Secrecy Flashcards
1
Q
Stevenson intentions through the theme of Secrecy
A
- shows that exposure of Jekyll’s hidden life is inevitably
- secrets cant remain hidden forever
- secrecy leads to destruction and moral decay
- Stevenson critiques the reality of victorian society, revealing that everyone has darker truths
2
Q
Secrecy is presented in the novel through…
A
- The mysterious and unsetlling presence of Hyde
- The description of the setting and symbolism of objects
- Jekyll’s darkest secret and the damage it could cause to his reputation
3
Q
Hyde is…
A
a living secret
4
Q
‘He must have secrets of his own; black secrets, by the look of him’
A
- ‘must’ = certainty
- society judges characters on outward appearance
- ‘black’ - darkness, evil and unknown
- connects his appearance to evil - inner evil cant stay hidden
- Fear and mystery
5
Q
‘You must suffer me to go my own dark way’
A
- Jekyll’s inner torment
- ‘dark way’ is metaphoricl - moral corruption and sinister path
- Jekyll’s isolation from society as he descends into darkness
6
Q
‘The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city’
A
- Pathetic Fallacy - murky atmosphere reflecting fear of unknown
- Personification adds to the eerie gothic atmosphere
- ‘drowned’ suggests London is smothered in secrets and darkness
- corrupted city hiding dark truths
7
Q
‘Like some disconsolate prisoner’
A
- similie compares jekyll to a prisoner
- trapped by his own dual nature
- loss of freedom and control
- sorrow emphasises emotional toll of secrecy
8
Q
‘There lay a body sorely contorted and still twitching’
A
- vivid and disturbing imager
- Hyde’s death reflects the unnaturalness of his existence
- physical distrotion reflects moral corruption
- ‘twitching’ his is not at peace
9
Q
‘I concealed my pleasures…I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life’
A
- reveals Jekyll’s shame and repression
- ‘profound’ shows the deep-rooted nature of his double life
- the struggle between respectability and desires
10
Q
‘If he shall be Mr Hyde.’ ‘I shall be Mr Seek’
A
- Hyde symbolises hidden and darker side
- Utterson represents the pursuit of uncovering secrets
11
Q
The smashing of the cabinet door
A
symbolises the breaking down of Jekyll’s walls of secrecy
