Jekyll and Hyde Context and Plot Flashcards
(57 cards)
briefly describe the plot of Jekyll and Hyde, and what it reflects in the contemporary society:
- about a respectable doctor, Henry Jekyll, who transforms into the evil Mr Hyde
- it reflects the strict values of Victorian society, in which people were expected to be restrained and appear respectable at all times
what is J&H’s message?
- about human nature, everyone has good and evil inside of them
- if people explore their dark side, it can lead to problems. hiding or denying it also leads to problems
describe the context of Robert Louis Stevenson:
- influenced by strict Christian beliefs (ideas of sin)
- interested in the behaviour of Victorian gentlemen - the way they maintained an outwardly respectable appearance but secretly indulged in immoral behaviour
- particularly fascinated by the life of Deacon Brodie, a respectable cabinet maker who led a secret life as a robber
describe Victorian gentlemen:
- important to look respectable. people hid their true feelings, especially if they are immoral/improper. kept their less respectable desires and sinful behaviour secret
- reputation was also very important. this could be ruined if they were seen doing anything not respectable
- didn’t talk about anything that may damage their reputation/upset civilised society
how was a Victorian gentleman expected to be like, and how would that affect their lives?
- important profession (army officer, church minister, doctor, lawyer)
- ## expected to have strong morals and be kind particularly towards poorer people. plenty saw this as the less important part, however
- brings many benefits - enter well-paid professions like medicine and law, gain the respect of rich clients
- a gentleman could use his contacts to arrange good marriages for his daughters and well-paid jobs for his sons
describe how gentlemen were obsessed with their reputations:
- determined to maintain their reputations, otherwise without a good one, they wouldn’t be considered a gentleman at all
- would often walk through public places, helping them to keep up their appearance as gentlemen
- expected to keep their emotions under strict control, and to hide their desires for sex and alcohol
describe how the Victorian gentlemen became hypocrites due to their wish to uphold their reputation:
many were publicly snobbish about disreputable places, such as public houses and brothels, but would visit them secretly at night
- they were prepared to pay large sums of money to keep activities like these private, making them vulnerable to blackmail
- Utterson immediately assumes Jekyll is being blackmailed. even Hyde, who doesn’t need to protect his reputation, is willing to pay money to avoid a public scandal
describe how reputation may affect Jekyll and Utterson in the novel:
- Utterson wants to discover the truth about Hyde, but is worried he’ll damage Jekyll’s reputation, slowing him down
- Jekyll struggles with the social pressure to be respectable. he ‘concealed’ his ‘pleasures’ but this made him feel like a ‘double dealer’, even before Hyde was created
describe working class London:
- upper and middle class lived in richly-furnished houses, ‘a great air of wealth and comfort’
- the Industrial Revolution meant many working class people migrated to towns and cities. housing had to be built rapidly, and large areas of slums sprang up in London’s East End
- this housing was generally poor quality, and whole families could live in 1/2 rooms. houses were often damp, with no running water or proper sanitation, leading to outbreaks of fatal diseases
- the streets were narrow and poorly lit. the slums were built close to factories so the people could work long hours, and so pollution was great
describe how working class London was not respectable:
- respectable men wouldn’t want to be seen in the working class slums, brothels, or public houses
- Hyde is associated with these less respectable parts of the city: his house is in a ‘dismal quarter of Soho’ where ‘ragged children’ huddle in doorways
- the two sides of the city do overlap, however. some gentlemen would travel to the ‘dismal’ areas of London (less chance of being recognised), to satisfy the desires they hid in public. Jekyll does this by changing who he is entirely before going to these areas
describe, in the context of working class London:
- the dual nature of man
- gothic conventions
- the settings are also dual. Jekyll’s home has two very different entrances, but they both lead to the same building
- traditionally, gothic novels were set in faraway places, such as abandoned castles in foreign countries. Stevenson chose to set this story in a place familiar to his readers, which might make the novel seem more frightening
describe how religious Victorian society was:
- Evangelicalism was very influential
- ## taught that all people are naturally sinful, and that it’s up to individuals to seek forgiveness from God. they should do this by living to a strict moral and religious code (total morality, sin avoidance)
- Jekyll is particularly critical of his sinfulness, and he thinks of sin as ‘the doom and burden of our life’. he creates Hyde in an attempt to get ride of this ‘extraneous evil’
describe Darwin’s theory of evolution, and what it opposed:
- in the early 1800s, Christianity taught that God created every species to be perfectly adapted to its environment. it was taught that humans were made in God’s image, and that they were different from all over animals and could rule over them
- Darwin put forward his theory, claiming that all creatures evolved from common ancestors through ‘natural selection’. he wrote that humans share a common ancestor with apes
why were Darwin’s theories controversial, and how does Stevenson use this in the novel?
- Darwin’s writings went against the Christian idea that man’s nature was different from other animals. it’s an unsettling idea that there is an animalistic side to everyone, capable of uncivilised acts and violent crimes
- Hyde is described as the ‘animal within’ Jekyll. he seems ‘hardly human’, lets out a scream of ‘animal terror’ and is ‘like a monkey’. he’s also shorter than Jekyll, suggesting he’s a less evolved version of him
describe the reader’s first impression of Utterson and Enfield:
STORY OF THE DOOR
- Utterson is a well-respected lawyer. he is a typical Victorian gentleman, who’s ‘embarrassed’ in conversations and hides his emotions. he’s rational - as a lawyer he deals with facts and evidence
- Utterson and Enfield appear to have nothing in common, but enjoy spending time together anyway
- go on Sunday walks together in which they say ‘nothing’. their silence creates suspense and a lack of info
why are Utterson and Enfield silent on their weekly walks?
STORY OF THE DOOR
- in Victorian society, discretion was preferred to gossip
- it’s Enfield’s rule not to ask questions if something seems suspicious - he doesn’t want to know about immoral behaviour
- in contrast, Utterson is often the ‘last reputable acquaintance’ of men who have ruined their reputation, suggesting he’s more tolerant of sin
how does Utterson and Enfield’s walk set the scene for the mystery?
STORY OF THE DOOR
- walk down a prosperous street in London. the houses have ‘freshly painted shutters’ and ‘well-polished brasses’
- one building with ‘nothing but a door’ contrasts with the rest of the street. described using negative adjectives, ‘sinister’, ‘sordid’, making it seem unusual
- later in the chapter, we’re told Hyde has a key to the building and goes inside. Hyde and the building are linked together as sinister and disturbing
describe Enfield’s story, introducing Hyde to the reader:
STORY OF THE DOOR
- tells Utterson he saw Hyde trample a young girl. he describes him as ‘like Satan’, emphasising how evil he thinks he is
- Hyde tramples ‘calmly’ over the little girl, showing how easily he does violent things.
- produces a cheque signed by a name Enfield won’t mention, creating mystery
- Enfield can’t put his finger on why Hyde makes him feel so uncomfortable. ‘I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why’. Unusual evil within Hyde
describe Jekyll’s mysterious will and Utterson’s visit to Dr Lanyon:
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- Jekyll’s will says that if he dies/disappears, all his things should go to Hyde. Utterson thinks Hyde is blackmailing Jekyll
- Utterson visits Lanyon, and discovers they fell out over Jekyll’s scientific work - ‘unscientific balderdash’. hints that Jekyll’s experiments are taking a darker direction that conventional science (Jekyll is interested in the ‘fanciful’ side of science, whereas Lanyon is more traditional)
describe Utterson’s dreams:
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- the lack of information about who Hyde is and why Jekyll is so interested in him leaves Utterson feeling unsettled
- he dreams that he’s being ‘haunted’ by a man with no face, who appears on every street of an almost nightmarish London
- Hyde is affecting Utterson’s subconscious and leaves him wanting to see Hyde’s face so that ‘the mystery would lighten’. visual evidence is important to the rational Utterson
describe Utterson’s meeting with Hyde:
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- Utterson beings to ‘haunt’ the door where Enfield first saw Hyde. it’s night-time and the street is ‘solitary and ‘silent’ before Hyde appears, creating a feeling of expectation
- Hyde is described as ‘pale and dwarfish’ with a ‘savage laugh’. Hyde seems ‘hardly human’, hinting that he’s less evolved.
how is Jekyll’s house an important symbol?
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- Utterson knew all along that the building Hyde went into is the lab that’s attached to the back of Jekyll’s house, but the reader only finds out now. the info is given out bit by bit, adding to the mystery
- Jekyll’s house has ‘a great air of wealth and comfort’, symbolising his respectable nature and successful life. contrasts with the ‘sinister’ lab Hyde goes into. the buildings are physically connected, symbolising that Jekyll and Hyde are two sides of the same person
- Poole tells Utterson that the servants all have orders to obey Hyde, and Utterson is more convinced than ever that Jekyll is being made to pay for ‘some old sin’. this shows Utterson’s concern for Jekyll’s reputation
describe Dr Jekyll:
DR JEKYLL WAS QUITE AT EASE
- Jekyll invites Utterson and other ‘intelligent, reputable’ upper-class men to one of his dinner parties, reflecting the social circle that Jekyll moves in. he’s a respectable, sociable man who fits in with the respectable Victorian upper-class society
- he’s kind, however, also has a ‘slyish cast’, hinting that he’s hiding something or has a darker side to his personality
describe Utterson and Jekyll’s conversation pt.1
DR JEKYLL WAS QUITE AT EASE
- Utterson questions Jekyll about the will. he treats the mystery as a case that can be solved rationally
- Jekyll tries to hide the fact he doesn’t want to talk about it and changes the subject to Lanyon. the reader is curious why he can’t even tell his close friend and lawyer what’s going on
- Jekyll thinks Lanyon is ‘ignorant’ due to his dismissal. Jekyll is so determined to pursue his scientific work that he’s willing to lose friends over it