Hydes Analysis

Question 1

Analyses the quote “he is not easy to describe there is some thing wrong with his appearance something displeasing something downright detestable”

Answer 1

Techniques- repetition, alliteration vagueness

• he defines normal expectations of what a normal person should look like
• creates unsettling mysteries around him
• repetition builds a sense of growing unease of if his wrongness is overwhelming but impossible to put into words
• alliteration strong emotional reaction of hatred
• vaughes because Hydes exact appearance isn’t clearly described
• Stevenson want to keep a short aspect of mystery within this character of Mr hyde
• deeper symbol of evil
• creates a sense of repulsion

Question 2

Analyses the quote “the man trampled calmly”

Answer 2

• during Mr Enfield’s recounting of a disturbing incident where Hyde violently attacks a young girl
• paradoxical image to immediately shock the reader and establish Hyde as a figure of unnatural evil
• Oxymoron to combine brutality (“trampled”) with serenity (“calmly”), creating a deeply unsettling image.
• contradiction between the violence of “trampled” and the composure of “calmly” suggests that Hyde feels no remorse or emotional reaction to the suffering he causes.
• dehumanised, emotionally detached, and morally void
• lack of empathy aligns Hyde with the concept of pure, unfeeling evil, which is central to Stevenson’s presentation of him as the physical embodiment of Jekyll’s repressed, malevolent desires
• verb “trampled” connotes animalistic aggression and lack of control, suggesting Hyde behaves primitively, with no regard for human life or social decency.
• reinforces the idea of Hyde as regressive and instinct-driven
• adverb “calmly” is particularly chilling, as it implies deliberation and emotional numbness. Hyde doesn’t lash out in a moment of rage; rather, he harms the child with an eerie lack of humanity

Question 3

analyse the quote “ he is an odd sort of person”

Answer 3

• through the characterisation …
• he does not fit not normal society
• he stands out in a way that makes others feel uncomfortable
• the use of vagueness and ambiguity doesn’t give a clear description
• characterisation of a strange creature
• ambiguous means unclear or open to more than one interpretation
• frightens the Victorian society as they are fearful of the unknown
• “odd” is deliberately vague and euphemistic, suggesting that Hyde’s strangeness is beyond normal comprehension and resists rational explanation
• sense of discomfort without revealing specific horrors, heightening the tension through subtle horror
• adjective also reflects the narrative technique of filtering Hyde through the perceptions of others, which maintains mystery and suspense
• informality of the phrase contrasts sharply with the later, more visceral depictions of Hyde’s violence, marking this as a moment of uneasy curiosity rather than outright fear

Question 4

analyses the quote “he s not like a man he is like a beast”

Answer 4

• emphasises hydes primal violent nature presenting him as a figure beyond the bounds of civilisation
• animalistic instincts (ID) is a reflection of the freuds psychoanalytic theory
• ID = animalistic part of the man where most of our basic urges derive from e.g. food, sexual desire
• complete loss of humanity
• Simile comparing Hyde to something beyond calm, collective, respectable, Victorian gentleman
• consequences of one’s unrestricted indulgence in the darker instincts
• animals like beast are usually tamed by being caged just how Jekyll’s devil had been long caged and came out roaring which is the sounds of a beast
• extended metaphor of hyde being an animal could also be reinforcing the theory of evolution from Darwin’s experiments

Question 5

Analyses the quote “he had a displeasing smile”

Answer 5

• juxtaposition drawing confusion to his nature, unsettling effect, his nature can’t be hidden behind a human smile
• this clash makes Hyde seem un-natural and wrong as if there is something fundamentally evil about him that cannot be disguised
• makes the reader feel disturbed and suspicious
• diction on ‘displeasing’ implies a deep instinctive repulsion rather than a simple dislike
• apart of the outer description of Hyde through external lenses
• reader developed caution around his character and leads to greater fear of his nature

Question 6

Analyses the quote “ape like furry”

Answer 6

• simile comparing Hyde to a villain or criminal, depicted as a force of natures untamed and uncheck resources
• links to Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution, humans having evolved from apes makes it sound more possible and realistic as he embodies the nature of his true ancestors
• tied by blood to violence and aggression
• embodies the rejected aspects of Victorian society
• highlights the novels exploration of the tension between outwards respectability, and the inner darkness

Question 7

Analyses the quote “I was a man who was once respected now I’m the wreck of that man utterly destroyed”

Answer 7

• violent imagery, metaphor, first person, narrative, intimate confession
  -powerfully presents, the tragic deterioration his character faces
• juxtaposition ‘respected’ ‘wreck’ highlights catastrophic fall from grace experienced by the protagonist
• damaged shell of the former dr Jekyll suggesting the irreversible consequences of moral corruption
• violent imagery used to emphasise the complete and devastating collapse of his identity
• self recognition to what his own experiment with duality had led to his annihilation (complete destruction)
• metaphor evokes imagery of a shipwreck, something once a grand and powerful now broken beyond repair
  -physical ruin as well as mental deterioration
  -Hyde has become a tragic figure
• personal, intimate confession inviting the reader to witness the profound regret, and despair felt by the character of Mr Hyde
  -forces the audience to empathise with him

Question 8

Analyses the quote “I was conscious of being more and more myself when I was with Hyde”

Answer 8

• irony
• psychological complexity of Dr Jekyll‘s relationship with Mr Hyde
• ‘More and more myself’ is a deeply ironic as Hyde presents the darker most immoral aspects of jekylls personality
• Stevenson uses repetition to suggest increasing surrender to those primal instincts, implying that the longer Jekyll associates with Hyde, the stronger, the true hidden desire becomes
• ‘conscious’ indicates clear, deliberate awareness - Jekyll was not a victim of an accident, but someone who knowingly embraces the freedom Hyde offered
• challenges, Victorian strict morals
• inevitable self-destruction

Question 9

Analyses the quote “I am very low, very low and I will never put you out of my mind”

Answer 9

• emotional collapse and mental torment at the end of the novella
• repetition emphasises depths of despair, creating a tone of overwhelming hopelessness
• trapped in a cycle of guilt and self-loathing unable to escape
• Obsessive fixation implies that guilt and evil have completely consumed, his conscience, leaving, no space for redemption
• pathetically, vulnerable, rather than purely monstrous
• ruined by forces, he cannot fully control he has become a tragic figure