transformed being took upon himself the nameof Mr. Hyde. He slouched. His facial features emitted evilness although not onevillainous feature stood out among the others. One had the most challenging of tasks todescribe why Hyde’s physical appearance engendered feelings of fear and discomfort.Dr. Jekyll’s experiment, to many, would be considered a success. In his fictional worldhe discovered an amazing scientific breakthrough. Giving release to his natural man wasgratifying and seemingly harmless. His original intention was to see if such an endeavor 
 
could be accomplished. The seductive results of his brilliance opened the door to asecondary world that eventually led to his demise. The breakthrough experiment of theunknown led to an addictive decaying cycle. This new release and separation from hisoriginal life was causing a severe and deep form of intoxication. Each episode found Dr.Jekyll surrendering more and more to the will of Mr. Hyde. Hyde was pure evil. He hadno conscience. His purpose was to fill the most carnal of pleasures. Although Dr. Jekyllheld the key to Hyde’s cage he had little to no control over what would follow upon hisrelease.Experimentation can be an exciting venture for both good and bad. It can release profound commitment to God or profound obligation to the adversary. Perhaps thegreatest of decisions lies in the type of experiments we choose to pursue. The history of mankind is littered with great and evil men who have changed the course of humanitythrough adherence to their findings. Unfortunately, we all succumb at one time or another to lowly experiments which yield tasty fruits meant solely for gratification andnot edification. When this occurs Hyde’s appetite increases and gains power making itmore difficult to resist the same and like experiments in the future. It is at this point thatwe slowly deviate from our virtuous path to pursue other interests. Each step off this path leaves us more susceptible to our own debilitating intoxication. An alcoholic’s firstglass is difficult to resist. Subsequent offerings become even more difficult to withstand.The individual’s will becomes more and more debilitated by the relieving gratifications of his addiction.The first decision to expose ourselves to Hyde’s desire is the most important. Eachsubsequent decision is exponentially more difficult to resist thus making the weight of theinitial decision much greater than all others that follow. In summary, if we never experiment with dangerous addictions or exercise initial restraint in overcoming suchaddictions we will liberate ourselves of the dire consequences that always result fromsuch ominous behavior.
The Cover
The onerous task of concealing his addiction caused Jekyll to create a totally new identityfor his mutable friend. Jekyll appropriately named his narcotic invoked alternative Mr.Hyde (as Hyde’s role was to hide the true owner of his misdeeds which was Jekyll).Jekyll went to extreme measures to maintain the secrecy of his dual life. He purchasednew clothes for the more short and stout Hyde. A new apartment was furnished to supporthis nightly excursions. The precarious relationship between the two prodded a writtenwill that would bequeath all of Jekyll’s belongings to Hyde if he were to disappear and beclaimed dead. Jekyll went to extreme measures to enable and support his inimicaladdiction.We frequently make preparations to preserve our name and character. Although our cover may not be as extreme as Hyde’s, we do much in our power to convey the personothers either think we are or who we think they want us to be. This cover routinelyoccurs on the individual, family, and community levels. Not only do we want to maintain
 
a positive image but we also may not be willing to make the sacrifice required to becomewhom others want us to be. So, we make a myriad of changes in our lives all in adesperate hope that we won’t be found out. This effort yields protection for a period of time but eventually, as in the case of Dr. Jekyll, is broken and reveals our shamefulreality.
The Result
After continuing in his semi-controlled addiction for a period of time the unknown side-effects of the drug started to surface. Unsolicited reactions from past drug useinvoluntarily transformed Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde making the once tamed addiction nowominous. Like a forest fire, the once manageable camp flame had stepped beyond the bounds the controller had set and slowly but powerfully evolved into a precariousdestroyer. In order to return to his natural self Dr. Jekyll required additional doses of thesubstance that was the author of his plight. He became so involved and intimate with hissecondary self that the secondary eventually hijacked the primary. His soul no longer  belonged to Dr. Jekyll but, instead, answered to the inimical whims of Mr. Hyde. Acritical ingredient to Jekyll’s concoction was no longer sold nor found in its pure formmaking Jekyll’s ability to return to his former self impossible. Upon this hauntingrealization Jekyll took his own life and explicitly explained his demise in a letter to hisgood friend and lawyer Mr. Utterson.At what point will our formidable addictions or untamed weaknesses overtake who weonce were. We do not know, making our procrastination to correct and absolve suchtendencies of up most importance. When will the exponentially more difficult decisionscompletely override reason and cause unwanted reflexive actions? The unknown tipping point into spiritual paralysis ought to force immediate contemplation of the seriousness of our addictions.
Conclusion
We all have weaknesses and tendencies that we continually suppress to fulfill what we believe to be the greater good. This perpetual war is essential for personal growth. Thevirtuous governing of our base selves is vital to our personal and familial happiness.
TheStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
is one man’s depiction of what happens whenthis internal struggle becomes obsolete and separated. The two worlds of good and evilwere unleashed and unsuppressed, having full ownership in their moment of dominion.The absence of this coexisting struggle led to death and defeat on both sides of the war:Jekyl lost his soul and Hyde lost his physical vessel to satisfy addiction.Robert Loius Stevenson highlights the process and tragic results of surrendering to thenatural man. We cannot surrender but need to continue the struggle. We must stand atthe last day and be able to repeat Paul’s words of “I have fought a good fight, I havefinished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). This is our purpose. This isour goal. We must learn from the innumerable Jekyll and Hyde stories that surround usand leave so many homes broken, dreams shattered, and souls lost. Each one of us has a
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