Part 3: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Making Inferences and Predictions

“I am quite sure of him,” replied Jekyll; “I have grounds for certainty that I cannot share with any one. But there is one thing on which you may advise me. I have—I have received a letter; and I am at a loss whether I should show it to the police. I should like to leave it in your hands, Utterson; you would judge wisely, I am sure; I have so great a trust in you.”



– The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson

Which inference about Dr. Jekyll is best supported by evidence from the passage?

He has lost confidence in his own judgment because of his involvement with Mr. Hyde.

“One moment. I thank you, sir;” and the clerk laid the two sheets of paper alongside and sedulously compared their contents. “Thank you, sir,” he said at last, returning both; “it’s a very interesting autograph.”



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’s a rather singular resemblance; the two hands are in many points identical: only differently sloped.”



–The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson

In this passage, Mr. Guest compares letters written by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Which inference is best supported by information in the passage?

Dr. Jekyll wrote the letter that he claims was written by Mr. Hyde.

“I have had a shock,” he said, “and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks. 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.”

“Jekyll is ill, too,” observed Utterson. “Have you seen him?”

But Lanyon’s face changed, and he held up a trembling hand. “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.”

–The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson

Which inference is best supported by the passage?

Dr. Lanyon has learned damaging new information about Dr. Jekyll.

“I have had a shock,” he said, “and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks. 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.”

“Jekyll is ill, too,” observed Utterson. “Have you seen him?”

But Lanyon’s face changed, and he held up a trembling hand. “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.”

–The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson

Which prediction is best supported by information in this passage?

Dr. Lanyon will eventually reveal shocking information about Dr. Jekyll.

What information from the story helps you check the prediction that Dr. Lanyon will reveal shocking information about Dr. Jekyll?

“Within there was another enclosure, likewise sealed, and marked upon the cover as ‘not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll.’”

Read the passage from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

"Special edition. Shocking murder of an M.P.” That was the funeral oration of one friend and client; and he could not help a certain apprehension lest the good name of another should be sucked down in the eddy of the scandal. It was, at least, a ticklish decision that he had to make; and self-reliant as he was by habit, he began to cherish a longing for advice. It was not to be had directly; but perhaps, he thought, it might be fished for.

Mr. Utterson’s internal conflict is that he

distrusts his own judgment.

Analyzing internal conflicts helps the reader to

make inferences and predictions.

An _________ conflict is a struggle within the mind of a single character.

internal

After making a prediction, a reader should

check the prediction.

Read the passage from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

"Utterson, I swear to God,” cried the doctor, "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.”

Read the prediction.

I predict that Dr. Jekyll will continue to associate with Mr. Hyde despite what he says to Mr. Utterson.

Which lines describing Dr. Jekyll confirm the prediction? Select three answers.

A. “He was busy, he was much in the open air, he did good . . .”

B. “. . . for more than two months, the doctor was at peace.”

C. “On the 12th, and again on the 14th, the door was shut against the lawyer.”

D. “The doctor, it appeared, now more than ever confined himself to the cabinet . . .”

E. “. . . he was out of spirits, he had grown very silent, he did not read . . .”

C, D, E

Read the passage from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

It is one thing to mortify curiosity, another to conquer it; and it may be doubted if, from that day forth, Utterson desired the society of his surviving friend with the same eagerness. He thought of him kindly; but his thoughts were disquieted and fearful. He went to call indeed; but he was perhaps relieved to be denied admittance; perhaps, in his heart, he preferred to speak with Poole upon the doorstep and surrounded by the air and sounds of the open city, rather than to be admitted into that house of voluntary bondage, and to sit and speak with its inscrutable recluse.

The reader can infer that Mr. Utterson

doubts Dr. Jekyll.

Read the passage from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

"I do not blame our old friend,” Jekyll wrote, "but I share his view that we must never meet. I mean from henceforth to lead a life of extreme seclusion; you must not be surprised, nor must you doubt my friendship, if my door is often shut even to you. You must suffer me to go my own dark way. ”

Now, read the prediction.

I predict that Utterson will refuse to abandon Jekyll completely and will continue to seek him out.

Which line most confirms this prediction?

“He went to call indeed; but he was perhaps relieved to be denied admittance . . .”

Read the passage from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

"No,” said the other. "I cannot say that I care what becomes of Hyde; I am quite done with him. I was thinking of my own character, which this hateful business has rather exposed.”

Based on Jekyll’s internal conflict, the best inference is that he feels

ashamed of his association with Hyde.

Read the passage from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

"I have buried one friend to-day,” he thought: "what if this should cost me another?” And then he condemned the fear as a disloyalty, and broke the seal. Within there was another enclosure, likewise sealed, and marked upon the cover as "not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll.” Utterson could not trust his eyes. Yes, it was disappearance; here again, as in the mad will which he had long ago restored to its author, here again were the idea of a disappearance and the name of Henry Jekyll bracketted. But in the will, that idea had sprung from the sinister suggestion of the man Hyde; it was set there with a purpose all too plain and horrible. Written by the hand of Lanyon, what should it mean? A great curiosity came on the trustee, to disregard the prohibition and dive at once to the bottom of these mysteries; but professional honour and faith to his dead friend were stringent obligations; and the packet slept in the inmost corner of his private safe.

What internal conflicts does Utterson experience in the passage? Select three answers.

A. He distrusts his reasoning.
B. He is tempted to open the letter.
C. He worries about being loyal.
D. He argues with Lanyon.
E. He argues with Jekyll.

A, B, C

When new information proves that a reader’s prediction is wrong, the reader should

make a new prediction based on the new information.