secrecy and reputation Flashcards
intro
- Stevenson’s novel ‘Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’
- Explores themes such as the duality of human nature, the importance of reputation and friendship
- A central theme is secrecy as characters battle with hidden identities and the dual nature of their beings
- Story unfolds in Victorian London, a society marked by strict moral codes and social expectations
- Secrecy becomes a powerful force, driving the plot forwards
- Layers of secrecy contribute to suspenseful and thought-provoking nature of Stevenson’s exploration of the human psych
start
Stevenson uses the setting to create secrecy
Quotation – ‘a fog rolled over the city in small hours’
- connotations of evil and secrecy
- makes the reader imagine all the dangers that hide within it
- reader notices that, with the appearance of Hyde, the fog follows
- fog could be hiding the events that will take place – murder of Carew
- foreshadows Hyde about to descend on Sir Danvers Carew
Stevenson creates secrecy with his ‘nocturnal’, lamp-lit atmosphere
Quotation – ‘nocturnal’
- most of the characters are seen coming and going either late at night or early in the morning
- linking to the thought of them living a double life, and having to sneak around, so they remain respected by society
context
- many people lived double lives and would sneak about, often in the night
- everyone had secrets and things they kept hidden
middle
Quotation – ‘three dusty windows barred with iron’ – chapter 5
- Jekyll wants to distance everyone away from him, stop them finding out the truth
- ‘barred with iron’ – elements of a jail cell -> highlighting he is not as much of a gentleman as he has made out to be, has committed crimes and is suffering for them
- ‘window’ – eyes are described as windows to the soul – by being barred by iron, he is trying to hide his inner emotions and secrets, opening to the soul -> Jekyll wants to be open but society and his own desires have put restraints on him
- Symbolic of how Jekyll feels like a prisoner in his own body and feels trapped as he cannot risk leaving the house and turning into Hyde in public
Quotation – ‘dingy windowless structure’ – chapter 5
- suggest secrecy as without windows, no one can see what is hidden inside
o Just like Utterson, as he cannot see the full truth regarding Jekyll and Hyde and the secret his friend is hiding
- No windows = secrets hidden without an attempt of honesty
- Juxtaposition to Jekyll’s house, symbolises duality of Jekyll and Hyde
- ‘dingy’ – slang for mentally deranged, reflects the business happening there
- Makes the reader question what Jekyll is doing that needs hiding and why there is so much secrecy surrounding his laboratory
Contextual elements
- people were expected to behave in a civilised way in societal situations
- this led to people living double lives – the one society expected them to live, and behind closed doors, the way they actually wanted to live
end
Quotation – ‘uncertain hand’
- Poole shouldn’t be scared about knocking on his master, Jekyll’s door
- He has known him for years and knows him better than most people
- Creates secrecy around why Poole is so terrified of what is behind the door
- he doesn’t believe that ‘thing’ is his master
context – in Victorian times, butlers did everything for their masters and knew them almost intimately, so most of the time had a trusting relationship
also, Victorian people reading would been shocked and uneasy that a butler betrayed his masters trust and didn’t keep his secrets, like they were supposed to
Quotation – ‘if by any chance he was to ask you in, don’t go’
- Poole doesn’t trust whatever is in there and doesn’t think its his master
- He fears that whatever is in the room is dangerous
- making the reader wonder what is in the room and why there is so much secrecy around it
conc
- Stevenson wants to promote the idea that everyone has close secrets that they don’t share
- The novel was written in 1886, when there were very high societal expectations, so the only to break the boundaries set by society was to lead a secret double life
- Stevenson used Jekyll to reflect most Victorian men’s double lives, only elevating it hugely by making him completely change person
