The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Question 1

Enfield, describing Hyde to Utterson, “There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable.”

Answer 1

Good vs Evil

Question 2

Utterson, speaking to himself, “If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek.”

Answer 2

Good vs Evil

Question 3

Jekyll, reassuring Utterson, “The moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde.”

Answer 3

Good vs Evil

Question 4

Lanyon’s letter to Utterson, “…like a man restored from death— there stood Henry Jekyll.”

Answer 4

Good vs Evil

Question 5

Jekyll’s letter to Utterson, “Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me, and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life.”

Answer 5

Good vs Evil

Question 6

Jekyll’s letter to Utterson, describing Hyde, “…they were the expression, and bore the stamp, of lower elements in my soul.”

Answer 6

Good vs Evil

Question 7

Jekyll describing his fascination with Hyde, “It seemed natural and human. In my eyes it bore a livelier image of the spirit, it seemed more express and single, than the imperfect and divided countenance I had been hitherto accustomed to call mine.”

Answer 7

Good vs Evil

Question 8

Jekyll, reflecting on mankind, “All human beings… are commingled out of good and evil.”

Answer 8

Good vs Evil

Question 9

Jekyll, highlighting his lack of control over Hyde, “I was slowly losing hold of my original and better self, and becoming slowly incorporated with my second and worse.”

Answer 9

Good vs Evil

Question 10

Jekyll, continuing his description of his own desire to be Hyde, “…and it was as an ordinary secret sinner that I at last fell before the assaults of temptation.”

Answer 10

Good vs Evil-Religion

Question 11

“I incline to Cain’s heresy,” he used to say quaintly. “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.”

Answer 11

Utterson’s nature is forgiving and non-judgmental. Loyal to a fault, he denies wrongdoing even when confronted with the evidence.

Question 12

“I don’t ask that,” pleaded Jekyll, laying his hand on the other’s arm; “I only ask for justice; I only ask you to help him for my sake, when I am no longer here.”

Answer 12

Utterson attempts to persuade Jekyll to break off association with Hyde.

Question 13

“I shall say nothing till I have seen the body,” said he, “this may be very serious. Have the kindness to wait while I dress.”

Answer 13

Mystery/Crime: Confronted with the evidence of foul play (the murder weapon is a cane which Utterson recognizes as belonging to Jekyll), Utterson buys time before discussing the matter with the police.

Question 14

There was a pause during which Mr. Utterson struggled with himself. “Why did you compare them, Guest?” he inquired suddenly. “Well, sir,” returned the clerk, “there is a rather singular resemblance; the two hands are in many points identical: only differently sloped.”

Answer 14

Guest examines Jekyll’s will and other documents in the gentleman’s handwriting and detects the similarities.

Question 15

“I wish to see or hear no more of Dr. Jekyll,” he said in a loud, unsteady voice. “I am quite done with that person, and I beg that you will spare me any allusion to one whom I regard as dead.”

Answer 15

Duality of human nature-good and evil

Dr. Lanyon is speaking to Mr. Utterson. Laynon’s appearance is that of someone who has endured a horrifying event.

Question 16

“That is just what I was about to venture to propose,” returned the doctor with a smile. But the words were hardly uttered, before the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below.

Answer 16

Gothic and supernatural

Question 17

“Now, sir,” said he, “you come as gentle as you can. I want you to hear, and I don’t want you to be heard. And see here, sir, if by any chance he was to ask you in, don’t go.”

Answer 17

Mystery and tension

Question 18

“O God! I screamed, and O God! Again and again; for there before my eyes – pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death – there stood Henry Jekyll.

Answer 18

Supernatural-gothic horror

Question 19

“Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.”

Answer 19

Jekyll has unburdened his soul and made confession. He does not know what fate will befall Hyde.

Question 20

Mr. Enfield is reluctant to dig into matters because he is afraid that he might uncover unpleasant truths. The stranger it seems, the less he is going to ask. This is illustrative of Victorian times, where appearance was one thing, reality another. Just as it is hard to tell where one building ends and another begins, it is difficult to tell what face of Victorian society is the real one–the appearance of civility or the immorality underneath.

Answer 20

Duality

Question 21

The strange relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is highlighted by their similar handwriting. Mr. Guest, who is an expert in hands, brings this to light, further intensifying the mystery.

Answer 21

Duality

Question 22

On their walk, Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield are surprised to find Dr. Jekyll at his window, in somber, yet peaceful spirits. In a flash, however, they witness a horrifying physical transformation as Dr. Jekyll goes into a convulsion. They leave the scene speechless.

Answer 22

Duality

Question 23

Poole tells Mr. Utterson of the time he saw a figure digging at some crates in the cabinet room. When the figure looked up at Poole, he let out a cry and ran upstairs. Poole says that the figure had a mask on its face. Mr. Utterson believes Dr. Jekyll must be wearing a mask because of some malady that causes physical deformation. In a sense, Dr. Jekyll has been living a life where he is wearing two masks–one, the mask of respectability; the other, a mask of depravity. When it is no longer possible to switch “masks” at will, Dr. Jekyll must resort to wearing a mask to disguise his “mask.”

Answer 23

Duality

Question 24

Out of desperation, Dr. Jekyll writes a letter to Dr. Lanyon, requesting the contents of his potion. When he goes (as Hyde) to pick up the material, he reveals his secret to Dr. Lanyon by drinking the potion and turning into Dr. Jekyll.

Answer 24

Duality

Question 25

As a young man, Dr. Jekyll is torn between his urges to live lustfully, and the life of a respectable doctor. His theory of man’s dual nature leads him to find a drug to separate the two sides–evil and good.

Answer 25

Duality

Question 26

While on a Sunday walk, Mr. Enfield tells Mr. Utterson the story of Mr. Hyde, the mysterious person behind the door. Mr. Hyde runs over a girl and would have left the scene if it were not for Mr. Enfield’s interference. The man says that he is no gentleman, but wants to avoid a scene. He then goes into the door and brings out a check worth nearly one hundred pounds. Mr. Enfield believes that there is something amiss going on behind that door, possibly blackmail. Fittingly, the man’s name is Hyde.

Answer 26

Secrets/Mystery

Question 27

Mr. Utterson wants to discover the apparent mystery behind Mr. Hyde’s connection with Dr. Jekyll. When he first encounters Hyde, Mr. Utterson thinks that the young man is related to some sin of Dr. Jekyll’s past. This thought makes Mr. Utterson reflect on the hidden sins of his own past, which humbles him.

Answer 27

Secrets/Mystery

Question 28

After the murder of Sir Danvers Carew, Mr. Utterson and Inspector Newcomen search Hyde’s residence in Soho. They do not find him there. He seems to have just disappeared

Answer 28

Secrets/Mystery

Question 29

Mr. Utterson is a cautious person who does not like to flirt with scandal. After the Carew murder, the city is in an uproar and news is going around about the details. Knowing that his doctor friend is tangentially involved in the Carew murder case, the loyal Mr. Utterson is careful to protect his friend’s good name. Mr. Utterson tries to keep Dr. Jekyll’s relationship with Hyde away from public scrutiny as best as he can.

Answer 29

Secrets/Mystery

Question 30

For a while, Dr. Jekyll opens up his house to his friends, but a sudden change of events turn him into a recluse again. Even Dr. Lanyon begins to act strange, refusing to tell Mr. Utterson what is wrong. Mr. Utterson has the opportunity to unlock the secrets of the mystery, but his professional honor prevents him from reading Dr. Lanyon’s sealed letter that explicitly states: “not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll.” Dr. Jekyll, meanwhile, is constantly locked up in his laboratory, as if he were in hiding.

Answer 30

Secrets/Mystery

Question 31

Poole notifies Mr. Utterson that Dr. Jekyll has locked himself in the laboratory. When they approach the door, the voice from inside sounds like Hyde. Poole and Mr. Utterson decide that it is time they finally uncover the mystery behind the laboratory door. They get an ax and break down the door, revealing what has long been hidden.

Answer 31

Secrets/Mystery

Question 32

Dr. Jekyll lives a life of duplicity through the body of Hyde. When his life as Hyde can no longer be hidden, Dr. Jekyll tries desperately to remove that side from his life. But the pull is too strong. As he begins to feel the Hyde character taking greater control over his life, Dr. Jekyll resorts to killing himself.

Answer 32

Secrets/Mystery

Question 33

From the beginning of the story, there is a contrast between Mr. Utterson’s straight-laced, upright character and his interesting tolerance for the immoral behavior of some of his friends. Such a protagonist is called upon to “solve” or reveal the evil of Hyde.

Answer 33

Good vs Evil

Question 34

Mr. Utterson is convinced that if he can catch a glimpse of Hyde, many questions can be answered. When he first lays eyes on Hyde, Mr. Utterson is repulsed. He likens Hyde’s appearance to Satan, verifying Mr. Enfield’s description that there is something sinister about the young man.

Answer 34

Good vs Evil

Question 35

A maid witnesses Hyde commit a murder by clubbing an elderly gentleman to death. As the story progresses, Hyde’s crime become more pronounced. He goes from injuring a little girl to killing an old man, seemingly without any conscience.

Answer 35

Good vs Evil

Question 36

Poole feels strongly that the person he saw was Hyde. Mr. Utterson agrees with the assessment, acknowledging that he too had a feeling about the sinister connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson believes that Hyde has come to kill Dr. Jekyll.

Answer 36

Good vs Evil

Question 37

Hyde is the manifestation of Dr. Jekyll’s evil side, but the incident at Dr. Lanyon’s house shows how interconnected Dr. Jekyll and Hyde are. The Dr. Jekyll side allows Hyde to transform, almost as if to show off in front of Dr. Lanyon. The sinister side is present in both Hyde and Dr. Jekyll.

Answer 37

Good vs Evil

Question 38

When Dr. Jekyll drinks from his invention, he feels transformed. Dr. Jekyll conjectures that Hyde is smaller because the evil side of him is less developed. He also believes the evil side is more natural to the human being. Dr. Jekyll concludes that everyone is made up of both good and evil. Hyde, alone in mankind, is pure evil.

Answer 38

Good vs Evil

Question 39

“I incline to Cain’s heresy,” he used to say quaintly: “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.” Chapter 1, pg. 37

Answer 39

Good vs Evil

Question 40

“You start a question, and it’s like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, starting others; and presently some bland old bird (the last you would have thought of) is knocked on the head in his own back garden and the family have to change their name. No, sir, I make it a rule of mine: the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask.” Chapter 1, pg. 42-43

Answer 40

Mystery/Crime

Question 41

“The last I think; for, O poor old Harry Jekyll, if ever I read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend.” Chapter 2, pg. 52

Answer 41

Good vs Evil

Question 42

“I am painfully situated, Utterson; my position is a very strange–a very strange one. It is one of those affairs that cannot be mended by talking.” Chapter 3, pg. 57

Answer 42

Mystery/Duality

Question 43

“I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again. I bind my honour to you that I am done with him in this world. It is all at an end. And indeed he does not want my help; you do not know him as I do; he is safe, he is quite safe; mark my words, he will never more be heard of.” Chapter 5, pg. 66

Answer 43

Duality

Question 44

“Some day, Utterson, after I am dead, you may perhaps come to learn the right and wrong of this. I cannot tell you.” Chapter 6, pg. 73

Answer 44

Secrets

Question 45

“It was for one minute that I saw him, but the hair stood upon my head like quills. Sir, if that was my master, why had he a mask upon his face?” Chapter 8, pg. 84

Answer 45

Evil/Mystery/Supernatural

Question 46

“My fears incline to the same point. Evil, I fear, founded–evil was sure to come–of that connection. Ay truly, I believe you; I derer (for what purpose, God alone can tell) is still lurking in his victim’s room. Well, let our name be vengeance.” Chapter 8, pg. 87

Answer 46

Fears/Evil/Supernatural

Question 47

“O God!” I screamed, and “O God!” again and again; for there before my eyes–pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death–there stood Henry Jekyll!” Chapter 9, pg. 102

Answer 47

Fears/Evil/Supernatural

Question 48

“With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.” Chapter 10, pg. 104

Answer 48

Duality

Question 49

“Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.” Chapter 10, pg. 124

Answer 49

Duality/Supernatural