Dr Lanyon Flashcards
Lanyon completely rejects Jekyll’s experiments, showing him as the voice of rational, traditional science. This instantly sets up the conflict between safe, respectable science (Lanyon) and reckless, dangerous science (Jekyll).
“Unscientific balderdash.”
Lanyon is a logical, scientific man, yet seeing Hyde transform shatters his reality. The sheer terror in his voice shows that Jekyll’s experiment defies nature itself. If Lanyon, a doctor, reacts like this, then Jekyll’s secret must be something truly monstrous.
“O God! O God! … I cannot, I cannot, I cannot dwell on it without a start of horror.”
This transformation is so unnatural that Lanyon compares it to resurrection. This quote suggests Jekyll is playing God, breaking the laws of nature, and creating something that should never exist. Chilling.
“Like a man restored from death—there stood Henry Jekyll!”
Lanyon doesn’t just witness horror—it destroys him. Hyde’s transformation has infected his mind, making death seem like the only escape. This proves that some knowledge is too horrifying for humans to bear.
“The deadliest terror sits by me at all hours of the day and night.”
Lanyon is so traumatized by what he sees that he knows he is going to die. His death symbolizes that rational science cannot survive when confronted with unnatural evil.
“I have had a shock, and I shall never recover”
