Dr. Jekyll’s sins, the Purge and the election

Robert Louis Stevenson is quite clear that while Henry Jekyll is a respectable philanthropist he ran wild in his youth. Indeed, that’s why he becomes Hyde. to indulge in his old sins without any scandal affecting his standing as Dr. Jekyll, Upstanding Member of Society.

He is not at all clear what Jekyll did. In his expository letter to Utterson the lawyer, the doctor describes himself euphemistically as having “a certain impatient gaiety of disposition” in his youth and that “my pleasures were (to say the least) undignified.” He also says that while he regarded his actions with “an almost morbid sense of shame” he was aware “many a man would have blazoned such irregularities as I was guilty of.” Which may not be true: Jekyll’s enough of a hypocrite he might have lied rather than admit to being gay or into S&M.

Stevenson’s earlier drafts were specific that Jekyll’s sins included “self-abuse” — masturbation. This was a big bugaboo for Victorians (and for a lot of people since) as it was the antithesis of the self-control Victorians prized; an option for secretly indulging in sexual pleasure with no risk of disease or pregnancy, nobody knowing … Given the modern reaction would be more likely to laugh and snigger (my reaction included), it’s a good thing Stevenson dropped that angle. And I’m reasonably confident Jekyll did not transform himself into Edward Hyde so that he could jerk off.

(Harold from the 2008 The Nutty Professor)

We know little of the infamous deeds Hyde committed either. We know that he tramples on a little girl who gets in his way, and that he murders Sir Danvers Carew for apparently no reason. That could mean Jekyll’s hidden sin is vicious cruelty. It could mean these crimes were just side effects — Jekyll couldn’t let his favored sins out of the box without losing control of other impulses.

Jekyll might feel bad about them, but not so bad he can walk away. While I’ve seen arguments Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a drug addiction metaphor — he drinks a chemical, changes rapidly — his addiction isn’t to the drug but to his life as Hyde. Like an alcoholic who knows booze is having a disastrous effect on him, Jekyll cannot walk away. In the Fredric March and Spencer Tracy versions, Hyde’s abusing his mistress, Ivy and Jekyll knows — but he’d sooner keep going than give up sleeping with her. As in Stevenson, the man is nowhere near the virtuous person he wants to be.

Which bring us to this post by Fred Clark of Slacktivist discussing people’s reactions to the Purge movies, set in a world where once a year you can do anything you wish without fear of legal repercussion. Clark finds it unsettling how many people think that sounds cool — that their issue with not raping or going violent is that they might get caught, not that it’s wrong or hurts people.

He goes on to conclude this is part of Trump’s appeal: shuck off all that niceness and consideration. You don’t have to be polite or considerate, just get out their and scream “Your body, my choice!” or yell the n-word at people or insult the disabled. Isn’t it good not to play by the rules?

Unfortunately this never translates into “screw my friends saying poor people deserve it, I’m volunteering in a soup kitchen!” or “I’ve hacked my corrupt boss’s account, now the charity he cheated will get $1 million in funding!” Trump’s only appeal is to the worse angels of our nature.

Which leads me to realize that’s part of the power of Stevenson’s story. It’s not merely that many people have a dark side, it’s that they really want to let that side of them out. And if they could do it without fear of consequences … they would.

To revisit that rule about “10 percent, 10 percent, 80 percent,” 10 percent of people don’t want a purge or a potion to let their worst self out. 10 percent don’t need it to be bad. 80 percent will be act depending on surroundings and circumstances. Some are reluctant but go along if everyone else is doing it. Some are interested but reluctant until they’re sure they have a green light.

How we keep the 80 percent behaving well … well, that’s a challenge.