The theme of pursuing life at all costs is clearly evident in the story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr. Jekyll’s quest to prove his theory of man’s dual nature drove him to use himself as a test subject. He worked endlessly to create a potion that would prove his theory that every man had two sides to him. In Jekyll’s eyes every man had a good side and an evil side. By using himself as a test subject, the potion brought out Dr. Jekyll’s evil side, Mr. Hyde. As the story progresses Dr. Jekyll loses control of Mr. Hyde and eventually Mr. Hyde takes over completely. Dr. Jekyll losing his life to Mr. Hyde is the prime example to the theme pursuing life at all costs. From page 60 the following quote explains Dr. Lanyon describing Mr. Hyde transforming back into Dr. Jekyll:
“He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth… I thought a change- he seemed to swell- his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter… like a man restored from death- there stood Henry Jekyll!”
The theme of pursuing life at all costs is also seen in a couple examples in the real world today. Athletes who take short cuts to superstardom through the use of performance enhancing drugs will go for records and fame and any cost required. By using these steroids, they risk physical damage to their bodies in addition to the permanent scarring on their reputations, the exclusion from hall of fames, record books and possibly a permanent ban from the game. Athletes such as Barry Bonds have gone risked everything for where they are now. Bonds doped for much of his career and despite holding the record for hitting the most home runs, many do not consider his record to be legitimate. He pursued life at all costs, and in this case, baseball supremacy by doping instead of relying on his natural talent.
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