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Samantha Brown

Ms. Moss

Pre-AP English, Period 6

2 October 2018

The Negative Side of Isolation

Seclusion. Detachment. Solitude. These can all lead back to isolation, the state of being

alone. Isolation happens to people who decide to cut themselves off from social encounters, only

to end up causing mental and physical problems within themselves. In the book, Dr. Jekyll and

Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the main character goes through his own type of

concealment. The book starts off with one of the characters, Mr. Utterson, questioning Dr. Jekyll

about Mr. Hyde and who he is. Later the audience finds Dr. Jekyll has a split personality, one

good, one evil, with the evil side being represented in Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll goes through

isolating multiple people, including the other side of him, only to have his sinful side come back

and be the death of him. In another book, Orbiting Jupiter, written by Gary D. Schmidt, a

character named Joseph gets sent to a family with a boy named Jack. Joseph, only 13, was forced

to be isolated by his kid and the one person he truly loved, Madeline. Joseph learned a lot of

different lessons and values living with Jack, but eventually, he couldn’t bear being without his

newborn and loved one, this isolation didn’t allow him to get the happy ending he wanted.

Throughout both novels, Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and, Orbiting Jupiter, the central theme

develops as isolation.

Due to substandard connections with friends, families, and loved ones, Dr Jekyll and

Joseph both feel the need to resort to isolation. Joseph in Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt felt

like he had nobody to talk to, since he was new to the town. As a result, when he felt like
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leaving, there was nobody there to try and stop him, “And I said, ‘I think I know where he’s

going.’ My father looked at me. ‘He’s going to find Jupiter,’ I said. He nodded. ‘Go tell your

mother we’ll be late for supper.’” (Schmidt 1030). If Joseph had a closer relationship with

someone, like Jack for example, he’d would’ve most likely talked to them about what he was

feeling and where he wanted to go. Instead, he isolated himself by reason to believe nobody

would understand him and help him. In the text Isolation by Anderson, he informs the readers on

the risk of social isolation and why someone would isolate themselves, “Social isolation is an

absence of social relationships. A person may be experiencing social isolation if they avoid

social interaction due to shame or depression,” (Anderson 4). This related back to both books

because the main characters experience some type of isolation from others. This is because they

feel no point in talking to others about their issues and believes nobody understands them.

Having a good connection with someone can avert the idea of isolating oneself.

An unfortunate demise was the outcome for Dr Jekyll and Joseph due to the effect of

isolation. Both Joseph and his father were isolated from a loved one, the effect on their mental

health led to both their deaths, “Then he turned in front of old First Congregational. Through the

Bridge Out sign. Onto the Alliance bridge. They didn’t even make it halfway,” (Schmidt 1305).

Joseph’s death was the most memorable since the one he was trying to isolate the most (his

father) ended up being the one who killed him. Joseph’s father was angry with Joseph because of

the seclusion between them. If they were closer, they’d understand each other better and this

outcome would not have been likely. Likewise, Dr Jekyll in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and

Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, ended up committing suicide, “Here, then, as I lay

down the pen, and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry

Jekyll to an end,” (Stevenson 54). This was Dr. Jekyll’s failed attempt at solitude away from Mr
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Hyde. Dr. Jekyll killed himself because he was scared if Mr. Hyde came back, he wouldn’t be

able to control it and was worried for the distress Mr. Hyde would cause on his friends and town.

This can be explained by Francine Russo, the author of The Toxic Well of Loneliness, who

proclaims, “Isolation from others can lead to a range of illnesses and even premature death,”

(Russo 1). It’s clear see how premature death was the end result of both characters that wouldn’t

have happened if it wasn’t due to isolating someone. Isolation can oftentimes cause someone to

feel alone or stop caring about oneself or others. In conclusion, isolation can do more then just

harm mental health, it can literally kill.

In a time of turmoil or hardships, the two main characters of both novels attempt to

withdraw themselves from the people who care about them. For example, after Dr Jekyll tried to

shut off Mr Hyde, he came back worse, “My devil had been long caged, and he came out roaring.

It must have been this, I suppose, that stirred in my soul that tempest of impatience with which I

listened to the civilities of my unhappy victim,” (Stevenson 49). Mr Hyde ended up killing

someone because he was unhappy with being caged for so long. Isolating someone can harm

oneself, but also harm others, like Mr Hyde and his victim that he murdered. In Understanding

Loneliness by Daniel Russo he talks about when people can become lonely, “We can all expect

to feel lonely from time to time, especially during life-changing events like the death of a loved

one,” (Russo 1). In Orbitng Jupiter, Joseph started to feel lonely when he had his life-changing

event, the death of his first love, Madeline. Not only did Joseph lose one person, but he was

forced to stay away from the only thing he cared about, his child. In addition, in Dr Jekyll and

Mr Hyde, the death was not of a loved one, but a citizen, an equal. Feeling lonely is not always

the person’s fault, but of something traumatic happening.

Although isolation can seem like no big deal, it can greatly impact somebody’s life.
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Whether it be death, depression, or social anxiety, isolation gives off a lot of negative impacts.

It’s easy to see this impact happen in both Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Orbiting Jupiter, where

the main characters go through challenges and death due to isolating themselves. Isolating

oneself can have positive impacts, but typically only if it’s a short amount of time. Everyone has

a person that cares about them and wants the best for them. It can be hard to talk to someone

about problems but somebody will always be there to listen and help.

Works Cited

G, Anderson. “Isolation.” GoodTherapy. 20 October 2018.

qqqqqhttps://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/isolation
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Russel, Daniel. “Understanding Loneliness.” MAS Complete, vol. 235, issue 3135. 22 July 2017.

qqqqqhttp://web.b.ebscohost.com/src_ic/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=1f98f003-1bf1-4227-98a8-

975qqqqqd6974dd84%40sessionmgr102&bdata=#AN=124189449&db=mat

Russo, Francine. “The Toxic Well of Loneliness.” MAS Complete, vol. 318, issue 1. January

qqqqq2018. qqqqqhttp://web.b.ebscohost.com/src_ic/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=1f98f003-1bf1-

4227-98a8-975qqqqqd6974dd84%40sessionmgr102&bdata=#AN=126727566&db=mat

Schmidt, Gary D. Orbiting Jupiter. Andersen Press, 2017.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. ECIG, 2005.