English: Jekyll and Hyde Flashcards
“Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance… yet somehow lovable.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Utterson)
💡 Key Themes:
- Reputation and Respectability – Utterson represents the ideal Victorian gentleman: reserved, serious, yet morally steady.
- Duality of Human Nature – Even though he appears cold on the outside, he is warm and loyal underneath—mirroring the novel’s central theme of appearances vs reality.
- Friendship and Loyalty – He’s seen as trustworthy and dependable, a grounding figure in a world filled with secrets.
🔍 Techniques:
- Juxtaposition – “rugged countenance” vs “lovable” highlights the contrast between external appearance and internal character.
- Narrative Voice – The narrator’s gentle, ironic tone introduces Utterson as someone admirable despite his stern exterior.
- Characterisation – This sets Utterson up as the moral compass of the novel—he’s not flashy, but he’s loyal and good-hearted.
“His affections, like ivy, were the growth of time.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Utterson)
💡 Key Themes:
- Friendship and Loyalty – Utterson doesn’t form shallow or fast attachments; his love and loyalty are slow-building but deep-rooted.
- Repression and Emotion – Like many Victorian gentlemen, he doesn’t openly show emotion, but this simile shows he does feel deeply—it’s just hidden and develops quietly.
- Respectability and Restraint – His relationships are steady and respectable, built on trust, not passion or drama.
🔍 Techniques:
- Simile – Comparing his affections to “ivy” suggests something that takes time to grow but becomes strong, clinging, and even hard to remove—he’s not quick to love, but once he does, it lasts.
- Natural imagery – Ivy is organic and enduring, suggesting that Utterson’s emotions are natural and dependable, even if not flashy.
- Symbolism – Ivy can also suggest something that quietly envelops or persists—just like Utterson’s calm, consistent concern for Jekyll.
“A great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven… like a fire in a forest.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator
💡 Key Themes:
- Setting as reflection of evil – The oppressive fog mirrors the growing sense of corruption and moral decay in Victorian society.
- Duality of civilisation and savagery – The “forest” evokes untamed, primitive nature, suggesting Hyde’s wild, animalistic influence invading the city.
- Violence and chaos – This image surrounds a murder scene, heightening the sense of Hyde as a destructive, uncontrollable force.
🔍 Techniques:
- Imagery – “Chocolate-coloured pall” suggests pollution, decay, and death, especially with “pall” hinting at a funeral shroud.
- Simile – “Like a fire in a forest” evokes rapid, chaotic destruction, symbolising Hyde’s effect on the world around him.
- Pathetic fallacy – The unnatural, stifling weather mirrors the violence and moral darkness caused by Hyde.
- Motif: Fire – Fire represents destruction and transformation throughout the novel. Here, it signals Hyde’s burning, corrupting presence, spreading like a forest blaze—uncontrollable, dangerous, and leaving devastation behind.
“Neither bell nor knocker”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator
💡 Key Themes:
- Secrecy and Isolation – The lack of a bell or knocker suggests Hyde’s door is a place where no communication is welcomed, reinforcing the idea of secrecy.
- Duality – The door contrasts with the more respectable front of Jekyll’s house, hinting at the division between public respectability and private sin.
- Urban Gothic – Adds to the sinister, silent atmosphere of London’s darker corners — hidden, unknowable spaces where evil lurks.
🔍 Techniques:
- Symbolism – Doors are symbolic of boundaries between identities. This door, lacking a way to be entered respectfully, reflects the barrier between Jekyll and Hyde, and between appearances and truth.
- Motif: Doors – The motif of doors recurs throughout the novel as a representation of concealed identity and repression. This particular door leads directly to Hyde’s world — unmarked, unwelcoming, and morally shut off from society.
- Gothic Setting – The strange, featureless door deepens the unnerving atmosphere, feeding into the mystery and horror of Hyde.
“The man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Hyde)
💡 Key Themes:
- Violence and Evil – This moment immediately shows Hyde’s capacity for cruelty without remorse, even toward the innocent.
- Dehumanisation – Hyde is described as acting without empathy or hesitation, making him seem less human and more monstrous.
- Duality – This outwardly respectable setting hides a shocking act of savagery, mirroring the duality between appearance and reality.
- Innocence and Corruption – The child symbolises purity, making Hyde’s violence even more shocking — he represents the corruption of innocence.
🔍 Techniques:
- Juxtaposition – The phrase “trampled calmly” is deeply unsettling — the violence of “trampled” clashes with the indifference of “calmly”, showing how unnatural Hyde’s actions are.
- Imagery – “Screaming on the ground” gives us a clear, visceral picture of suffering, heightening the horror of Hyde’s cruelty.
- Narrative Perspective – Even through the narrator’s neutral tone, the horror of the event is made clear — the lack of emotion adds to the coldness of Hyde’s behaviour.
“It wasn’t like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
Enfield
💡 Key Themes:
- Violence and Brutality – This simile conveys Hyde’s uncontrollable, destructive power, suggesting he’s more force than man.
- Dehumanisation – Enfield compares Hyde to a relentless machine, stripping him of humanity and emotion.
- Fear and Mystery – The comparison to something unnatural and unstoppable adds to the gothic horror and fear surrounding Hyde.
- Duality – While Jekyll appears civilised, Hyde is raw aggression, symbolising the hidden savage within the self.
🔍 Techniques:
- Simile – “Like some damned Juggernaut” compares Hyde to an unstoppable, crushing force, exaggerating the violence of the scene.
- Religious Allusion – “Juggernaut” refers to a Hindu deity whose image was said to crush worshippers beneath its wheels — using “damned” adds a blasphemous tone, linking Hyde to hellish, evil power.
- Exaggeration – This hyperbolic language reflects shock and disbelief, helping the reader feel the same horror and unease Enfield experiences.
“Such unscientific balderdash”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
Lanyon
💡 Key Themes:
- Science and Rationality – Lanyon rejects Jekyll’s experiments as irrational and unorthodox, reflecting the tension between traditional science and darker, mystical ideas.
- Friendship and Betrayal – Refers to the legendary friendship of Damon and Pythias, implying Jekyll’s ideas are so extreme they would break even the strongest bond.
- Conflict between reason and the supernatural – Lanyon stands for rational, Victorian science, while Jekyll drifts into moral and scientific transgression.
🔍 Techniques:
- Diction: “Balderdash” – The use of this dismissive word reflects Lanyon’s frustration and disbelief, showing how far Jekyll has deviated from accepted science.
- Allusion: Damon and Pythias – This classical reference to legendary loyalty emphasises the depth of the rift between Lanyon and Jekyll — it’s not just a disagreement, it’s a betrayal of core values.
- Contrast – Lanyon represents the rational Enlightenment mindset, while Jekyll embraces the Romantic fascination with the supernatural and inner darkness.
“The figure had no face.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Hyde)
💡 Key Themes:
- Identity and the Unknown – The faceless figure symbolises the loss or concealment of identity, reflecting the blurred line between Jekyll and Hyde.
- Fear and the Supernatural – A figure with no face taps into deep psychological horror — the fear of the unknown and the inhuman.
- Duality – This haunting image captures the split between appearance and reality, and how Hyde lacks a complete or knowable self.
🔍 Techniques:
- Symbolism – The faceless figure represents the erasure of identity — Hyde is not just another side of Jekyll, he is a rejection of humanity itself.
- Gothic Imagery – The surreal and unsettling description contributes to the novel’s atmosphere of horror and unease.
- Uncanny Effect – Stevenson taps into Freud’s idea of the uncanny — something strangely familiar yet terrifying — to make Hyde feel deeply disturbing and unknowable.
“Hissing” / “Snarled” / “Savage”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Hyde)
💡 Key Themes:
- Dehumanisation and Primitivism – These words portray Hyde as less than human, more like an animal driven by instinct and aggression.
-– Violence and Evil – The animalistic sounds and actions link Hyde with raw, uncontrollable violence, suggesting he represents the dark instincts within humanity.
- Darwinism and Regression – These terms tie into Victorian fears about evolution and degeneration, suggesting Hyde is a step backward on the evolutionary scale — a reflection of man’s primitive past.
🔍 Techniques:
- Animalistic Imagery – Words like “snarled” and “hissing” associate Hyde with predatory or reptilian creatures, reinforcing his inhuman qualities.
- Diction – Stevenson carefully chooses harsh, aggressive verbs and adjectives to paint Hyde as wild and instinctive, in contrast to the civilised world around him.
- Sibilance (in ‘hissing’) – The repeated ‘s’ sound mimics the noise itself, enhancing the sinister and serpentine quality of Hyde’s actions.
“Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Hyde)
💡 Key Themes:
- Dehumanisation and Otherness – Hyde’s appearance is unsettling and unnatural, setting him apart from ordinary, respectable society.
- Duality of Man – Hyde’s physical smallness reflects his role as the distilled, darker half of Jekyll — a partial, reduced version of the self.
- Appearance vs Reality – Although there’s no clear deformity, everyone feels disturbed by Hyde — suggesting his evil is internal, not visible.
🔍 Techniques:
- Diction: “Pale” – Suggests lifelessness, moral emptiness, or something ghost-like — emphasising Hyde’s unnatural presence.
- Diction: “Dwarfish” – Implies Hyde is physically and morally stunted, echoing his incomplete and corrupted nature.
- Juxtaposition – Contrast with Jekyll, who is described as “large, well-made,” reinforces the division between respectable and monstrous selves.
- Motif: Doors/Windows (contextual link) – Hyde often enters and exits through side doors and hidden entrances — this distorted physical form mirrors his secretive, hidden lifestyle, often associated with locked doors or concealed thresholds.
“Something troglodytic, shall we say? Something downright detestable.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Hyde)
💡 Key Themes:
- Dehumanisation and Otherness – Hyde is described as less than human, closer to a primitive creature, which sets him apart from Victorian society and moral standards.
- Fear of the Unknown – The repetition of the vague word “something” shows how Hyde defies logical explanation, enhancing the mystery and unease surrounding him.
- Duality of Man – His description as “troglodytic” suggests he represents the unseen, regressive side of human nature — the hidden savagery that lies beneath the respectable surface.
- Evolution and Degeneration – Stevenson taps into 19th-century fears about evolutionary reversal, implying Hyde is a step backward in mankind’s development.
🔍 Techniques:
- Diction: “Troglodytic” – Means cave-dwelling or primitive — evokes the idea that Hyde is closer to a prehistoric or subhuman creature than to a man.
- Repetition of “Something” – Shows Hyde is indescribable, unknowable, even incomprehensible, reflecting the limits of rational thought when faced with pure evil.
- Colloquial phrase “shall we say?” – Makes the description feel conversational, but also uncomfortable — like the narrator is hesitant to name what Hyde really is, deepening the sense of moral horror.
- Alliteration in “downright detestable” – Harsh ‘d’ sounds reflect the narrator’s visceral disgust.
“A large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Jekyll)
💡 Key Themes:
- Reputation and Respectability – Jekyll’s appearance reflects the Victorian ideal of the respectable gentleman — physically strong, calm, and socially acceptable.
- Duality of Man – This outward respectability contrasts sharply with the inner darkness that manifests as Mr. Hyde — the polished exterior hides deep moral conflict.
- Deception and Facade – The phrase “smooth-faced” suggests a mask-like quality, hinting at the idea that his appearance may be misleading, covering up hidden desires or sins.
🔍 Techniques:
- Diction: “Well-made” – Suggests Jekyll is physically robust, reinforcing his status and power — but this also sets up a stark contrast with Hyde, who is small and deformed.
- Diction: “Smooth-faced” – Implies calmness and composure, but can also be read as emotionally unreadable, hinting at concealment or repression.
- Contrast – This calm, controlled description is a foil to Hyde’s disturbing and vague appearance, reinforcing the novel’s theme of duality.
“Although a fog rolled over the city in the small hours.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator
💡 Key Themes:
- Secrecy and Concealment – The fog provides a symbolic cover for immoral acts, much like Jekyll hides his darker self.
- Mystery and the Gothic – The quote enhances the Gothic atmosphere of London, portraying it as a place of lurking horror.
- Duality and Uncertainty – The fog reflects the blurred boundaries between good and evil, much like the blurred line between Jekyll and Hyde.
🔍 Techniques:
- Pathetic Fallacy – The fog reflects the moral confusion and emotional repression within the city, especially in the shadowy, liminal “small hours.”
- Motif: Fog – The recurring image of fog represents obscurity, moral ambiguity, and concealment, hiding both literal crimes and metaphorical truths. It suggests that evil can thrive when visibility — and clarity — is lost.
- Atmospheric Language – “Rolled” gives the fog a slow, creeping presence, heightening the sense of ominous tension.
- Symbolism – Fog symbolises how truth and identity are clouded, just as Jekyll’s respectable exterior masks Hyde’s brutality.
“He broke out in a great flame of anger”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Hyde)
💡 Key Themes:
- Violence and Savagery – The quote reveals Hyde’s sudden and overwhelming aggression, emphasizing his primal, brutal instincts.
- Duality of Man – The contrast between Jekyll’s restraint and Hyde’s rage highlights the internal battle between civility and chaos.
- Loss of Control – Suggests Hyde’s emotions are unchecked and explosive, underscoring the danger of suppressed desires.
🔍 Techniques:
- Metaphor: “Flame of anger” – Anger is described as a fire, suggesting it is consuming, destructive, and volatile.
- Motif: Fire – The image contributes to the recurring motif of fire, which represents uncontrolled emotion, danger, and destructive instincts throughout the novella. It visually mirrors Hyde’s volatility and the threat he poses.
- Suddenness of “broke out” – Implies a violent eruption, like a fire igniting without warning, reinforcing the unpredictability of Hyde’s nature.
- Gothic Tone – The vivid, violent metaphor adds to the Gothic atmosphere of horror and intensity.
“With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Hyde)
💡 Key Themes:
- Violence and Savagery – Hyde’s brutal attack is described in primal terms, showing his complete disconnection from societal norms or morality.
- Dehumanisation – Comparing Hyde to an ape suggests that he is less than human, reinforcing the idea that he represents mankind’s regressive, animalistic side.
- Duality of Man – Hyde’s bestial violence contrasts starkly with Jekyll’s composed persona, illustrating how thin the veneer of civilisation can be.
- Gothic Horror – The sheer ferocity and grotesqueness of the moment create a sense of shock, fear, and repulsion, key aspects of the Gothic genre.
🔍 Techniques:
- Simile: “ape-like fury” – The comparison to an ape implies primal, instinctive violence, and links Hyde to evolutionary regression, which was a disturbing idea at the time.
- Animal Imagery – Reinforces the idea that Hyde is not fully human, but instead a manifestation of man’s basest instincts.
- Violent Verb: “trampling” – Suggests not just violence but complete disregard for human life, echoing the earlier trampling of the child and emphasising a pattern of brutality.
- Gothic and Darwinian Influence – The phrase connects to contemporary fears of de-evolution and the darkness lurking within every human, fitting the Gothic tradition of exploring repressed horror.
“Through wider labyrinths of a lamp-lighted city.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator
💡 Key Themes:
- Urban Gothic – Suggests London is a place of mystery and moral darkness, where evil can easily hide in plain sight.
- Confusion and Entrapment – The “labyrinth” implies a loss of direction, both physically and morally — a city where one can easily get lost in vice or secrecy.
🔍 Techniques:
- Metaphor: “Labyrinth” – Represents the complexity and hidden dangers of the city — echoing the internal conflict within Jekyll himself.
- Juxtaposition: “Lamp-lighted” city – The warm glow suggests safety, yet it’s paired with a labyrinth, creating a sense of unease beneath surface respectability.
- Motif: Fog and Obscurity – Though not fog itself, the dim, twisting streets tie in with the motif of unclear perception, hinting that truth is hidden in the shadows.
“The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Lanyon)
💡 Key Themes:
- Science and Its Limits – Lanyon’s physical decline reflects the emotional and psychological cost of witnessing something that defies natural law.
- Fear and Horror – The transformation from “rosy” (healthy and jovial) to “pale” and wasted shows how deeply disturbed he is — he has seen something unspeakably horrifying.
- Appearance vs Reality – His outward change suggests that internal trauma can disrupt even the most confident, rational appearances.
🔍 Techniques:
- Juxtaposition: “Rosy” vs. “Pale” – Contrasts health and vitality with shock and decay, heightening the impact of what Lanyon has witnessed.
- Symbolism – “Rosy” symbolises warmth, life, and cheer — while “pale” implies death, fear, and emotional ruin.
- Gothic Imagery – The wasting of the body ties into the Gothic trope of physical decline caused by psychological terror.
“The red baize of the cabinet door.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator
💡 Key Themes:
- Secrecy and Repression – The closed cabinet door hints at hidden knowledge or forbidden truth, reinforcing the idea of concealed duality.
- Curiosity vs. Restraint – The door is a threshold between what is known and unknown, inviting both fear and temptation to uncover what lies beyond.
🔍 Techniques:
- Motif: Doors – The cabinet door reflects the broader motif of doors in the novel, symbolising barriers between public and private selves, and between Jekyll and Hyde.
- Symbolism: Red Baize – “Red” suggests danger, passion, or violence, while “baize” (a soft felt-like fabric) may evoke superficial comfort that masks horror. Together, they suggest that beneath respectability lies disturbing truth.
- Gothic Detail – The rich visual detail adds to the atmosphere of tension and dread typical of Gothic fiction.
“I shall consider it my duty to break in that door.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
Utterson
💡 Key Themes:
- Repression vs Revelation – The act of breaking down the door represents the forced uncovering of secrets, disrupting the façade of Victorian respectability.
- Duty and Morality – Utterson believes it is his moral obligation to uncover the truth, highlighting the tension between loyalty to a friend and commitment to justice.
- Duality and Hidden Truths – The door serves as a barrier between Jekyll and Hyde, both literally and symbolically — breaking it down becomes an act of confronting hidden evil.
🔍 Techniques:
- Motif: Doors – The door is a recurring symbol of secrecy and division — here, it must be physically destroyed to reach the truth.
- Language of Duty – The phrase “my duty” casts Utterson as a figure of moral resolve, aligning him with Victorian ideals of responsibility and rationality.
- Symbolism – The act of breaking in is symbolic of overcoming repression, tearing down the walls between respectable appearance and inner depravity.
“The wreck of the door fell inwards on the carpet.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator
💡 Key Themes:
- Repression and Exposure – The breaking of the door marks the collapse of Jekyll’s carefully maintained façade, symbolising the eruption of hidden truths.
- Duality of Man – The destroyed door is a metaphor for the fragile barrier between Jekyll and Hyde, and more broadly, between civilised identity and primal instinct.
- Violence and Finality – The door’s destruction is irreversible, signifying a point of no return for the characters and for the mystery.
🔍 Techniques:
- Motif: Doors – The fallen door reinforces the symbolic barrier between private self and public image — now forcibly removed.
- Imagery: “Wreck” – The word conveys total ruin, implying not just physical destruction, but also the collapse of control, secrecy, and morality.
- Symbolism – The door’s fall “inwards” may suggest that the danger or corruption came from within, not from external sources — a key Gothic idea.
“My devil had long been caged, he came out roaring.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
Jekyll
💡 Key Themes:
- Repression and Inner Evil – Jekyll admits that suppressing his darker desires only made them more powerful and dangerous when finally released.
- Duality of Human Nature – Refers to the uncontrollable force of Hyde as the embodiment of the “devil” within — showing that evil is an inseparable part of the self.
- Loss of Control – The quote illustrates how Jekyll loses mastery over Hyde, emphasising the consequences of denying one’s full identity.
🔍 Techniques:
- Metaphor: “My devil” – Represents Jekyll’s sinful, instinctive urges, personified as a separate creature within him.
- Zoomorphism: “Roaring” – Implies something animalistic, primal, and dangerous, showing that Hyde is driven by raw emotion and impulse.
- Violent Imagery – “Caged” and “roaring” create a sense of pent-up fury suddenly unleashed — Gothic and dramatic, heightening the horror of transformation.
“Man is not truly one, but truly two.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
Jekyll
💡 Key Themes:
- Duality of Human Nature – This line sums up the central message of the novella: that every person has a divided self — one moral, one immoral.
- Science and Ethics – Jekyll’s self-experimentation reflects the dangers of pushing scientific boundaries, especially when motivated by personal temptation.
- Repression and Identity – Victorian ideals demand the suppression of darker instincts — Jekyll tries to manage this by splitting his identity, but fails.
🔍 Techniques:
- Antithesis: “Not truly one, but truly two” – The direct contrast highlights the inherent contradiction in human identity, presenting duality as essential, not abnormal.
- Confessional Tone – The personal voice in Jekyll’s final letter creates a sense of introspection and remorse, enhancing the emotional and moral weight of the revelation.
- Philosophical Language – This abstract phrasing gives the line a universal, reflective quality, suggesting that Jekyll’s struggle is shared by all humans.
“Like some disconsolate prisoner.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Jekyll)
💡 Key Themes:
- Imprisonment and Isolation – Jekyll is physically and emotionally trapped by the consequences of his experiments, unable to live freely as either himself or Hyde.
- Guilt and Regret – The comparison suggests deep remorse, as though Jekyll is being punished for his sins — a prisoner of his own conscience.
- Repression and Identity – The image reflects the conflict between Jekyll’s public identity and inner desires, and how repressing one side has destroyed him.
🔍 Techniques:
- Simile: “like some disconsolate prisoner” – Creates a vivid image of emotional despair, showing Jekyll as trapped within the consequences of his own choices.
- Gothic Imagery – The bleak, sorrowful tone and imagery echo classic Gothic themes of entrapment and internal suffering.
- Narrative Distance – Since this is observed from outside the window, it highlights how cut off Jekyll has become, increasing the sense of mystery and fear.
“Like a man restored from death – there stood Henry Jekyll.”
Who said this? Key themes? Analysis?
The Narrator (Describing Jekyll)
💡 Key Themes:
- Resurrection and Transformation – This moment suggests a brief restoration of Jekyll’s humanity, but it’s unnerving, not comforting — as if he’s come back from something unnatural.
- Duality of Man – Reflects the oscillation between Jekyll and Hyde, and how Jekyll’s identity is becoming unstable, even grotesque.
- Isolation and Horror – The description reinforces the gothic atmosphere, with Jekyll’s very appearance now provoking shock and unease.
🔍 Techniques:
- Simile: “Like a man restored from death” – Suggests unnatural revival, giving Jekyll a ghastly, zombie-like quality — more monstrous than miraculous.
- Gothic Imagery – Echoes horror conventions with death and resurrection, heightening the suspense and sense of something being terribly wrong.
- Irony – “Restored” usually suggests healing, but here it’s disturbing, showing that even in his Jekyll form, he is no longer truly alive or well.
