J + H - Respectability / reputation Flashcards
a
(chapter 2 pg 8)
‘Hearty, healthy dapper red-faced gentlemen’.
* Shows how he has all the sophistication of a gentleman - highlights the high standards of the upper-class Victorian gentlemen.
* The repetitive use of 4 adjectives to describe Lanyon helps further build a utopian image around a Victorian gentleman.
* This would appeal to Victorian readers who would be used to the perfect ideology of the Victorian gentleman.
(chapter 2 pg 12)
Mr Hyde is described as ‘pale and dwarfish’ .
Victorian readers, who were familiar with the pseudo-science of physiognomy, would associate such physical features with criminal intent. Mr Hyde’s ‘dwarfish’ stature gives the impression that he is more ape than man. His diminutive form contradicts Victorian ideal of what a healthy gentleman should look like. This would instil fear in those around him because Victorian readers may view Mr Hyde as a primitive human due to the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin.
(chapter 3 pg 14)
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.
(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
* 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.
(chapter 6 pg 24/5)
‘A great curiosity came on the trustee… but professional honour and faith to his dead friend were stringent obligations’
- Highlights how Utterson is bound by principle & executes self-restraint. Despite this, like Lanyon, he is susceptible to temptation as ‘A great curiosity came on’ him. This emphasises his inner most desires.
- Conjunction ‘But’ emphasises his firm rejection of his temptation - abides and lives by the gentleman’s code of conduct.
- furthers the suspense of the gothic thriller - the fact that he does not open the letter.
(chapter 4 pg 16)
Mr. Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth. And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot
Stevenson shows Mr Hyde’s lack of remorse and compassion in Chapter 4 (The Murder of Carew) as he impulsively ‘broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth’.
* This highlights his unrepressed sadistic intent through the visceral description of his superhuman strength. The powerful plosive language in ‘broke’ / ‘bounds’ / ‘clubbed’ accentuates the spontaneity and the unprovoked nature of assault which depicts Mr Hyde as an atavistic pre-evolved human / ape. This would instil fear in a Victorian audience as it implies that Darwin’s theory of evolution is true which a religious Victorian wouldn’t want to believe.
* This is further shown as Stevenson further describes Hyde as having ‘ape like fury’. This simile further highlights the feral impulsive nature of Hyde.
* Mr Hyde is described as having ‘trampled his victim under foot’. Stevenson uses this Act to emphasise Hyde’s power as he is physically above Carew (an upper-class MP). This further emphasises how Hyde is indiscriminate in his attacks as he attacks both an upper-class old man and a working-class child implying his lack of morality further suggesting that no-one is safe from him.
(chapter 10 pg 49)
My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.
* emphasises the hopelessness of Jekyll’s situation as repression and restraint strengthen the evil side.
* ‘roaring’ further implies Mr Hyde’s animalistic nature making Hyde seem likesome untamed mutated creature.
* This would instil fear in those around him because Victorian readers may view Mr Hyde as a primitive human due to the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin which would be abhorrent to a Victorian reader.
essay structure
P1 extract
P2 - physical description of a gentleman -
Lanyon - 2 - ‘Hearty, healthy dapper red-faced gentlemen’.
Jekyll - 3 - ‘a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast’
contrasts Hyde - ‘pale and dwarfish’
Physignomy
P3 - repression of desires -
3 - ‘The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes’
Physignomy - black eyes = windows into soul
6 - ‘A great curiosity came on the trustee… but professional honour and faith to his dead friend were stringent obligations’
bounds of reputation
P4 - consequences of the repression of desires - atavism - darwin - evolution
4 - ‘Mr. Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to the earth. And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot’
10 - My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.
