So, quite obviously, these are both interpretations of the protagonist/antagonist of the 1886 classic Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - the man who is both the good Henry Jekyll and the evil Edward Hyde.
Jekyll and Hyde (I'm not sure what his celebrity couple name would be: Jyde, or Hekyll?) is an interesting character to me. For those that don't know the tale, the story is about the investigation into a man who has the rare mental condition of dissociative identity disorder (commonly known as 'split personality') - within his body lies both the good Jekyll personality and the evil Hyde personality; this one man encompasses both polar opposites of moral standard. I probably should've announced a spoiler alert beforehand, but this novel was written more than a hundred years ago - I think I'm exempt.
You'll notice many re-imaginings of this character: Harvey Dent/Two-Face, a physical embodiment of duality and one of many Batman super villains (and Bruce Wayne/Batman himself, in a way); Sméagol/Gollum as the self-conflicting, "My Precious" creature from The Lord of the Rings; the insomniac and anarchist The Narrator/Tyler Durden combo from the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (thank you, A-Level English Literature) and the subsequent movie; and, to a certain extent, the descent of Walter White/Heisenberg from the widely popular TV series Breaking Bad.
In fact, this fictional character has become so synonymous with the language of good and evil, the phrase 'Jekyll and Hyde' is often used to describe a person who varies greatly in moral character in different situations. And it is this concept that has me intrigued.
Often we think of people (in stories and in our lives) as either 'the good guy' or 'the bad guy' (regardless of gender). Some always try, with their very best efforts, to be the former. Others come to accept their questionable intentions and just realise their innate wickedness as the latter. And I'll admit, for the most part of my life, I've always thought I tried to be the good guy, because wasn't that how we were all raised? We're always taught to be good, and to avoid doing bad - simple as that. But it never really is that simple, is it?
Truth is, I'm neither - we're all Jekyll and Hyde. It's what makes us human. We all embody both good intentions and evil intentions, and the ability to execute both. We can be caring, loving and considerate in one moment, and just as easily be hurtful, disrespectful and selfish in the other. In actuality, in the original story of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, there really is just Dr Henry Jekyll - Hyde is merely a mask which Jekyll hides beneath whilst committing all his repressed sins. Jekyll wants to be Hyde but can't be under his regular guise, so it's not so much 'Jekyll vs. Hyde' as it is 'Jekyll is Hyde'.
So are we doomed? We all carry both the good and the evil, and if it's our inescapable nature, can we ever really become the good guy when we'll always have half a heart of darkness? No, but we can certainly try, and that's what really matters. We may all have the capacity to carry out either ends of the spectrum, and yes, sometimes we will make the wrong decisions. But it's our ability to make choices that sets our characters apart. We will all do some good and some evil in the long journey that is our lives. We're no saints (unless you too play Saints Row, in which case, 3rd Street Saints for life). But if we just try to do good, and apologise and try to change when we misstep, then we are already more Jekyll than we are Hyde.
And so I'll be the first to say, I'm not the hero. But neither am I the villain. I am Jekyll, and I am Hyde. I am not perfect and I will make mistakes. But it will be my life ambition to always try to do the right thing: to treat everyone with equal kindness, to put others before myself, and to be mindful of my actions and my words. Only then can I say I am trying to win the fight and defeat the monstrous Hyde within me. No potion can do that for me.
I wear this necklace to remind myself to not be afraid of this fact, but instead be consciously aware of it. Will you in turn learn to accept your Hyde, and try to be more Jekyll?
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