J + H - good vs evil / the conflict between J & H / duality

Question 1

(chapter 3 pg 14) - 1

Answer 1

a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast

• ‘well-made, smooth-faced’ shows that he is good looking like a gentleman
• ‘smooth-faced’ implies that he lacks any scarring of pox on his face highlighting his good health
• ‘man of fifty’ implies he has a wisdom which comes with his age emphasising his experience
• Jekyll is further described as ‘large’ indicating that he is quite tall showing the reader that he is well fed and is therefore wealthy and fortunate.
• Victorian readers would have been able to relate more easily as physiognomy made many Victorians believe that your appearance reflected your inner morality.
• ‘slyish cast’ reflects his capacity to conceal his duality. ‘Cast’ has connotations of a face model which foreshadows his ability to lie to his friends to protect his reputation.

Question 2

(chapter 3 pg 14) - 2

Answer 2

The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes
* visceral description of Hyde – juxtaposition of ‘large, handsome’ with ‘pale’ emphasises the duality of his character through the instantaneous change of his appearance.
* The symbolic ‘blackness’ of the eyes alludes to some deep inner evil thoughts or nature that Jekyll is concealing as eyes were seen as windows to the soul.
* This image is made even more foreboding as in Victorian times, the pseudo-science of physiognomy implied that what you looked like denotes your moral worth – emphasizes that Jekyll’s ghostly appearance as suggested by pale implies that he is both mentally and physically corrupted by what he saw.
* foreshadows the incident at the window.

Question 3

(chapter 5 pg 19) - 1

Answer 3

‘I swear to God, cried the doctor, I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again’

• Repetition of ‘I swear to god’ highlights the Impulsive response to mentioning of Hyde – emphasises internal conflict between Jekyll and Hyde. The ironic use of a biblical reference emphasises Jekyll’s desperate situation due to Hyde’s appalling actions (murder of Carew).
• legalistic language – ‘I swear’ - unrestrained highly emotive self - highly unusual for a Victorian gentleman.

Question 4

(chapter 7 pg 26)

Answer 4

but no, no, no, it is quite impossible; I dare not.
* emphatic hyperbolised negative language in repetition of ‘no’ reflects the hopelessness of his situation.
* ‘dare’ – connotes the great risk of his actions emphasising the severity of their consequences. Reveals his ineffable desperation to protect his reputation.

Question 5

(chapter 10 pg 44)

Answer 5

‘Even as good shone upon the countenance of the one, evil was written broadly and plainly on the face of the other. ’
* The sentence alludes to J’s idea that man s ‘truly two’ – concept of duality – repressed id – they both have as much presence and power as each other.
* Stevenson uses parallel phrasing to mirror the duality of Jekyll and Hyde. He creates a contrast between the verbs ‘shone’ which has connotations of light implying the warm good-nature of Dr Jekyll and ‘written’ creates a more direct tone as it connotes a sense of finality as once something is written in ink it can’t be erased.

Question 6

(chapter 10 pg 45)

Answer 6

all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil
* the metaphor emphasises how he is presented to the reader as a scary and frightening character, which would alarm a Victorian, Christian god-fearing audience. This would have been very significant to Victorian readers who would have been familiar with similar images and ideas of ‘pure’ evil.

Question 7

essay plan

Answer 7

P1: Extract
P2: change of the physical description of J - physiognomy
* (chapter 3 pg 14) - a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast
* (chapter 3 pg 14) - The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes.

P3: concealment of the duality of J + H from friends - attempts to maintain reputation
* (chapter 5 pg 19) - I swear to God,” cried the doctor, “I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again.
* (chapter 7 pg 26) - but no, no, no, it is quite impossible; I dare not.

P4: Duality / good vs Evil – gothic / religion
* (chapter 10 pg 44) - ‘Even as good shone upon the countenance of the one, evil was written broadly and plainly on the face of the other. ’
* (chapter 10 pg 45) - all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil