Ch 3 Quotes

Question 1

“the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde. I give you my hand upon that.”

Answer 1

Jekyll believes he can control his transitions to Hyde. He reassures Utterson of this by giving “his hand”. In Victorian times, the hand was a symbol of respectability and honour. Moreover, Jekyll believes he has control of the repression. Jekyll’s desire to be respectable and honourable was influenced by the expectations of Victorian society. This repression led to his dark side manifesting as an increasing powerful entity in Hyde . Therefore, it can be argued that it is society who forces the supposed corrupt desires out of Jekyll, and this is out of Jekyll’s control.