Review and News
Hey everyone,
I know I promised we would post soon, but as we all know, that didn't happen. It seems that time just goes by way too fast. I just want to let you know that Literaryink will probably be down for quite some time as we all have a lot of stuff in our schedule. Sam, Ted, and I really believe in what this blog can accomplish and hope that we can revive it sometime soon. But right now, it has to make way for some other things in our lives. Thank you for your support, and I hope we can return soon.
Meanwhile, here's a guest review by Lauren Batchelor. The only girl who keeps this blog from rusting. ;)
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Everyone knows the basic story: Nice guy scientist makes potion and unleashes his pure evil side. Eventually he cannot control the change from good to evil, and kills himself to avoid becoming Mr. Hyde forever.
Not a super long book.
But why has it become a classic? Why didn’t it die with all the other “Penny Dreadfuls” of its day? Had it simply been a thriller, it would have faded into obscurity. However, it delves into areas not always thought about, things that most people preferred to glaze over. It goes into the psychological effects sin has on a person’s character, and with a chilling conclusion.
Dr. Jekyll grows tired of behaving like a good citizen, and decides to try and split his identity into two separate parts: a good, though imperfect, man and a man that is bent on pure evil. In the beginning, his evil counterpart Mr. Hyde is small and weak from disuse. After a while though, he grows stronger and soon Dr. Jekyll cannot control his evil persona. Does this theme sound at all familiar? Looking at this from a Christian perspective, we can draw several conclusions:
- Sin is habit forming, and the more you do it, the harder it is to resist and control
- Sin is a temporary, an of the moment joy. The after effects are disastrous (like a candy binge)
- Sin has consequences; unpleasant consequences not discussed in the brochure.
Using the book as a metaphor for the effects that sin as a habit has over us, Robert Louis Stevenson ends with a dreadful consequence: death.
This book is not a light read book. Read it carefully, and think well on it and compare it to what the Bible says on sin: “Jesus replied, ‘Everyone who sins is a slave to sin”.
