Repression Flashcards
Key moments
Jekyll‘s confession (chapter 10) Jekyll explains how he lived double life hiding his desires while presenting a respectable front he admits to feeding trapped societies expectations
The description of Mr Hyde Hyde is described as deformed and unnatural representing hidden side of Jekyll. Others instinctively feel something wrong about him showing how disturbing repressed desires can become when unleashed.
Jekyll‘s house and laboratory split between Jekyll’s well kept home and the hidden dark laboratory symbolise a divide between his respectable public self and it’s hidden press self
Artisan’s character, Mr. Orson represents his emotions and curiosity choosing to remain serious and reserved. He represents the typical Victorian gentleman who avoid scandal and suppresses strong feelings.
Paragraph 1
Word/phrase = repression
Own point = destructive
Evidence = = “I concealed my pleasures”
Technique = Verb “concealed” first person confession
Wow= Freudian psychoanalysis
Context = Victorian respectability
In Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson presents repression as a destructive and unnatural force that corrupts the individual and splits the self. Jekyll admits, “I concealed my pleasures,” using the verb “concealed” to show that his desires — likely taboo or hedonistic - had to be hidden from society. The confession is personal and direct, written in the first person, which forces the reader to confront the shame Jekyll feels and the dishonesty of the life he leads. This repression is not a form of self-control but a kind of self-denial, suggesting that Jekyll has not outgrown these desires, only buried them; displaying a sense of regression. The language implies a build-up of pressure — a beast beneath the surface - echoing the Freudian theory that repressed desires in the unconscious eventually surface in dangerous ways. In Victorian society, maintaining an image of moral respectability was essential, especially for upper-class men. Emotions, sexuality, and even impulses for pleasure had to be hidden - particularly by scientists, doctors, and professionals like Jekyll. Stevenson’s intention is to critique the hypocrisy of Victorian society: by repressing natural instincts, people created dual identities, leading to internal conflict, addiction, and destruction. Therefore, repression in the novel is not heroic - it is hazardous. Stevenson shows us that denial of truth leads not to morality, but to monstrosity.
Paragraph 2
Word/phrase = repression
Own point = corrosive
Evidence = “ the large handsome face of Dr Jekyll grew pale to the very lips”
Techniques = foreshadowing , connatioations
Wow = atavistic criminal
Context = Darwinism
In Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson presents repression as a corrosive force that eats away at the human psyche, leaving visible traces on the physical body. When Jekyll is described, “The large handsome face of Dr Jekyll grew pale to the very lips and there came a blackness about his eyes, “ Stevenson uses foreshadowing to hint at the internal decay caused by repression. The contrast between
“handsome” and “blackness” visually captures the duality between Jekyll’s public image and his hidden impulses, implying that the mask of respectability is starting to slip. The “blackness” suggests moral corruption seeping through, a physical symptom of spiritual rot.
Through this, Stevenson intensifies the idea that
repression, rather than containing evil, causes it to fester within. The connotations of “blackness” as disease, darkness, and secrecy reinforce the corrosive effects of denial, and this deterioration demonstrates the novel’s central allegory: Jekyll is not simply a man, but a symbol of society’s doomed attempt to separate good from evil. In a world newly shaken by Darwin’s theories, the notion of the atavistic criminal
— the primitive self beneath civilisation - gains terrifying weight.
Stevenson draws on this fear to show that evolution cannot erase instinct; repression merely delays its inevitable return. His intention is clear: to expose how society’s obsession with control over nature leads not to virtue, but to violence. The more Jekyll suppresses, the more he invites the monstrous. Thus, repression is not only psychologically damaging - it is corrosive to identity itself.
Paragraph 3
Word/phrase = repression
Own point = concealment
Evidence = “story of the door “
Techniques = motif , figurative symbolism
Wow = temporal concealment
Context. Presbyterian
In Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson presents repression as a form of concealment that disguises truth beneath surfaces, both literal and psychological. The novella opens with the phrase, “Story of the door,” immediately establishing a motif of barriers, secrecy, and hidden depths. The door becomes a recurring image through which Stevenson explores how characters - and by extension, society - hide their darker instincts behind façades of respectability. The door’s sturdy exterior symbolises the Victorian obsession with appearances, while its locked nature implies a fear of what lies within. This figurative symbolism reflects how repression functions: not as destruction of desire, but as its concealment. The door operates as a mirror to Jekyll’s internal world - outwardly polished, inwardly fractured. The motif does not just conceal Hyde; it mirrors the spiritual lockdown imposed by religious and cultural ideals, particularly those rooted in Presbyterian doctrine, which demanded strict moral discipline and the suppression of sin. Yet Stevenson suggests that this concealment is temporary - a delay, not a cure. The phrase “Story of the door” hints at temporal concealment: behind every respectable door is a narrative
waiting to be uncovered, a darkness biding its time. Through this, Stevenson critiques a society that prizes image over honesty, warning that repression, when used as concealment, allows evil not to die, but to wait and grow stronger. His
ultimate intention is to expose the futility of hiding from the self — for what is locked away does not disappear; it waits to return with greater force.
How it links to other themes
Friendship = Stevenson presents repression is something which causes significant strain on the sanctuary of friendship. The lack of transparency leads to the theme of mistrust and disillusionment.
Duality = Stevenson represents duality as a married the notion of repression; repression requires a division of two exposing ideas in order to represses on half
Appearance vs reality = relates the idea for pressing one’s reality to give weight and idyllic preference
