duality in jekyll & hyde

Question 1

Contrasting doors in Jekyll and Hyde:
Jekyll-“Wore a great air of wealth and comfort.”
Hyde “blistered and disdained.”

Answer 1

Disdained=unworthy of attention which suggests Hyde is so repulsive he is unworthy of the positive attention surrounding Jekyll’s home
“wealth and comfort” is a reflection of Jekyll’s personality.

Question 2

Contrasting connotations of the fire (objective correlation) in Jekyll’s home in chapter 2.
Jekyll-“Open, bright fire”
Hyde-“Read a menance in the flickering of the firelight.”

Answer 2

Jekyll-warm, welcoming, pleasant
Hyde-Hellish dangerous fiend

Question 3

Enfield’s contrasting descriptions of Jekyll and Hyde’s personas:
Jekyll-“The very pink of properties.”
Hyde-“A really damnable man.”

Answer 3

Pink of properties”=Reputable, respected man.
“Damnable”=So evil he will be damned to hell.

Question 4

contrasting physical descriptions of Jekyll and Hyde:
Jekyll-“Large, handsome face.”
Hyde-“Pale and dwarfish.”

Answer 4

Hyde is a well-respected man which reflects in his appearance. Hyde is detested which is reflected in his unattractive appearance. (Physiognomy)

Question 5

“These polar twins should be continuously struggling.” - Chapter 10

Answer 5

“These polar twins should be continuously struggling.” - Chapter 10
Polar twins=Oxymoron suggesting they have contrasting, yet are really the same
Polar=Opposite Twins=Identical.
Struggling=violent verb emphasises internal struggle.

Question 6

“All human beings, as we meet them are commingled out of good and evil.” -Chapter 10

Answer 6

The verb Commingled=A sense of closeness suggesting there is a thin line between evil and good.

Question 7

three dusty windows barred with iron

Answer 7

Jekyll’s house is described as “three dusty windows barred with iron”. The windows are blacked out, which could represent the unconscious part of his mind that he has suppressed and crushed from releasing.

Question 8

hydes labratory

dingy windowless structure

Answer 8

The laboratory is also described as a “dingy windowless structure”, which further suggests that his house is sinister.
As Hyde becomes more powerful, this increases.

Question 9

hydes labratory

house of voluntary bondage

Answer 9

The house becomes a “house of voluntary bondage”, which shows that Jekyll has chosen to lock himself in the house. Just as he has tried to hide from Hyde emerging, so the house has become a vessel for harbouring his unconscious and hidden self