Jekyll and Hyde Chapter 2

Learning Objective To develop understanding of Hyde as a symbol

[object Object],[object Object]

Hyde ,[object Object],2) On p23 Hyde is described as ‘hardly human.’ What aspect of humanity does he seem to lack? Soho is an area of London that, in Victorian times, was famous for its criminals - murderers and prostitutes, so we tend to think of Hyde as being associated with this aspect of humankind. He seems to lack compassion, human sympathy, and a sense of morality. He is described as being “without bowels of mercy” p.20

[object Object],[object Object],Troglodyte : an animal living underground a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character Page 23: “There is something more… something troglodytic… or can it be the old story of Dr Fell”

[object Object],4) Utterson decides that ‘”If he be Mr Hyde,” he had thought, “I shall be Mr Seek.”’ (p21) Stevenson is playing with words here to give us a clue to his character. What does he want us to think about here? Animal imagery: firstly a snake and then a dog. This makes him seem more animal than human, savage and wild and not really a part of civilised society. Hyde wants to keep his true identity a secret and Utterson is determined to play the detective and reveal the truth about Hyde

[object Object],[object Object],6) Why can no-one recognise or remember exactly what Hyde looks like? Utterson says ‘if I could find a name for it’ (p23), when trying to explain what the man looks like. Homo Sapiens is an animal (Darwin’s Theory of Evolution). Civilised behaviour is learned – it is not inbred. Hyde symbolises the basic, animalistic part of man’s nature. Everyone has a Hyde in them – it’s a question of how well we suppress it. It is because Hyde does not resemble any normal human being and therefore people find his appearance disconcerting and have no normal points of reference. Also it is important that Hyde’s true identity remains something of a mystery at this point in the novella.

Learning Objective ,[object Object],To develop the ability to speculate about events.

Questions to consider ,[object Object],Poole’s scale of values is quite clear: Hyde never "dines" in the house proper, because he is not socially accepted. Rather, he comes and goes by the laboratory, which links him to Jekyll’s experiments. Poole makes it clear that the servants are under orders to obey him. They do not do so freely, out of respect. Why does Hyde have a key to the house? Poole says Hyde is never seen ‘on this side of the house’ (p24). Why not? He is briefly afraid that he might be recognised as Dr. Jekyll He lives there! He is actually a part of Dr. Jekyll’s personality

[object Object],Lanyon hasn’t seen Jekyll for over ten years because Lanyon thinks Jekyll lost his grip on reality and became ‘too fanciful’, engaging in ‘unscientific balderdash’. What might the ‘unscientific balderdash’ be? (p19) This unscientific balderdash is a reference to his experiments into separating out the evil part of man’s personality

Jekyll and Hyde Chapter 2

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