Jekyll And Hyde Flashcards
(23 cards)
What quotes present Hyde as primitive and non human
A dismal screech, as of mere animal terror, rang from the cabinet
Snarled aloud into a savage laugh
Clubbed him to the earth…with ape-like fury”
Satan’s signature upon a face
“That masked thing like a monkey jumped from among the chemicals
What were victorians view on creation
Victorians thought that the earth was created by god
The idea that science could create life was seen as dangerous
By the final chapter, Jekyll is caught in a state of “suffering” where there is a “brute that slept” within him, and he is “tortured with throes and longings” to turn into Hyde. The language of agony that Jekyll uses links to the Christian notion of hell - his selfish motivations for the experiment leave him trapped in limbo.
This would have been very unsettling and a nightmarish notion for many Victorians. Stevenson aims to horrify the Victorian reader by engineering the themes of his novella to evoke their deep-seated fear8
What were Victorian views on jekylls experiments
Jekyll’s experiments cause destruction and death of the people around him, and this shows the potential of science to destroy the order of society and disrupt the rigid Victorian expectations.
hardly human…troglodytic
This presents him as a criminal and someone who does not fit in with the rest of society. He is a physical manifestation of the pre-human animal.
The idea that such an animal could hide behind the façade of a well-represented member of the community would have been a shocking possibility for the Victorian reader, especially in a society where the external appearances were of a high value.
How is jekylls struggle presented as a battle
Stevenson uses language associated with battles and wars to illustrate and allude to this internal conflict within Jekyll.
There is a “perennial war among [his] members” and the two sides of nature “contended in the field” of his psyche, like two opposing forces on a battleground.
The fog in Chapter 4 is described as “lurid brown, like the light of some strange conflagration”.
The inferno and conflagration in the vapours in the air represents the violent conflict of good and evil.
How was mans savage side presented
Some used Darwin’s theory of evolution to support this thesis, and so Stevenson addresses the possibility that every human has an uncivilised and “savage” side to them - that is “ape-like” and “mad”.
Without the exercise of restraint and repression, all that is left is a savage animal within.
In Chapter 10, Jekyll writes “my devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” - this shows how the evil creature within him is released in the cathartic (providing relief) act of transforming into his dark side.
How is hyprocacy presented
Stevenson wanted to show how Victorian society was hypocritical - and how there was a void between reality and appearance.
This is why characters take so much pride in their reputation, and why they prioritise appearance over honesty.
Hyde’s evil nature is shown in his appearance and his actions. He is described as having a “displeasing smile” and a “satanic” face that disgusts the characters, perhaps because Hyde does not hide his appearance.
This may horrify Victorian readers because they are being confronted by an image of their own sins.
How is disguise presented
In Chapter 7, Jekyll is described hiding from other characters and he disguises himself from the outside world.
His transformation is alluded to when Stevenson writes (of Jekyll): “the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of… abject terror”.
The word “abject” shows that Jekyll knows his appearance (as Hyde) will be shocking and unfamiliar to Utterson and Enfield.
“delight from every blow”
novel centres on Mr Hyde, and raises the question of whether or not violence is an inherent part of man’s nature.
It is shocking how much pleasure Hyde gets from the murder of Carew - he feels “glee” and tasted “delight from every blow” as he attacked him.
trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming”.
The oxymoron “trampled calmly” indicates how Hyde feels no remorse for his crimes, and how the act of violence is a habitual event that he fulfils without much contemplation.
What were victorians fears about violence
Acts of violence in the novella are against innocent people and provoke horror in the characters around them.
This would have linked to the context of Victorian crimes in London, and the fear that some invisible force was driving evil into its citizens.
Hyde is described as “Satan’s signature upon a face” - this shows how he is an embodiment of evil and how he epitomises everything that citizens feared at the time.
What were victorians views on reputation
he gentlemanly ideal of repressing one’s innermost thoughts causes Utterson to suffer from nightmares. This suggests Stevenson’s message is that reputations are only based on appearances.
Reputations are not always genuine versions of people - they are just the façades that people try to uphold and show to society
a more commonly grave countenance before the public”.
Jekyll has always tried to put on a façade for his society - he worries about his hidden desires.
He over-dramatises how bad his desires are because his inner desires contrast to the character he appears to be.
morbid sense of shame
Jekyll’s hidden desires cause him to feel guilt, so he tries to repress these desires and he feels a “morbid sense of shame” - this shows how he feels he has dishonoured the society that he lives in, and he feels embarrassed of his secret activities.
to a profound duplicity of life
His engagement with science, and his guilt thereafter, is often linked to the rigorous Christian ideals that citizens were expected to uphold, causing guilt and shame for those who did not conform to the Victorian ideals prescribed to them. As a result of his dual interests, Jekyll finds himself committed “to a profound duplicity of life” which is why making a potion to split his two sides appeals to him so much, and he pursues the transformation into Hyde as a result. "Duplicity" means to be disloyal, or to be unfaithful- so this implies that Jekyll is disloyal to the Christian upper-class community he lives in.
Victorian views on science
ring the 1800s, science challenged religious ideas and beliefs.
Jekyll’s science challenges the religious belief that humans should try to lead a life free from sin.
Stevenson wanted to show the audience that it is impossible to do so, and that repression only leads to excessive corruption.
There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably new and, from its very novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt younger, lighter, happier in body; within I was conscious of a heady recklessness” (10).
Jekyll gains pleasure from transforming and he is unable to tear himself away from his darker side once the experiments begin. This quote suggests he enjoys the transformations, and he feels released from the heavy restraints of the external society.
Devil had been long caged, he came out roaring
The inner devil that Jekyll speaks of here is a manifestation of his unconscious desires and repressed pleasure-seeking elements.
The “devil” is a deliberate contrast and religious allusion to the Christian ideals of morality, goodness and purity.
The animalistic continuous verb “roaring” suggests that the creature within has been repressed to the extent that it has been made aggressive and angry.
He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable
This shows us that he is an unidentifiable character that does not blend in with the rest of society.
Hyde is deliberately described as vague and ambiguous to make the reader anxious about who this character actually is.
The idea that Hyde evokes fear in the other characters, but there is a non-specific reason for this, builds tension for the reader, and also leaves the reader to paint an image of Hyde that aligns to their own personal fears.
narled aloud into a savage laugh;
Hyde is described as a “savage” character that we cannot describe - the adjective “savage” implies he is a degenerate without morals, and he also moves like an animal would.l
he verb “snarled” is usually applied to animals, and has a sinister undertone.
The sibilance in this quotation also suggests that there is a sinister aspect to Hyde’s character.
This connotes to the context of Darwinism, and the idea that humans could possibly degenerate into the inner savage if the veneer of society were removed.
“He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why.”
This shows us that he is an unidentifiable character that does not blend in with the rest of society.
Hyde is deliberately described as vague and ambiguous to make the reader anxious about who this character actually is.
The idea that Hyde evokes fear in the other characters, but there is a non-specific reason for this, builds tension for the reader, and also leaves the reader to paint an image of Hyde that aligns to their own personal fears.
Hyde poses as a mechanism to revive the inner terrors and sins that exist within us.
The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house.”
Utterson is the omniscient narrator - the reader views the events of his investigation through his perspective. This is the first time we hear a description of Hyde from this well-trusted character.
Hyde is described as a “savage” character that we cannot describe - the adjective “savage” implies he is a degenerate without morals, and he also moves like an animal would.
The sibilance in this quotation also suggests that there is a sinister aspect to Hyde’s character.
This connotes to the context of Darwinism, and the idea that humans could possibly degenerate into the inner savage if the veneer of society were removed.
There was something abnormal and misbegotten in the very essence of the creature”.
Hyde is described as “abnormal” which differentiates him from the other well-respected gentlemen in the novella.
Hyde is frequently referred to as a “creature” rather than a human and this evokes animalistic imagery.
We get the impression that Hyde is a pre-human troglodyte (caveman) that exists without civilisation and the laws and morals that dictate the civilised being.
