Jekyll And Hyde Analysis Flashcards
Explain how Jekyll’s house links to the evolution of science
Jekyll’s respectable front of the house is ‘handsome’, which symbolically represents Jekyll’s face (using the same adjective). This is contrasted with the ‘sinister’ back of the house that Hyde uses. Jekyll’s house - located in Leicester Square - was famous and Stevenson expected his London readership in particular to be aware of. It housed the infamous surgeon, who paid grave robbers to bring him bodies for his experiments.The surgeon’s experiments, by Stevenson’s day, had been proved to be for the greater good, as they played a large part in advancing medical science and surgery. The fact that the back of the house was hidden shows how Jekyll’s experiments were forced to be hidden due to the values of Victorian society. Therefore, Stevenson could be suggesting that morality is a social construct, and the setting forces us to consider that Jekyll’s experiments may have only been viewed as sinful due to the Christian interpretation of moral behaviour, which Stevenson rejected as an atheist.
Explain how the gothic description of london links to the decline of Christianity
Stevenson’s description of London attacks the Christian viewpoint cleverly. When Utterson goes in search of Hyde, ‘A great chocolate coloured pall lowered over heaven.’ The ‘pall’ does not cover the city, instead the sky is a metaphorical coffin. Choosing to call this ‘heaven’ is symbolic for a Christian reader, as it suggests that the city has become so sinful that God is effectively non-existent in London, linking to the decline in Church attendance.
On the the gothic description of london links to the decline of Christianity other hand, the oxymoronic description could portray why Stevenson decided to leave England. The ‘chocolate’ pall is brown in colour, but delicious in substance. ‘Great’ means large, but also wonderful. Stevenson possibly hints that the death of God should be celebrated, and that society would be more free and better without the interference of Christian teaching.
Explain how the attitudes towards Hyde in Chapter 1 links to reputation
Enfield was ‘coming home from the end of the world about three o’clock on a bleak winter morning.’ This makes the reader suspicious - it’s unusual to be out so late at night. The gothic imagery suggests that Enfield is doing something so damaging to his reputation that he cannot reveal it. This illustrates how indignant Stevenson was about the hypocrisy of the upper classes. Later on, when Enfield and the Sawbones saw what Hyde did to the young girl, they were ‘sick with desire to kill him.’ However, evidently they could not murder Hyde, so they did then ‘next best thing’ and threatened him with a scandal. This is Stevenson revealing the true sinful hearts of the upper class gentlemen, who are often portrayed as having a stronger moral compass than the working class. He is criticising Victorian society, saying that they are all similar to Jekyll with a sinister and evil dual nature.
Explain how duality shows how every human has a sinful nature
Hyde is described as a ‘man’s dual nature’ that Jekyll has exposed, even before doing any evil acts. As Jekyll believes that ‘all human beings are commingled out of good and evil’, Stevenson suggests that Christianity’s moral standards are too high. Stevenson suggests that science is neutral, though giving Jekyll the house of the infamous scientist that paid people to rob graves for his experiments. Although this act was considered sinful to a Christian audience, it aided in the progression of science.
Explain how duality shows that humans are repressed from expressing their desires
Society’s repression of the things Jekyll takes pleasure in makes him feel ‘shame’, so they are partly at fault for Jekyll’s creation of Hyde to express his innermost desires. Jekyll describes Hyde as ‘my devil had long been caged, he came out roaring.’ This would horrify a Christian reader, as Hyde appears free from a fear of sin; he does as he likes without considering the consequences. On the other hand, Stevenson possibly believes that this freedom is good, as it allows Jekyll to freely enjoy pleasures without the fear of society that forbids and represses them.
Explain how duality shows how Christian beliefs are hindering science
Hyde is also acting as a tool to allow Jekyll to take revenge on Dr Lanyon, the ‘pedant’ who described Jekyll’s experiments as ‘unscientific balderdash.’ As Dr Lanyon symbolises Christian morals, this suggests that Jekyll ultimately rejects Christian repression, just like Stevenson does. Hyde allowed him to be confident enough to express his true scientific beliefs, without the fear of society. This is done not only to allow him to express his natural desires without guilt, but also allowing the progression of science, which Steveson believed was being hindered by the strong Christian beliefs of Victorian society.
Explain how Edward Hyde is used to expose the true nature of the upper classes
Enfield and the doctor shared ‘the desire to kill’ Hyde. They do the ‘next best thing’ and blackmail Hyde with the threat of a ‘scandal’. This portrays how Stevenson believes that the upper classes are hypocrites who also have a lack of morals, but instead choose to conform to their sinful desires in secret (Enfield comes from the ‘end of the world’) instead of in public like Hyde does, which may be due to his ‘troglodytic’ nature.
Stevenson likely chooses animalistic adjectives and metaphors to describe Hyde as a direct attack on the Christian faith. He explores Christian anxiety around the challenge Darwin’s theory made to the Christian faith.
Stevenson portrays Hyde as an embodiment of evil in order to please his primarily Christian readers. To a Christian audience, they may be content with the conclusion that Hyde attacked Sir Danvers Carew through the hyperbole stating that he is ‘pure evil.’ However, Stevenson also suggests that Hyde’s attack is due to his repressed natural desires, which could be used to argue that Victorian society is wrong to prevent people from living with liberty, and that Christian morals should not be driving society, as Stevenson is an atheist.
Explain how Dr Lanyon is a proxy for Christian attitudes towards science
Stevenson uses Dr Lanyon as a proxy to symbolise how he believes that Christianity is the primary barrier to scientific advancement. Despite being a scientist, Dr Lanyon is completely closed off to any scientific advancement. When he discovers that his beliefs are wrong, Lanyon states that he will ‘die incredulous.’ This adjective means that he is unwilling or unable to believe something. Therefore, he would rather die than acknowledge his wrong, which is shocking for the reader, and suggests how his strong Christian beliefs may have been a barrier to scientific advancement. Through this, Stevenson could be trying to teach the Christian audience about the danger of standing in the way of scientific discovery.
Explain Stevenson’s possible views of Dr Lanyon’s attitudes towards science
A Christian audience may agree with Lanyon’s rejection of an opinion that appears to contradict their Christian beliefs. However, Stevenson - who is an atheist that appears to be a strong advocate for scientific progression - refuses to take this view. Lanyon’s is the subject of a ‘death warrant,’ which is a document giving permission to pursue a criminal. Stevenson allows the reader to see Lanyon as a criminal in his treatment of Jekyll. Despite being a scientist, he would rather die than accept new facts in the scientific field.
Explain how the theme of secrecy and reputation are presented in the novella
Stevenson possibly writes the novella in a way to test the reader’s view of morality. It forces the reader to ponder upon whether secrecy is seen as allowing hypocrisy and sin to continue, or is viewed as showing mercy to humans who are not perfect.
Stevenson reflects on the theme of reputation through exposing the hypocrisy of the Victorian gentleman.
Explain how the theme of fear and tension are presented in the novella
Fear is presented as a weakness which is associated with the working class, demonstrated through Utterson’s negative attitude towards the reaction of Jekyll’s staff. Science is one fear that is shared by the reader. Dr Lanyon symbolises this fear of scientific advancement. Linking to this, the fears of evolution are illustrated through the zoomorphic descriptions of Hyde. The decline in Christianity is also a fear presented, through the satanic descriptions of Hyde, Utterson not going to church on Sundays, and gothic descriptions such as ‘as empty as a church.’
Explain how the theme of good and evil are presented in the novella
All humans lack the ability to be permanently good. The society at the time would blame Adam and Eve for this, as they were the people who ate the forbidden fruit. Therefore, humans are born with evil inside. However, Stevenson possibly believes that many of the things humans enjoy doing, society says are evil. Stevenson may suggest that good and evil is a societal construct that changes with time. He could be questioning if society is right to think in this way, and if society needs to change their views on what is good and what is evil. Due to the Victorian society’s beliefs about good and evil, Dr Jekyll was forced to create Hyde in order to indulge in his desires without facing the risk of ruining his reputation. This links to the theory of evolution, suggesting that these more primitive desires come from the ape-like ancestors of humans.
Explain how Victorian Christians’ fear of science is presented in the novella
Christian reader is troubled by science, which is demonstrated by Lanyon’s reaction and choice to die. Hyde’s murder of Carew symbolises to the Christian reader the dangers of science to a wider society. Hyde was created through science. Therefore, the murder could suggest that science will lead humanity to sin. Additionally, Victorians believed scientific theories such as Darwin’s theory of evolution contradicted the bible. This amplified the fears that science would lead the society away from God, and the metaphor ‘as empty as a church’ suggests that this was already happening.
Explain how the novella shows Stevenson’s views on scientific development
The Christians readers were troubled by science. On the other hand, Stevenson may be excited about scientific development. The novella satisfies the audience’s craving for crime and sinful behaviour that they can experience while still living moral lives, which mirrors Jekyll who wants to satisfy his inmost desires while still maintaining his reputation. Stevenson had himself rejected Christianity and left England shortly after the publication of Jekyll and Hyde. We might infer that he intentionally created a novella driven by a Christian orientated plotline in order to satisfy the vast Christian readership of the late 19th century. However, Stevenson may also be criticising Christian morality due to the Christian characters - such as Utterson - striving to deny themselves pleasure. Ultimately, Jekyll doesn’t necessarily envy Hyde’s ability to act sinfully, but envies his ability to fulfil his inmost desires.
Explain the character of Mr Utterson in the novella, through the positive way that he is portrayed
Utterson needs a believable character to explain the story of unbelievable events. He is a serious lawyer that is tolerant of others but strict with himself. He needs to be tolerant so that Jekyll feels that he is able to open up to him about his strange experiences. He needs to be trustworthy, and is not judgemental, allowing the reader to form their own conclusions. He is portrayed as the ideal Victorian gentleman who was ‘austere with himself’, and suppressed his desires in order to appear moral, such as restricting his alcohol intake, and not going to the theatre. He is described as a ‘reputable acquaintance’, portraying him as a gentleman who has not had his reputation ruined by a scandal.
