Jekyll and Hyde - Context Flashcards
How was Science in conflict with Religion?
Around the time of the writing of Jekyll and Hyde, Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, which affirmed animals were not created in the state they exist in now but evolved from apes, challenging the contemporary Christian view of creationism. This sparked an exodus from the Christian faith and many became atheist. Additionally, Darwin published The Descent of Man, which challenged the belief that man was created as it is today by stating that man descends from primates. This challenged the contemporary Christian view.
Stevenson was born a Calvinist but later left Calvinism for atheism and other denominations of Christianity. Calvinists believed in predestined salvation and that those who would go to heaven were chosen to from the beginning. This correlates with Jekyll and Hyde being looked down upon or up to depending on their class. Additionally, the idea of original sin, that due to sins of the first humans all humans are infected by sin due to their free will could be a reason as to why Jekyll has Hyde within him and that it is implied everyone has an element of evil within them. Jekyll tried to go against this belief by overcoming sin through two people.
Explain the theme of Appearance VS Reality.
Phrenology attempted to build on evolution theory by studying behaviour patterns of criminals and showed how behaviour patterns may have linked to biology. Lombroso stated criminals were physically different from ‘normal’ members of society. He declared males with 5 or more characteristics from facial asymmetry, large ears, large lips, a twisted nose, excessive cheekbones, long arms and excessive wrinkles could be considered born criminals. Hyde is a major example of this theory. Simply by looking a certain way was he considered immoral whilst Jekyll was judged to be moral due to his appearance. Jekyll hid his true identity from all of those in high class around him, and they believed he was righteous simply due to the family he was born into. This irony could be an attempt by Stevenson to question the societal view on class through showing how anyone is capable of heinous acts.
Explain the theme of Good VS Evil.
If we apply Sigmund Freud’s personality theory, developed in 1923, we can see that Jekyll is the embodiment of the Ego, who tries to compromise for Hyde’s desires (Id) and the righteous act (superego) by getting around societal obstacles. Creating Hyde is his way to do this. The Id is the impulsive and primitive desires, the Ego is the compromise between good and evil and the superego is the righteous mindset.
Jekyll creating Hyde is like Adam and Eve eating from the tree of knowledge. It shows that humans are destined for sin and shows how humans are naturally drawn towards sin. Once Jekyll creates Hyde and transforms into him a few times, Hyde takes over. This is a representation of how it is impossible to control sin and how by giving into it it will always control you.
Explain the theme of Reputation.
In the Victorian period, maintaining a good reputation as a man was crucial, conforming to societal expectations normally came at the cost of certain innate desires. This meant that many upper or middle class people stuck to socialising with those of equal or higher class. This is shown through how Utterson and Enfield are each other’s best friends and are of equal class and through Utterson rejecting certain things that may damage his reputation like getting involved with others’ business as a lawyer. Jekyll’s reputation is a shield which blocks him from being judged as immoral or even capable of sin. In reality, his heinous acts as Hyde demonstrate that him upholding his reputation blocked his innate desires, causing Hyde to be so extreme.
Explain the theme of Duality.
Jekyll and Hyde’s dichotomy is an embodiment of duality in fiction. It shows the struggle between good and evil, the struggle between one’s innate desires and the expectations of society and morality. Hyde being deformed and Jekyll being approachable demonstrates how Hyde was seen to be lesser due to his actions and status in society. The way that Jekyll is viewed by others at the beginning is very positive despite how evil he truly is inwardly, this shows how Stevenson attempts to portray the view on reputation in Victorian society as ultimately flawed as every human was seen to be capable of sin in the contemporary Christian view.
