Jekyll Analysis Flashcards
Large
Jekyll is large,mine very opposite of Hyde who is small (Darwinism) because he has not been allowed to grow and develop
Smooth faced
Jekyll is smooth faced - unlike Hyde who is covered in facial hair (Darwin’s theory on evolution) Hyde is ape like while Jekyll is a civilised man
Man of fifty
Jekyll is in his fifties while Hyde is described as young. They are polar twins as Jekyll’s physiognomy appears to be pleasing, in Victorian society who may be judged as a good man
Slylish cast
Stevenson hints that a person’s physiognomy cannot truly tell what they’re like inside because he’s described as having a ‘slylish cast’. The adjective ‘slylish’ suggests he is sly, devious, dishonest. Warns us to not judge a person through their appearance
I concealed my pleasures
In his letter, he confesses to everything that happened. He reveals that he wanted to hide the desires from respectable society. He refers to them vaguely as ‘pleasures’. The vague language allows the reader to use their imagination
Morbid sense of shame
These pleasures made Jekyll feel a sense of guilt. Victorian society was very judgemental. Jekyll felt in order to maintain his status in society he must repress his desires
Man is not truly one, but truly two
Semantic field of duality reinforcing Jekyll’s sense of having two or more identities. Supports Freuds ‘structural theory’: one of these identities is the ego, the good face we present to the world, another identity is ID, the primitive side of us that keeps wanting to come out
Deadly nausea
Description of Jekyll taking the potion. It uses a semantic field of childbirth. It is described metaphorically as if he giving birth to his evil self.
Deadly nausea
Description of Hyde taking the potion. It uses a semantic field of childbirth. It is described metaphorically as if he giving birth to his evil self.
