Hyde

Question 1

“damned juggernaut”
chapter 1

Stevenson uses implicit conventions to reflect Victorian society and comment on the weaknessess of his demeanour in contrast with with such merciless savageness. This contrasts with how the Victorian audience’s view of how a man should behave.

Answer 1

• Establishing him as an unstoppable force. This foreshadows how his evil gathers in strength and becomes uncontrollable.
• links Hyde’s actions to those of the devil, emphasising his depraved behaviour. This introduces a recurring motif of links between Hyde and the devil, whcih suggest that Jekyll has been tempted into releasing his innermost evil desires through his transformation into Hyde.
  -‘juggernaut’ highlights his lack of mercy and remorse, especially as his two most prominent victims are a young girl and an elderly man.
• The simile is ambiguous and dehumanises Hyde, making him appear devoid of human emotions and sympathy, but shrouding him in mystery. This introduces a further motif - the idea that people who meet him struggle to precisely describe or define Hyde - which serves to create a strong sense of mystery around him and imply that he exists outside of societal norms.
• has religous connations, Stevenson uses the motif of religion to emphasise Hyde’s lack of God - fearing character
  “ damned” links to hell, again evoking strong gothic aesthetic and creating fear

Question 2

” Mr Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath”
chapter 2

Answer 2

• onomatopoeia “hissing” anthropomorphises Hyde and alludes to the common equation of the devil as a serpent as in reference to the biblical story of genesis.
• Links to quote “ satan’s signature”, the sibilance created a hissing sound, alluding again to the serpetine qualaties of Hyde which is suggestive of the Devil and sin
• Hyde parallels to the underworld and his devilish connotions could be used as a mockery from Stevenson. Hyde is crafted with such devlish qualities, yet ironically, only indulging in these innate desires that every member of society represses

Question 3

“Something troglodytic”
chapter 2

Answer 3

• “troglodyte” is a cave- dwelling early human, implying Hyde rejects the norms of modern society. Thus, Utterson’s disgust and shock could be microcosmic for the disgust and contempt vicotrians has towards anything taht challenged their rigid societal norms

Question 4

Dr Jekyll describing Hyde as “that ugly idol”
chapter 10

Answer 4

• oxymoron used to demonstrate duality
• the noun “idol” has religous connotations emphasising the moral of the novella through that experimenting with Mr Hyde, Dr Jekyll has foolishly played God and thus must face retribution.