Jekyll and Hyde - Discussion of Chapters Flashcards
Analysis - Story of the door (Chpt 1)
Which people do you meet at the start of the book?
+You meet the odd couple of Mr Utterson and Mr Enfield
Which character is introduced at the start of the book?
+This chapter introduces Gabriel Utterson, a well-respected lawyer.
+Character - Utterson: Utterson is a typical Victorian gentleman - He’s “embarrassed” in conversations and hides his emotions.
+He’s rational - as a lawyer he deals in facts and evidence.
What do Utterson and Enfield have in common?
+Utterson and Enfield, his distant relation, appear to have nothing in common, but they enjoy spending time together.
What do Utterson and Enfield go on every Sunday?
+The two men go on Sunday walks together during which they say “nothing” - their silence creates suspense and a lack of information.
+Theme - Secrecy: In Victorian society, discretion was preferred to gossip.
+It’s Enfield’s rule not to ask questions if something seems suspicious - he doesn’t want to know about immoral behaviour.
+In contrast, Utterson is often the “last reputable acquaintance” of men who have ruined their reputation, which suggests that he’s more tolerant of the sins of others.
What do Utterson and Enfield set the scene for?
They set the scene for the start of the mystery
What street does Utterson and Enfield walk down?
+Utterson and Enfield walk down a prosperous street in London.
+This is shown by the condition of the houses, which have “freshly painted shutters” and “well-polished brasses”.
What contrasts with the street Utterson and Enfield walk down on?
+One building with “nothing but a door” contrasts with the other buildings on the clean, smart street.
+Stevenson uses negative adjectives such as “sinister” and “sordid” to make it stand out as unusual from its surroundings.
+Later in the chapter we are told that Mr Hyde has a key to the building and has been inside - This link is important; Hyde and the building are both sinister and disturbing.
What does Enfield’s story introduce?
Enfield’s story introduces Mr Hyde
What does Enfield tell Utterson that he saw?
+Enfield tells Utterson that he saw Hyde trample a young girl.
+Enfield’s Language emphasises how evil Hyde is - he describes him as “like Satan”.
How does Hyde trample the girl?
+The way Hyde tramples “calmly” over the little girl shows how easily he does violent things.
+When he produces a cheque by a man he won’t mention, this creates mystery.
+Theme: Reputation: Reputation was important amongst upper and middle-class Victorians - Utterson and Enfield promise not to discuss Hyde, whose cheque is signed by Jekyll, in order to protect Jekyll’s reputation.
What makes Enfield feel so uncomfortable around Hyde?
+Enfield can’t put his finger on why Hyde makes him feel so uncomfortable.
+He says “I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why.
To summarise, what happens in the opening chapter?
+”Let us make a bargain never to refer to this again”.
+In the opening chapter a strange story is told and a strange man is introduced, but a vow is made never to talk about it again.
+It’d be annoying if the novel ended there, but luckily for you the mystery continues…
Search for Mr Hyde (chpt 2)
What does Utterson decide to do?
+Utterson decides to play detective to find the child trampler - He’s no Sherlock Holmes, let’s put it that way.
What word describes Henry Jekyll’s will?
Henry Jekyll’s will is mysterious
What does Utterson examine?
+Utterson has Jekyll’s will, which says that if Jekyll dies or disappears, all his things should go to Edward Hyde.
+Utterson suspects that Hyde is blackmailing Jekyll.
What happens when Utterson visits Dr Lanyon?
+When Utterson visits Dr Lanyon, he discovers that Lanyon and Jekyll fell out over Jekyll’s scientific work, which Lanyon describes as “unscientific balderdash”.
+This hints that Jekyll’s experiments are taking a darker direction than conventional science.
Theme - Science: Jekyll is interested in the “fanciful” side of science, whereas Lanyon is more of a traditional scientist.
How does Utterson leave Lanyon’s place?
+Utterson leaves none the wiser about who Hyde is and why Jekyll is so interested in him.
How does the lack of information about Hyde leave Utterson feeling?
+This lack of information about Hyde leaves Utterson feeling unsettled.
+He dreams that he’s “haunted” by a man who has no face, who appears on every street of an almost nightmarish version of London.
+These dreams show that Hyde is affecting Utterson’s subconscious and leaves him wanting to see Hyde’s face so that “the mystery would lighten” - visual evidence is important to the rational Utterson.
How does Utterson feel when he meets Hyde?
+Utterson meets Hyde and feels unsettled
How does Utterson feel about the door where Hyde lives?
+Utterson begins to “haunt” the door where Enfield first saw Hyde.
+It’s night time and the street is “solitary” and “silent” before Hyde appears - this creates a sense of expectation.
What does Utterson make of Hyde?
+This is the first time we meet Hyde properly - he’s described a “pale and dwarfish” with a “savage laugh”.
+Utterson emphasises that Hyde seems “hardly human” - this hints that he’s less evolved.
+Like Enfield, Utterson can’t explain what makes Hyde so unsettling.
How does Hyde react when Utterson implies that Jekyll told him about Hyde?
+When Utterson implies Jekyll told him about Hyde, Hyde strongly denies it.
+The reader is left to wonder how he could be so certain.
What is Jekyll’s house?
Jekyll’s house is an important symbol
What did Utterson know all along?
+Utterson knew all along that the building Hyde went into is a laboratory that is attached to Jekyll’s house, but the reader only finds this out now.
+The way information is given out but by bit adds to the mystery.
What does Jekyll’s house have?
Jekyll’s house has “a great air of wealth and comfort”, which symbolises his respectable nature and successful life.
+Writer’s Techniques - Symbolism: Jekyll’s “comfortable” house contrasts with the “sinister” laboratory that Hyde goes into.
+These buildings are physically connected, which symbolises that Jekyll and Hyde are two different sides of the same person.
How does Utterson react when Poole tells him that all servants have orders to obey Hyde?
+When Jekyll’s butler Poole tells Utterson that the servants all have orders to obey Hyde, Utterson is more convinced than ever that Jekyll is being made to pay for “some old sin”.
+This explanation shows Utterson’s concern for Jekyll’s reputation.
What does Utterson manage to do in Chpt 2 “Search for Hyde” to summarise?
+“There is something more, if I could find a name for it”
+Utterson manages to collar Hyde but he scarpers before Utterson even has the chance to say “Oi, that’s not gentlemanly behaviour now is it”.
+Hyde makes Utterson feel uneasy, but he can’t put his finger on why.
Dr Jekyll was quite at ease [Chpt 3]
What does Utterson finally do?
+Utterson finally pins down Jekyll - time for some tough lawyer-ish interrogation you’d think.
+Not quite…
Who is a popular, respectable man?
Jekyll is a popular, respectable man
What does Jekyll invite Utterson to two weeks later?
+Two weeks later, Jekyll invites Utterson and some other “intelligent, reputable” upper-class men to one of his dinner parties.
+This refllects the social circle that Jekyll moves in.
When is the first time the reader meets Jekyll?
+The dinner party is the first time the reader meets Jekyll.
+His dinner parties show that he’s a sociable man who fits in with respectable Victorian upper-class society.
How is Jekyll described?
+Jekyll is described as a kind man.
+However, he also has a “slyish cast” - this hints that he’s hiding something or has a darker side to his personality.
What does Utterson try to talk to Jekyll about?
+Utterson tries to talk to Jekyll about his will.
What does Utterson question Jekyll about?
+Utterson questions Jekyll about the will - He treats the mystery as a case that can be solved rationally.
What does Jekyll try to hide when Utterson questions him about the will?
+Jekyll tries to hide the fact that he doesn’t want to discuss his will and changes the subject to talk about Lanyon.
+This makes the reader curious about why he can’t even tell his close friend and lawyer what’s going on.
What does Jekyll see Lanyon as?
+Jekyll sees Lanyon as “ignorant” because he dismisses his work.
+This suggests that Jekyll is so determined to pursue his “fanciful” experiments, that he’ll risk losing friends over it.
+Background and Context: Lanyon thinks Jekyll is spending time on “scientific heresies” [Lanyon thinks that Jekyll’s scientific work goes against God].
+The 1800s were a time of scientific progress - but some of these discoveries raised questions about the dangers of scientific discoveries.
What does Jekyll clearly have?
Jekyll clearly has something to hide
How does Jekyll avoid explaining the will?
+Jekyll does all he can to avoid explaining the will:
- Jekyll says that he’s in a strange situation that “cannot be mended by talking” - this secrecy builds suspense.
- He also tells Utterson that he has “a very great interest” in Hyde - but again, he won’t explain why.
- Jekyll claims that “the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde”, but we find out later that this isn’t true.
Why does Jekyll do all he can to avoid explaining the will?
+Theme - Secrecy: Victorians hid what they saw as their immoral desires to maintain respectability.
+Jekyll hides the truth about Hyde from Utterson because Hyde is the immoral side of his character.
What does Utterson try to get Jekyll out of?
+Utterson tries to get Jekyll out of trouble.
+He’s more interested in preserving Jekyll’s reputation than in the morality of what Jekyll might have done
+Like a true Victorian gentleman, he’d rather not know the details of Jekyll’s sins, so he doesn’t press him for answers about Hyde.
Mention the early signs of Jekyll’s dual personality…
+It’ll impress the examiner if you can talk about the less obvious evidence for Jekyll’s double personality.
+He seems like a pleasant, sociable guy, but he’s got a “slyish” look, which hints that he’s got a dark side.
The Carew Murder Case [Chpt 4]
What does Hyde move on from?
+Hyde moves on from trampling kids to beating old men to death.
+He sounds quite the upstanding citizen.
Who does Hyde murder?
+Hyde murders Danvers Carew
When does chapter four begin?
+This chapter begins nearly a year later.
How is the maid’s account of Carew’s murder written?
+The maid’s account of Carew’s murder is written like a police statement -This distances the reader from the event itself.
+We’re also limited to the maid’s perspective - she’s “romantically given” so it’s hard to know how much we can believe.
What is the maid’s description of the Carew murder?
+The maid’s description of the Carew murder is a shocking change of tone in her initially peaceful account.
+The fact that she faints shows how shocking the murder was.
How does Carew appear?
+The old man appears polite and full of “old-word kindness”.
+This emphasises his innocence and shows how evil Hyde is - he attacks Carew for no reason.
How is Hyde described in the murder of Carew?
+Hyde is described as trampling Carew with “ape-like fury”.
+This animalistic description shows how he’s primal and savage.
What is the detail given on Carew’s murder?
+A lot of gruesome detail is given - Hyde “clubbed” Carew, “trampling” him and giving him a “storm of blows” so that his body “jumped upon the roadway”.
+Writer’s Techniques - Language: Stevenson appeals to the readers sense of hearing as well as sight by describing how Carew’s bones were “audibly” shattered.
+This makes the attack even more horrific and vivid as you imagine how terrible it would be to hear someone’s bones breaking.
How does Hyde leave Carew?
+Hyde leaves Carew “incredibly mangled” on the street - it’s a brutal and shocking crime.
What do Utterson and the police search for?
+Utterson and the police search for Hyde
What is the policeman’s reaction to the identification of Carew?
+The policeman’s reaction to the identification of Carew as the victim shows that everyone has a double nature - he’s initially concerned, but soon “professional ambition” to turn the situation to his advantage takes over.
+Stevenson shows that hypocrisy is widespread in Victorian society.
Where does Utterson lead the police?
+Utterson leads the police to Hyde’s house - Hyde lives down a “dingy street” in a “dismal quarter of Soho”.
+Utterson sees it as “some city in a nightmare” - it’s a place of darkness and swirling fog which makes him feel uneasy
+This contrasts with the comfortable house and respectable areas that Jekyll lives in.
Where was Soho?
+Writer’s Techniques - Setting: Soho was an area associated with poverty and immorality.
+It’s located in the richer, more respectable West End of London.
+This reflects the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde - the immoral Hyde is located within the respectable Jekyll.
How does Stevenson use the character of Hyde’s landlady?
+Stevenson uses the character of Hyde’s landlady to develop the idea that it’s human nature to conceal our faults
+She has an “evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy” but “her manners were excellent”, which shows that she’s putting on a front of respectability.
Comment on the symbolism of the settings…
+Show the examiner that you understandd that Stevenson uses settings as symbols for the characters in the novel.
+Jekyll’s house is another great example - it looks respectable, but it’s connected to the sinister lab.
Incident of the Letter [Chpt 5]
How does Jekyll act after Carew’s murder?
+Jekyll acts strangely after Carew’s murder
How does Jekyll behave when Utterson visits him?
+When Utterson visits Jekyll, he finds him behaving oddly:
- Jekyll is in his laboratory when Utterson goes to see him, which is unusual because Utterson hasn’t visited his friend there before - this is the “dingy” building we associate with Hyde, and Utterson feels a “sense of strangeness” when he goes in which creates tension and unease.
- Jekyll looks “sick” and speaks in a “feverish manner” - this shows how agitated he is about the murder; He’s determined to be rid of Hyde, swearing to God that he’ll never see him again.
How is Jekyll still holding back information after Carew’s murder?
+But he’s still holding back information.
+He says he has “grounds for certainty” that Hyde will not return, but he “cannot share with anyone” what these are.
+This increases the mystery.
What does Stevenson include in his narrative?
+Stevenson includes letters in his narrative
