Lanyon Flashcards
Write down a quote highlighting Lanyon’s physical deterioration
“The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away”
Here, the reader is shown the transformation of Lanyon and his physical deterioration as he discovers Jekyll’s secret. “Rosy man” has associations with vibrant colour and a natural, healthy lifestyle, which juxtaposes “pale” and it’s deathly connotations. The alliteration of the fluid “f” sound underlines the fact that Lanyon’s flesh is literally slipping away from his bones, much like when Jekyll morphes into Hyde. The fact that Jekyll’s secret affects more than just himself also hints at the dualistic nature of the novella - there is always two sides to one story.
Write down a quote that shows Lanyon calling out to God
“‘O God!’ I screamed, and ‘O God!’ again and again.”
The level of disbelief in the evil displayed before him leads Lanyon to desperately call out to God to protect him. Lanyon, Utterson and Enfield are known throughout the novel as rational, coherent and eloquent. Lanyon’s repetitive cry of “O God!” is both an uncontrolled scream of horror but also a direct plea to God for protection. Lanyon is desperately seeking support from God and religion in the face of supreme evil, yet God cannot provide it, as Lanyon dies from the horror of what he sees. Essentially, evil defeats religion; defeats goodness
Write down a quote describing Lanyon
“hearty , healthy , dapper, red-faced gentleman”
Write down quotes showing Lanyon dismissing Jekyll’s experiment
“He began to go wrong, wrong in mind; and though of course I continue to take an interest in him for old sake’s sake, as they say, I see and I have seen
devilish little of the man. Such unscientific balderdash,”
