Jekyll and Hyde Flashcards
He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity (Story of the Door)
Enfield’s lack of eloquence sets a pattern for the novel
Most people merely conclude that he appears ugly and deformed in some indefinable way. These failures of articulation create an impression of Hyde as an uncanny figure, someone whose deformity is truly intangible, mysterious, perceptible only with some sort of sixth sense for which no vocabulary exists. It is almost as if language itself fails when it tries to come to grips with Hyde; he is beyond words, just as he is beyond morality and conscience.
Outward appearance reflects inner lack of morality and deformity
Enfield and Utterson are not quick to judge openly so any criticisms they make are more powerful
He began to go wrong, wrong in the mind (The Search for Mr Hyde) … such unscientific balderdash would have estranged Damon and Pythias
Respected doctor because he is in the “Citadel of Medicine” so his anger towards Jekyll’s “unscientific balderdash” is supposed to be perceived as a reliable source of information.
Disapproved of Jekyll’s unorthodox methods of research and also suggests Lanyon wanted to preserve his reputation
Lanyon’s reference to the legendary friendship of Damon and Pythias indicates he once felt close to Jekyll, and he chokes up with emotion just talking about the subject. This strain in their professional relationship gives pathos to Jekyll’s turning to Lanyon for help later.
The moment I choose I can be rid of Mr Hyde (Dr Jekyll was quite at ease)
Utterson believes Hyde is blackmailing Jekyll while Jekyll convinced he is in complete control
Ironic because he is consumed by Hyde later on because Hyde gets stronger with each transformation
With ape-like fury he was trampling his victim underfoot and hailing down a storm of blows (The Carew Murder Case)
Simile to show the outburst of primitive emotion against a “kindly, polite & innocent” person conveying Hyde’s depth of hatred towards the civilised part of human nature which Jekyll represents too.
Hints at the de-evolution Jekyll undergoes to transform into Hyde which the Victorians were terrified of
Apes have brown/black fur which is most likely referencing to Victorian racism as they saw people of colour as animals and not equals.
The colour of fur also symbolises darkness, evil and dirt.
Hyde’s fury seems to be wild and arbitrary highlighting his lack of remorse and humanity
The sickening sound of “Bones audibly shattering” increases the horror of the event and alongside the fainting maid and the unnatural Hyde with an air of indefinable deformity are all characteristics of gothic fiction.
I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again (Incident of the Letter)
Utterson pleased to hear of this news
Jekyll frantically tries to reassure Utterson that Hyde will never be heard from again, foreshadowing his struggle to terminate his Hyde entity.
The fact Jekyll ‘cried’ shows how emphatic he is about this, but also instils a possible sense of curiosity in the reader as crying can be associated with fear, sadness or even worry.
I am quite done with that person; and I beg that you will spare me any allusion to one whom I regard as dead (Remarkable Incident of Doctor Lanyon)
“That person” so disgusted with Jekyll that he cannot even utter his name and regards him as good as “dead”
When Utterson questions Dr. Lanyon about Jekyll, Dr. Lanyon tries to stop him. Lanyon’s voice is uncontrolled, demonstrating how shaken he is. The reader, just like Utterson, is shocked, since the last time Utterson saw Lanyon, Lanyon was vibrant and social. Lanyon’s character has gone from friendly to agitated, the cause a mystery to Utterson. His desperate closing words about Dr. Jekyll’s demise add to the ominous effect of reality beginning to disintegrate.
The transformation has overcome his perception of reality and the consequences of that have been fatal.
Taking the air with an infinite sadness of mien, like some disconsolate prisoner, Utterson saw Dr Jekyll (Incident at the Window)
mien - character’s outer appearance indicates their character/mood
disconsolate - unable to be made happy by anyone or anything giving us an idea of Hyde’s impact on Jekyll’s well-being
Simile of “like a prisoner” symbolises how Jekyll is imprisoned by his own mind and the noun prisoner is powerful individually because of the weight of lacking freedom mentally
My dear Utterson - when this shall fall into your hands, I shall have disappeared (The Last Night)
Utterson originally feared Hyde would kill Jekyll but finds Hyde dead
Further shows Uttersons rationality and refusal to delve deeper into what the answer could be that he has been searching for from the first chapter
He put the glass to his lips… his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter (Dr Lanyons narrative)
Lanyon, who earlier ridicules Jekyll’s experiments as “unscientific balderdash,” now sees the proof of Jekyll’s success. The sight so horrifies him that he dies shortly after this scene. The transformation constitutes the climactic moment in the story, when all the questions about Jekyll’s relationship to Hyde suddenly come to a resolution.
Stevenson heightens the effect of his climax by describing the scene in intensely vivid language. When he depicts Hyde as “staring with injected eyes” and suggests the dreadful contortions of his features as they “melt and alter,” he superbly evokes the ghastliness of the moment of transformation. As this passage emphasizes, the true horror of Jekyll and Hyde’s secret is not that they are two sides of the same person, each persona able to assert itself at will, but that each is actually trapped within the grip of the other, fighting for dominance. The transformation process appears fittingly violent and ravaging, causing the metamorphosing body to “reel,” “stagger,” and “gasp.” Indeed, by this point in the novel, Jekyll is losing ground to Hyde, and, correspondingly, emerges “half fainting,” as if “restored from death.”
