Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde context and general knowledge

Mr. Einfield:

1. Utterson's cousin
2. So that audience could learn about the door

What incident first brought Hyde to Enfield's attention?

Hyde tramples a child because he is in a hurry; he issued a large check that's not in his name

To which clauses in Jekyll's will does Utterson object? Why?

After 3 months of Jekyll's absence or after his death, Hyde is to get everything. It seems absurd and unrelated; disturbing

What information does Poole give Utterson about Hyde?

Hyde has a key to the house, the servants have to obey him, and he goes into the laboratory

Why does Utterson fear for Jekyll's life?

If Hyde finds out about the will, he might take Jekyll's life, or if he already knows, he may lose his patience and murder him

What do Lanyon and Jekyll think of each other?

They are both doctors, but they differ in methods. L goes by the books, but J has abandoned true science for experiments; L calls him a scientific heretic. J thinks that L is too conservative and ignorant

From what point of view is Stevenson telling the story? Why would Stevenson choose this point of view?

3rd limited; allows us to see the story unfold as Utterson sees it unfold; more suspense

Enfield says that Jekyll is a man "who does what they call good."

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Hyde:

1. Stepped over the child
2. Something displeasing about his appearance
3. Many dislike him
4. Strong feeling of deformity
5. Murderer
6. Set the terms of Jekyll's will
7. Good taste in furniture
8. Is gone often; irregular habits
9. "Ape-like" fury

Jekyll:

1. Doctor/ surgeon
2. Smooth-faced
3. 50
4. Kind
5. "Great interest in Hyde"
6. His house is called the "Blackmail House"
7. "Harry"

Why is Utterson upset when he sees the cane Hyde used to murder Carew?

Utterson had given Jekyll that cane as a gift

What does Guest notice when he compared Hyde's handwriting to Jekyll's?

It's the same but slanted differently

What conclusions does Utterson reach based on Guest's observation?

Jekyll forged the letter for Hyde

Why does Lanyon think he will soon die?

He's had quite a shock, and he's never recovered

Stevenson described Hyde's fury when killing Carew as "ape-like." Why do you think he chose those words? What does the ferocity of Hyde's attack on gentle Carew imply about Hyde?

He's animalistic, had a brutal nature, and had limitless cruelty

"I have had a shock and I shall never recover. Well, life has been pleasant; I liked it, yes, sir, I used to like it. I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away." -Utterson

What seems to be Utterson's and Lanyon's attitudes towards death?

Utterson: Fears death
Lanyon: looking forward to getting away from life

What has the person in Jekyll's cabinet been demanding for the past week? Why does the demand go unsatisfied?

Medicine; it's not pure enough

How does Utterson explain what Poole saw?

He says that Jekyll has developed a disease that affects his voice and face

Whom do Utterson and Poole find inside Jekyll's cabinet? What is strange about this person's clothes? At what conclusions does Utterson arrive based on this discovery?

Hyde. He's wearing Jekyll's clothes; he thinks that the doctor has fled somehow, has been murdered, or that Jekyll has murdered Hyde

After jekylls death, Utterson says, "God forgive us, God forgive us." why?

He's praying in panic, and it's not as sincere. He needs forgiveness for not stopping the situation

Summarize the request Jekyll makes of Lanyon in his letter:

He wants him to drive to his house, open the glazed press of the cabinet on the left, draw out the 4th drawer, and bring it to cavendish square and hand the drawer to someone at midnight

What motivation does Lanyon ascribe to Jekyll's request?

He's crazy

What are the contents of the drawer from Jekyll's case

A phial of salt, other
Ingredients, a record of failed experiments

How does Lanyon react to the transformation he witnesses? How does this reaction explain an earlier portion of the book?

He's shocked and horrified; disbelief; it explains Lanyon's shock and death

Began as a story written in third-person limited point of view. To what point of view does the story change in the last 2 chapters? What’s the purpose of it changing?

1st person; to build suspense

Is Lanyon a good friend to Jekyll? Why or why not? As a friend to Jekyll, does he compare favorably or unfavorably with Utterson?

Yes, because they have known each other since childhood and he follows all instructions. He compares favorably; Utterson isn't as as reliable (window scene)

When he meets Hyde, Lanyon experiences the same reaction as have other characters: disgust. Lanyon alone, however, reflects on the cause of this reaction. What conclusion does he reeach?

The reaction was way deeper than person distaste; he thinks that his reaction springs from a nobler part of human nature

Lanyon writes that his "soul sickened" at the sight of Hyde's transformation into Jekyll. Why do you think Lanyon describes his response in such strong terms?

His whole world was transformed in that moment; it scared him and made him question everything; the same way

What did Jekyll hope to achieve with his experiments?

To separate these natures

How did Jekyll initially react to being Hyde?

It felt natural; he felt a leap of welcome

How does Jekyll explain other people's aversion to looking at Hyde?

People are good and evil, and so when they see pure evil, it is unbearable

When did Jekyll first realize that his experiments were flawed?

When he could no longer control his evil side; he fell asleep and woke up as Hyde

How did Jekyll's fear change after the transformation in front of Lanyon?

He becomes amazed at his own evil nature, and he no longer fears getting caught, he just fears being Hyde because he can't control it

Notice that in this chapter Jekyll, as the narrator, several times shifts back and forth between referring to himself in the first person and third person. Why does he shift like this?

Jekyll's identity is now confused; uncontrolled shifting between his two identities. He feels this tugging between who he wants to be and who he actually is

jekyll says he "was in no sense a hypocrite."

It's difficult to see how someone could perform contradictory acts without being a hypocrite; he doesn't even admit his actions for the longest time. He tries to avoid being called a hypocrite when he says that he was just as much himself when indulging in his secret pleasures, and he didn't feel bad about it

Jekyll and Hyde hate each other, but for different reasons. Why does each hate the other?

Jekyll sees Hyde as a cruel, degenerate monster, and he is taking over Jekyll's life. Hyde sees Jekyll as a pansy, and he hates Jekyll for having to turn back into Jekyll

Even though Jekyll hates Hyde, he can still say, "I find it in my heart to pity him." Why?

He pities Hyde because his love of life is wonderful, which is an ironic thing to say for someone who murdered a man

The cornerstone of Jekyll's view of human nature is "that man is not truly one, but truly two": a mix of good and evil. Does splitting himself into Jekyll and Hyde give Jekyll the division he expected? Support your answer with specific references to the text:

He wanted to have a fully good man and a fully evil man, but what sprung from that was a fully evil man, and Jekyll still had both

As Hyde, Jekyll initially experiences "an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul." Later, he calls his ability to become Hyde a "sea of liberty." As he discovers, this freedom becomes fatal slavery.

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