Mr Hyde's Door Flashcards
Chapter 1 Quotes
“The door, which was equipped with neither
bell nor knocker”
The fact there’s no way besides physically slamming your hand on the door to alert the resident of your presence suggests guests and visitors are unwanted.
” It was two storeys high; showed no window, nothing but a
door on the lower storey”
The fact there are no windows suggests a theme of secrecy, the owner doesn’t want anyone to know what could be taking place in the home.
“bore in every feature, the marks of prolonged
and sordid negligence”
It’s as if no one lives there at all, the house is so uncared for, considering this is Hyde’s house could symbolise the lack of humanity in Hyde, he doesn’t even care for his own house, he shows no empathy at all, although it could be a reflection of his character, he’s the product of prolonged and sordid negligence.
“sinister block of building “
The building gives off a supernatural, eerie atmosphere, a frightening one reflecting the person who owns the building.
“It seems scarcely a house. There is no other door, and
nobody goes in or out of that one but, once in a great while, the
gentleman of my adventure. “
The fact it seems scarcely a house could link to the fact that Hyde seems scarcely a human. It is confirmed that Hyde is the resident as he’s the only one to enter and leave the building, yet he does not come home regularly, which hints he’s somewhere else, later revealed (not in this chapter) as his transformation back into Jekyll, or he’s out causing trouble as per usual.
“there is a chimney which is generally
smoking; so somebody must live there”
There’s a theme of mystery surrounding the house in regards to whether there is indeed a resident there due to the absence of anything remotely human.
The house is referred to as the ‘blackmail house’
The house despite being an inanimate object has a bad reputation due to its owner, it makes the reader feel a tinge of sadness despite the house being an object with no feelings it seems undeserving of the abuse it’s subjected to. It makes the reader reflect on the potential of what the house could have been, there’s so much wasted potential.
