Jekyll & Hyde Analysis Flashcards
(14 cards)
What’s the key quote for Mr Hyde – Appearance vs Reality?
Hint: Dwarfish
“Pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity.” (Chapter 2)
Technique & Effect:
– Semantic Field of Abnormality: “Pale” and “dwarfish” evoke Hyde as not fully human, reinforcing the sense of unease.
– Passive Perception: “Gave an impression” suggests his deformity is perceptible yet indefinable, emphasising hidden evil.
– Evolutionary Regression: Hyde reflects Victorian anxieties over Darwinism — that moral failure could revert a man to his primal state.
– Mirror of Repression: Jekyll’s creation of Hyde reveals the duplicity of Victorian gentlemen, hiding sin beneath outward respectability.
– Foreshadowing: The impression of evil prepares readers for Hyde’s violence, while keeping its source intangible and unsettling.
Context:
– Physiognomy: 19th-century belief that morality was visible in physical appearance — Hyde disrupts this by appearing evil, yet with no specific flaw.
– Darwinism: Hyde embodies fears of devolution — humanity regressing to an animalistic form.
Themes to Link:
Duality, Repression, Friendship
What’s the key quote for Mr Hyde – Repression?
Hint: Fury
“With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim.” (Chapter 4)
Technique & Effect:
– Zoomorphic Simile: “Ape-like fury” reduces Hyde to animalistic violence, showing how he transgresses civilised norms.
– Emblematic of Collapse: Hyde represents moral regression, aligning with fears of evolutionary devolution.
– Dynamic Verb “trampling”: Suggests relentless, unstoppable violence — present continuous tense builds tension and urgency.
– Amoral Nature: He acts on pure instinct, devoid of human empathy or restraint.
Context:
– Darwinism & Physiognomy: Victorians feared degeneration of humanity. Hyde’s violence symbolises those anxieties.
– Themes: Duality, Repression, Evolution, and Moral Breakdown
What’s the key quote for Mr Hyde – Duality?
Hint: Mixture
“He had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness.” (Chapter 2)
Technique & Effect:
– Oxymoron: “Timidity and boldness” captures Hyde’s paradox — both submissive and aggressive.
– Uncanny: Hyde is human, yet alien — his conflicting traits make him unknowable and disturbing.
– Deeply Symbolic: His behaviour reflects repressed violence, ready to erupt beneath the surface.
– Manifestation of Duplicity: Hyde becomes a linguistic symbol of the instability in all men.
Context:
– Victorian Respectability: Shows the hidden impulses beneath public restraint.
– Themes: Duality, Duplicity, Civilization vs Instinct
What’s the key quote for Dr Jekyll – Appearance vs Reality?
Hint: Bigness
“Clothes of the doctor’s bigness.” (Chapter 8)
Technique & Effect:
– Symbolism of Clothes: Reflects outward identity — Hyde’s failure to wear Jekyll’s clothes symbolises moral and physical disparity.
– Facade vs Truth: The “ill-fitting” clothes reveal the false appearance of respectability.
– Possessive Structure: “Doctor’s” highlights Jekyll’s ownership of identity — Hyde can’t fully claim it.
– Disparity & Dichotomy: Physical difference mirrors moral and psychological difference.
Context:
– Physiognomy & Hypocrisy: Reflects Victorian belief that outward appearance shows inward morality — Hyde breaks this.
– Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Duality, Respectability
What’s the key quote for Dr Jekyll – Duality?
Hint: Womb
“Agonised womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling.” (Chapter 10)
Technique & Effect:
– Metaphor: “Womb” implies painful creation — the birth of Hyde is unnatural and traumatic.
– Internal Conflict: “Polar twins” and “struggling” show Jekyll’s torment between morality and depravity.
– Dynamic Verb “struggling”: Constant, ongoing battle — neither part fully dominates.
– Fractured Identity: Jekyll’s pain stems from his attempt to repress one half of his nature.
Context:
– Duality of Man: Victorian fear of the conflict between public virtue and private sin.
– Themes: Duality, Repression, Science and Morality
What’s the key quote for Dr Jekyll – Repression?
Hint: Prisoner
“Taking the air with an infinite sadness of mien, like some disconsolate prisoner.” (Chapter 7)
Technique & Effect:
– Juxtaposition: “Air” (freedom) vs “prisoner” (entrapment) reflects the inescapability of Jekyll’s inner depravity.
– Visual Metaphor: Jekyll’s outer appearance reflects his moral imprisonment.
– Societal Hypocrisy: Jekyll performs virtue while concealing heinous desires.
– Entrapment: Suggests the failure of repression — morality binds him rather than liberating him.
Context:
– Victorian Morality: Repression of desire leads to emotional and psychological decay.
– Themes: Repression, Appearance vs Reality, Friendship, Hypocrisy
What’s the key quote for Jekyll – Friendship?
Hint: Fever
“The lawyer listened gloomily; he did not like his friend’s feverish manner.” (Chapter 7)
Technique & Effect:
– Pathological Imagery: “Feverish manner” suggests agitation and psychological instability, reflecting Jekyll’s moral decay.
– Contrast / Dichotomy: Stevenson presents a split between respectable exterior and inner depravity, symbolising the dual nature of man.
– Facade of Virtue: Jekyll maintains a respectable appearance, but conceals heinous desires.
– Archetype of Duality: Stevenson critiques the ideal of the gentleman, using Jekyll to explore unscrupulous instincts beneath polished behaviour.
Context:
– Victorian Hypocrisy: Public morality masked private corruption.
– Themes: Friendship, Appearance vs Reality, Repression, Duality
What’s the key quote for Enfield
Hint: Calmly
“For the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground.” (Chapter 1)
Technique & Effect:
– Oxymoron: “Trampled calmly” contrasts brutality with detachment — creates an unsettling, almost clinical image of violence.
– Juxtaposition & Dissonance: The calmness mirrors Victorian society’s disconnection from the depravity it suppresses.
– Commentary on Evil: Suggests that evil can be casual, quiet, and systemic, not just overtly monstrous.
– Moral Blindness: Stevenson critiques the silence and moral neutrality of the respectable classes — evil is allowed to exist through detachment.
Context:
– Victorian Gentleman: Emphasis on restraint and composure even in the face of horror.
– Themes: Duality, Appearance vs Reality, Repression
What’s the key quote for Mr Enfield?
Hint: End of the world
“I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about three o’clock of a black winter morning.” (Chapter 1 – to Utterson)
Technique & Effect:
– Juxtaposition: “Morning” (light, renewal) with “black winter” (darkness, secrecy) creates a contradictory visual image.
– Façade & Hypocrisy: Enfield’s account reveals that beneath London’s civility lurks a world of heinous activity.
– Vague Language: “Some place” and “interminable” obscure detail, creating mystery and hinting at moral evasion.
– Gentleman’s Complicity: Reflects how Victorian men participated in or tolerated depravity while maintaining respectability.
Context:
– Victorian London / Gentleman Culture: Public honour hides private vice.
– Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Duality, Repression
What’s the key quote for Utterson – Repression?
Hint: Gin
“He was austere with himself, drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages.” (Chapter 2)
Technique & Effect:
– Adjective “austere”: Suggests self-denial — Utterson actively suppresses indulgence to maintain his reputation.
– Hypocrisy: He still drinks, but privately and cheaply, reflecting the contradiction of public morality vs private behaviour.
– Fear of Judgement: His repression stems from societal pressure, not personal virtue.
– Embodiment of Respectability: Utterson is the epitome of the Victorian gentleman, but he also mirrors the dangers of repression.
Context:
– Repression of Desire: Links to Hyde’s creation as a release of denied urges.
– Themes: Duality, Respectability, Repression
What’s the key quote for Utterson – Duality?
Hint: Seek
“If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek.” (Chapter 2)
Technique & Effect:
– Homophone “Hyde”: Suggests secrecy and concealment — Hyde embodies hidden, repressed sin.
– Playful Language: “Mr Seek” sounds humorous but also reflects Utterson’s moral mission to uncover truth.
– Foil to Jekyll: Utterson is a rational observer, contrasted with Jekyll’s impulsive self-experimentation.
– Ideal of the Gentleman: Utterson’s calm persistence highlights social duty vs personal curiosity.
Context:
– Victorian Respectability: The need to maintain order and truth in the face of moral ambiguity.
– Themes: Duality, Repression, Hypocrisy
What’s the key quote for Utterson – Friendship?
Hint: Catholicity
“Even [Utterson’s] friendships seemed to be founded in a similar catholicity of good nature.”
Technique & Effect:
– Religious Connotations: “Catholicity” suggests openness and moral inclusivity — Utterson values shared virtue in his friendships.
– Foreshadowing: The contrast with Jekyll’s duplicity hints that their friendship will be tested by hidden transgressions.
– Paradox: His scrupulous loyalty contrasts with the heinous acts of his friend — loyalty vs morality.
– Dichotomy: Reveals a moral tension between public duty and private obligation.
– Connotations of “founded”: Suggests reliability and rootedness, reinforcing Utterson’s moral consistency.
Context:
– Victorian Gentleman: Friendship built on trust, respectability, and shared codes — even at the cost of ignoring truth.
– Themes: Friendship, Duality, Repression, Appearance vs Reality
What’s the key quote for Lanyon?
Hint: Shaken
“My life is shaken to its roots.” (Chapter 9)
Technique & Effect:
– Nature Metaphor: “Roots” implies stability and foundation — shaken suggests a complete psychological collapse.
– Verb “shaken”: Emphasises trembling, instability, and the trauma Lanyon experiences.
– Emotional Fallout: Lanyon’s rational worldview is shattered, leading to permanent disarray.
– Warning Symbol: His breakdown serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of transgressing natural boundaries.
Context:
– Victorian Rationalism: Lanyon, a man of science, becomes the victim of scientific overreach.
– Themes: Duality, Appearance vs Reality, Friendship
What’s the key quote for Lanyon?
Hint: Excellent
“A good fellow — you needn’t frown — an excellent fellow.” (Chapter 3)
Technique & Effect:
– Parenthesis: “You needn’t frown” adds a conversational, reassuring tone — conceals discomfort.
– Correction (Good → Excellent): Suggests linguistic refinement — a conscious effort to maintain idealised perceptions.
– Emblematic of Society: Mirrors Victorian obsession with outward respectability despite private doubts.
– Subconscious Hypocrisy: Lanyon’s struggle reflects the moral ambiguity and discomfort around Jekyll’s duality.
Context:
– Victorian Gentleman Code: Loyalty, decorum, and discomfort with moral uncertainty.
– Themes: Duality, Friendship, Appearance vs Reality
