Hyde Flashcards
Write down quotes for Hyde’s appearance (5)
‘Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish,he gave an impression of deformity with any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile’
This description from Mr Utterson of Hyde echoes Enfields description. The appearance of Hyde simply evokes the worst in the beholder and they are left to ponder the inexplicable grotesqueness of the man.
’ displeasing, deformed, and downright detestable’
‘displeasing’ is repeated consistently throughout the text for instance Chapter 1 and 2 to highlight his abnormality and disfigurement .Also, the repetition of the ‘d’ sound increases the pace of the novella
‘something troglodytic’
Hyde is compared to a thing or primitive or brutal character, his displayed to be sub-human.
‘gave me one look so displeasing it brought out the sweat one me like running’
Hyde’s demeanor has a long lasting and soul-piercing effect
“something abnormal and misbegotten in the very essence of the creature…something seizing, surprising and revolting”
Lanyon struggles to articulate exactly what Hyde is, much like many of the other characters do upon witnessing Hyde’s appearance. The sibilance in “something seizing, surprising” is a traditionally gothic sound, creating a sinister tone of fear, terror and menace. Hyde’s effect on Lanyon is all-consuming - it controls his body, shocks his mind and disgusts his morals. As Lanyon calls Hyde a “creature”, it gives his animalistic characteristics, but the repetition of “something” demonstrates that he cannot identify exactly what makes him so hideous.
Write down quotes that uses animalistic imagery (5)
‘Mr Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath’
‘Snarled into a savage laugh’
’ If it was my master why did he cry like a rat and run from me’
‘That masked thing like a monkey’
A dismal screech, as if of mere animal terror, rang from the cabinet
Write down quotes that displays Hyde’s evil nature
Key theme; Good vs Evil (2)
“the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming…it wasn’t like a man, it was some damned Juggernaut”
The first depiction of Hyde’s evil nature, and here Stevenson deliberately inflicts it on a child to increase the reader’s fear of Hyde’s character. Here, it presents on exmaple of Hyde’s destruction of innocence with violence. The contrasting “man” against “child” is threatening, but the oxymoronic “trampled calmly” shows Hyde is naturally comfortable with violence, and almost overthrows this threat with an even deeper feeling of fear. Referencing to the “child’s body” dehumanises the victim, and the image of her “screaming” is a powerful sensual depiction of Hyde’s cruelty. “Damned” refers to Hyde’s sinful nature, with the image of “Juggernaut” suggesting a violent, powerful force surging forwards in an unstoppable
manner.
“clubbed him to the earth…with ape-like fury” - [murder description] - DARWINISM/ANIMALISTIC
These two quotes illustrates that Hyde’s violence have a similarity each one involves a markedly innocent victim, first a young girl and then an old man. Stevenson doesn’t pick the victims randomly, he uses two defenseless and vulnerable people to display Hyde’s wickedness and immoral nature.
Write down a quote displaying Hyde closeness to Jekyll
“Hyde was knit to him closer than a wife, closer than an eye; lay caged in his flesh”
By focusing on familiar aspects of the body - being born, being married, having bodily parts - his words help the readers to imagine Jekyll’s strange experience. The novel goes out of it’s way to paint Hyde as animalistic, an evilness that sticks to Jekyll as if he was part of his own self. This presentation of Hyde is a complete contrast to Jekyll’s well mannered, respected persona. The strong imagery of Hyde being “caged” in Jekyll’s flesh gives a feeling of entrapment, as if Hyde is trying to resist the cage of Jekyll’s body, only furthermore certifying our suspicions of a dualistic nature between the two. The strength used in the imagery created only emphasises the closeness of both characters; thus stressing the sense of two elements and aspects of one’s soul.
Write down a quote that proves Hyde is the epitome of evil
Hyde also described to have Satan on his Face in the quote, “If ever I read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend.” Satan being the face of evil, it described Hyde to be the pinnacle of evil.
