Theme- Science Flashcards
Characters + Analysis
DR HENRY JEKYLL
Jekyll is the main figure representing experimental, dangerous science, as he uses it to separate good and evil within himself.
“The moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde.” -Chapter 5
-Deluded confidence: Believes he can control his scientific creation.
-Grade 9 Insight: Stevenson critiques the hubris of scientific ambition—Jekyll sees himself as godlike, but science leads him to ruin.
“Man is not truly one, but truly two.” -Chapter 10
-Scientific justification: Jekyll believes science can fix human nature.
-Grade 9 Insight: He treats morality like a medical experiment—reducing identity to chemistry, which Stevenson suggests is deeply flawed.
“I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life.” Chapter 10
-Scientific hypocrisy: Jekyll hides immoral actions behind respectable science.
-Grade 9 Insight: Stevenson warns that science can be used to mask immorality, especially when separated from ethical values.
DR LANYON
Lanyon represents rational, traditional science—he rejects Jekyll’s experiments as dangerous and unnatural.
“Unscientific balderdash.” -Chapter 2
-Dismissive tone: Lanyon mocks Jekyll’s experimental methods.
-Grade 9 Insight: Stevenson shows the divide between old and new science. Lanyon represents safe, observable science, while Jekyll’s is secretive and extreme.
“O God!” (when witnessing the transformation) -Chapter 9
-Religious outburst: Even the rational scientist turns to God in terror.
-Grade 9 Insight: Jekyll’s science goes beyond what the mind can cope with, suggesting that some knowledge should not be pursued.
MR HYDE
Hyde is the result of scientific experimentation gone wrong—the dark, immoral by-product of Jekyll’s ambition.
“The creature… something troglodytic.” -Chapter 2
-Darwinian fear: Hyde is described as less evolved—a throwback to an earlier, brutal human form.
-Grade 9 Insight: Stevenson taps into Victorian anxieties about evolution. Hyde is the scientific nightmare of what humanity might really be underneath.
SCIENCE VS RELIGION & ETHICS
Stevenson explores how science can clash with religion, and how morally irresponsible science can be catastrophic.
“The temptation of a discovery so singular and profound.”
-Chapter 10
-Temptation: Echoes biblical sin—like Eve’s temptation in Eden.
-Grade 9 Insight: Science becomes a moral test. Stevenson suggests the pursuit of knowledge without conscience is a kind of spiritual downfall.
Character’s Scientific Attitude + Grade 9 Analysis
Dr Jekyll- Uses science to alter human nature
His downfall is a warning about scientific hubris and meddling with morality.
Dr Lanyon- Rational, cautious scientist
Represents the Victorian preference for safe, observable science.
Mr Hyde- By-product of Jekyll’s experiments
Symbolises the danger of unregulated scientific ambition.
Science (theme)-Explores human psychology and morality
Stevenson questions if science should be used to change what it means to be human.
Big Ideas
Context: In the 19th century, scientific advances (like Darwin’s theory of evolution) caused moral panic. Stevenson reflects this in Jekyll’s experiments and society’s horror at them.
Critique of Science: Stevenson doesn’t reject science—but warns that without ethics and humility, it can release the worst in humanity.
Allegory: Jekyll’s experiment is a metaphor for what happens when intellect is separated from conscience.
