Poe Delivers....Of course

As much as I love Edgar Allan Poe, I can't believe I haven't read "William Wilson" until now!  It's typical Poe and well worth the read.  I got interested in it because Lisa Scottoline said that she read it and it gave her the inspiration for her book THINK TWICE.  I'm glad I read it!  It's definitely a story about how we all have two sides....like DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.  In "William Wilson," it's an interesting twist, though because the second Wilson is the first Wilson's conscience even though the first Wilson never admits or acknowledges it.  I love the way Poe put this story together, too.  The only negative, if there is one--there really isn't, is that Poe, as per his usual, includes quite a few words that the reader has to stop and take the time to look up.  For me, that's a big part of what makes Poe's works so valuable and worth reading.  If you want to study for the SAT, read Poe!  (And Faulkner.)

We are all two people

Lisa Scottoline's THINK TWICE is one of those novels, like Robert Louis Stevenson's STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, is a story about how we all have two sides--the duality of the individual.  It is about how even a good person can become a bad person or even evil if the circumstances are right or if he/she finds him/herself in a situation where it becomes necessity for survival.  It's an interesting
twist to the study of the duality of man where identical twin sisters both resort to horrific means to survive, yet neither can kill the other even though each has an almost insane desire to do so.

I am fascinated by the study of the "duality of man" simply because I have seen it happen; I have even had it happen to me, to a degree--not so much that I became and evil person bent on killing someone, mind you.  But I know what it's like to feel as if someone else has taken control of my being--my soul--and I am completely powerless to stop that side of myself from manifesting itself.  Mine came as a direct result of several tragedies in my life and not dealing with them properly.

Thankfully I never did or said anything that is irreparable, but I did feel so much anger at times that I was concerned that I could get to THAT PLACE.  Unlike Bennie, I never resorted to drugs or carried a gun, thankfully.  But I did carry my anger with me like a spray can that would spurt at anyone at any time without any provocation whatsoever.

I am so thankful that I have found my true self again--that I have control of my soul again, like Bennie.  I did not like being that other person, but when we don't take care of our deepest selves, we open the door wide for THAT PERSON--that other side of ourselves--to be released.  And unlike Dr. Jekyll, we don't need serum to become that other person.

I am more than one person...?!

I absolutely LOVE DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE.  It really is one of the best stories from classic literature.  OK.  So I say that with just about every book I read, but it really is true.  I love studying about the dual nature of "man."  (And Woman!)  I do believe that we all have that side of us that Poe says is a "spirit of perverseness" (from "The Black Cat") where we take an odd pleasure in "evil" or "wrong" that we do or that others experience.  For the most part, your average human is a GOOD person who knows right from and CHOOSES to do right--most of the time.  It is when we give in to that other side of our selves, that "spirit of perverseness," that can get us into trouble--at least if/when we give in over and over--on a consistent basis.

I, for one, don't believe that one wrong makes a person evil.  Even some murderers (considering that murder is often treated as THE WORST evil possible) aren't necessarily evil to the core just because they've committed a murder.  Sometime murder is an act of passion in a MOMENT we weakness where the person simply loses control.  Does that mean that those murderers shouldn't be punished or have consequences for their actions?  Absolutely not.  But we can't label them ALL as "evil" just because of one act of violence.

I know that I myself have had at least one moment of extreme rage where I could have easily committed murder if I had given in to my baser instincts--that true "spirit of perverseness."  In the moment, it felt good to get the emotions out of me that had been building up over an extended period of time, but at the same time, it felt more awful than I can explain simply because I was so completely out of control.  I honestly was afraid not just for the person I was screaming at, but for myself because I was so very angry.  I could have hurt myself, too.

It's always so fascinating to me to talk about all the modern-day stories that have as their theme the duality of man.  We had some great discussions in each of my classes today where everyone presented some great examples, some of which I've never even thought of!  One of my favorites was Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader!  I'd love to hear other examples that you can come up with....!!!!