Mr Hyde

• "The man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground."

  • Oxymoron - highlights Hyde’s inhumanity, lack of remorse, and indifference to his unnatural evil.
  • Violent verb — A brutal, aggressive action — especially disturbing when done to a child. - Reinforces Hyde’s animalistic, savage nature.
  • Done to a representation of innocence to be protected and nurtured - reinfirces Hyde's lack of conscience.
  • The visceral reaction of the child makes the reader feel sympathy and immediately presents Hyde as replsive and morally corrupt.
• 'It wasn’t like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut."

  • Simile – describes Hyde as a massive, unstoppable force .
  • Comparing Hyde to this makes him seem inhuman,monstrous, and mechanically destructive.
  • Dehumanisation - Referred to with he pronoun 'it' - showing how unnatural and otherworldly he appears.
  • Strips him of identity, reinforcing his role as a symbol of pure evil or repressed violence.
  • The adjective “damned” adds a hellish, sinful connotation.
• 'a kind of black sneering coolness....carrying it off,sir, really like Satan"

  • Colour imagery – “black” has strong connotations of evil, mystery, and moral corruption. - Suggests a darkness within Hyde, not just in appearance but in character.
  • Biblical Allusion – Allusion to Satan immediately aligns Hyde with ultimate evil and moral corruption - he is spiritually abhorrent.
  • Reflects Victorian religious fears — the comparison positions Hyde as inhuman, damned, and unredeemable.
  • Colloquial tone - Reflects his charming composure, juxtaposed with his violent crime (trampling the child), enhancing his menacing duplicity and indifference.
• 'Sawbones turn sick and white with the desire to kill him' 'they were as wild as harpies. I never saw a circle of such hateful faces'

  • A doctor responsible for perserving life and women who are taught to be demure and gracious both are thirsty for revenge against Hyde.
  • Hyde's violence provokes unnatural homicidal urges in others where patience and forbearance should be.
  • The presence of Hyde equates the presence of violence as he symbolises the worst face of human kind; hat man is capable of when the constraints of society are ignored.
  • His violence is infectious.
• “I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why” 'he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although aI couldn't specify the point'

  • Highlights the uncanny and disturbing nature of Mr. Hyde's presence. 
  • Enfield, despite his inability to articulate a specific reason for his dislike, is immediately repelled by Hyde's appearance and manner, suggesting a primal, intuitive sense of something fundamentally wrong. 
  • Hyde is somehow unnatural or monstrous, even if his appearance is not overtly grotesque.
  • His disgust is so potent yet the reason why is ineffable.
• "the great field lamps of a nocturnal city" ''that human juggernaut trod the child down and passed on regardless of her screams'

  • Lighting was London's greatest technological achievements, thus stevenson refer to it to reflect London's status a s a centre of civilisation and progress.
  • The idyllic image of London's peaceful, modern, respectable civilisation is juxtaposed by Jekyll's barbaric violence.
  • Thus Hyde represents a threat a against progress and modernity, a primitive violence that threatens the peace and civilisation of Victorian London.
• "Move the more swiftly and still more swiftly, even to dizziness, through wider labyrinths of a lamplighted city."

  • The repetition and comparative adverbs build a frantic pace, reflecting growing anxiety and urgency. It mimics a spiralling mental state, like a dream becoming a nightmare.
  • kinaesthetic imagery )- Implies psychological overwhelm —reflects Utterson's turmoil as he is disorientated by the mystery of Hyde.
  • Metaphor – The labyrinth symbolises complexity, confusion, and entrapment.T he city itself is a maze of hidden secrets and dangers. It suggests Utterson is lost in the mystery, just as Jekyll is trapped in his dual identity.
  • Juxtaposition – The light implies rationality, civilisation and guidance, but the labyrinthin suggests that even in an ordered place like London, there are hidden evils.
  • The Gothic setting reflects moral and psychological darkness.
• "see it glide stealthily through sleeping houses"

  • Image of unnatural, inhuman movement - Hyde glides like a ghostly, sinister presence, or like mist through the city, suggesting his omnipresence, thus none is safe from Hyde's corrupting influence.
  • Personified - The houses are described as if they are people, sleeping and unaware, heightening the vulnerability and creepiness of the scene.
  • Evil lruks when the world is asleep.
  • Reveals the pervasive horror of Hyde.
• 'still the figure has no face'

  • Symbolism: The faceless figure represents the terrifying unknown, thus we should not transgress the bounds of science and religion to explore it.
  • Symbolism: Hyde is a symbol of hidden evil and repressed desires that is present in everyone.
  • Facelessness evokes a nightmarish, dehumanising image, intensifying fear and unease.
  • Metaphor: This could be read as a metaphor for the loss of identity, or Hyde’s lack of humanity and moral conscience.
• “Mr. Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath”

  • Onomatopoeia: Imitates the sound of something snake-like or reptilian, reinforcing sinister nature as serpents are associated with deception and malice in the Bible.He seems more like a creature of darkness than a human being.
  • The reptilian imagery ties Hyde to an inhuman and savage nature, emphasizing his connection to the base instincts that Jekyll has tried to suppress.
  • The shrinking back makes Hyde seem elusive and untrustworthy, making the reader feel that he is trying to avoid detection or escape confrontation.
  • This imagery suggests that Hyde is gasping or holding his breath, which could reflect the pressure he feels—either from his actions catching up with him or from his internal conflict. It's a nervous or anxious reaction, hinting at the vulnerability behind his aggression.
• “With a flush of anger” “The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh”

  • The use of flush here creates an image of Hyde’s anger manifesting physically, almost like a visceral, uncontrollable outburst.
  • Suggests that Hyde’s emotions are immediate and intense, further reinforcing his impulsive, volatile, irrational and unpredictable nature.
  • Animalistic verb when associated with a human, suggests a wild, uncontrollable emotion like anger or hostility - Conveys aggression and a lack of civility, emphasizing Hyde’s inhuman and violent nature.
  • “savage” suggests something brutal and untamed, akin to the behavior of a wild animal.#
  • Snarl and laugh are defensive and hostile reactions, suggesting Hyde’s paranoia and self-preservation instinct.
  • His laughter could symbolize a mocking of societal norms and expectations, signaling his rejection of civility.
• “Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation; he had a displeasing smile... he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness.” 'Something troglodytic'

  • Implies something stunted or underdeveloped — both physically and morally — suggesting Hyde is less than human or a “regressed” version of Jekyll.
  • Paradox suggests that Hyde's evil is so potent tha it is sensed rather than seen — it’s his aura or essence that disturbs others, rather than anything visibly wrong.
  • Juxtaposition: Shows Hyde’s conflicting nature — he is both cowardly and aggressive.
  • Reflects how he’s unpredictable and emotionally unstable. The murderous aspect foreshadows violence and reveals his inner evil.
  • Primitive and brutish - Suggests Hyde is less evolved — closer to an animal than a man. This reflects Darwinian anxieties in Victorian society about the beast within.
• 'all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger'

  • Metaphor compares Hyde’s anger to a fire, suggesting it's intense, consuming, and uncontrollable.
  • Fire is also destructive — linking Hyde’s rage to his violent, impulsive, and dangerous nature.
  • Hyde’s unpredictability. His emotions erupt with no warning, making him even more terrifying.
  • Violent Imagery - The "great flame" makes Hyde seem almost superhuman or elemental, reinforcing the idea that he's more instinctual than rational, embodying the raw id or evil within man.
  • This unpredictability contrasts sharply with the calm, composed, and repressed nature of Jekyll and Victorian society.
• "Clubbed him to the Earth....With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows under which the bones were audibly shattered.”

  • Simile – Links Hyde to primitive, animalistic violence.
  • Creates zoomorphic imagery and a semantic field of violence - Hyde is barbaric and inhuman.
  • Dehumanises him, suggesting regression to a pre-evolved state.
  • Ties into Darwinian fears of degeneration,where Hyde is seen as a threat to civilisation and rationality.
  • Metaphor – Compares Hyde’s attack to a natural disaster, making it seem uncontrollable, chaotic, and merciless - It paints the violence as not just physical but overwhelming and relentless.
  • Strips Hyde of any human rationality — he’s a monstrous force of nature.
  • Auditory Imagery – The horrific sound makes the scene more vivid and disturbing - emphasises the physical reality of the violence — this isn't symbolic, it's real, bloody, and brutal.
• “That masked thing like a monkey jumped from among the chemicals.”' 'why did he cry out like a rat'

  • Simile: Comparing Hyde to a monkey dehumanises him, suggesting he is primitive, animalistic, and lacking rationality or morality.
  • This echoes Darwinian fears of degeneration — the idea that man could revert to a more animal state — which was a major anxiety in Victorian society.
  • Animal Imagery –Rats were commonly associated with disease, decay, and fear — all things Hyde represents. Suggests cowardice, filth, and something verminous or unnatural.
  • Setting: The phrase anchors Hyde in the laboratory setting, reinforcing the idea that he is the unnatural product of Jekyll’s experiments.
  • It suggests science has created a monster, tying into Victorian fears about uncontrolled scientific progress and the consequences of playing God.
• 'Hyde was indifferent to Jekyll, or but remebered him as the mountain bandit remembers the cavern in which he conceals himself from pursuit'

  • This comparison underscores how Hyde views Jekyll: as a hiding place, a temporary refuge from the consequences of his actions.
  • Hyde's relationship with Jekyll is utilitarian— he serves as a means of escape, not as something with intrinsic value.
  • Hyde uses Jekyll’s body to escape societal norms and indulge in evil, but he doesn’t value Jekyll as a person.
  • Hyde's attitude is pragmatic rather than emotional.
  • Hyde’s coldness and detachment from Jekyll show that, unlike Jekyll, who is capable of guilt, shame, and self-reflection, Hyde is wholly devoid of empathy or moral concern.
  • The bandit analogy also suggests Hyde's criminality—he is an outlaw in every sense of the word, even in his approach to his own identity.
• "My devil had long been caged, he came out roaring."

  • Metaphor: Describes Jekyll’s inner evil, which he has suppressed for a long time.
  • Possessive determiner: By calling it “my devil,” he accepts ownership of the darker side of his personality — this is not some outside force, but a part of him.
  • Imagery & Personification: The “devil... came out roaring” uses animalistic and violent imagery, emphasizing how dangerous and uncontrollable Hyde is once released.
  • Metaphor of a “cage” suggests suppression or denial. Jekyll has tried to lock away his evil desires, but doing so has only made them more volatile.
  • Stevenson suggests that denying a part of human nature can lead to a catastrophic explosion. if we deny or suppress one side of ourselves, it may return with even greater force.
• "Instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me and raged."

  • Hellish Imagery: The phrase “spirit of hell” evokes Satanic or demonic possession, showing that the evil within Jekyll (Hyde) is not just immoral but monstrous. Stevenson links Hyde to something supernatural and terrifying.
  • “Raged” suggests ferocity, chaos, and destruction. It's not a calm acceptance of evil — it's a violent eruption, showing how repressed desires can explode once unleashed.
  • “Instantly” shows how rapid and uncontrollable the shift is — Jekyll has little to no resistance to Hyde’s influence. This reflects the idea that evil is ever-present, just beneath the surface.

  The violent imagery in “instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me and raged” captures the uncontrollable nature of Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde, emphasising Stevenson’s belief that the potential for evil lies dormant within all men, waiting to erupt.
• “The lower side of me, so long indulged, so recently chained down, began to growl for licence.”

  • Zoomorphic Imagery - Suggests something wild, untamed, and dangerous— barely kept under control. Hyde craves the freedom to act immorally, as if he feels entitled to indulgence.
  • Metaphor for self-restraint and moral suppression.
  • This quote shows the build-up of inner tension — the longer Jekyll represses Hyde, the more powerful and uncontrollable he becomes. Proves that denying one’s darker nature doesn’t destroy it — it intensifies it, reinforcing the novel’s message about the dangers of moral repression and the duality of human nature.
• “I gnashed my teeth upon him with a gust of devilish fury.”

  • Animalistic Imagery: evokes a wild, beast-like reaction. This dehumanises Hyde and suggests a regression to primal instincts, showing how completely he’s given in to savagery.
  • Implies a violent, uncontrollable burst of rage—Hyde’s emotions are overwhelming and demonic. The word “gust” likens it to a storm—sudden, fierce, and destructive.
• “That child of hell had nothing human; nothing in him but fear and hatred.”

  • Metaphor – This metaphor casts Hyde as demonic, born from evil itself. It emphasizes the idea that Hyde is unnatural, almost supernatural, and fundamentally inhuman.
  • Repetition of “nothing” powerfully denies Hyde any shred of humanity. It reflects how Jekyll (and others) see Hyde as completely devoid of morality, empathy, or decency—a pure embodiment of evil.
  • It suggests he doesn’t just cause fear and hatred, but is driven by them. He is incapable of love, joy, or compassion.
• "Lusting to inflict pain. Yet the creature was astute; mastered his fury with great effort of the will."

  • Reveals the sadistic and violent core of Edward Hyde. The word “lusting” suggests a deep, animalistic craving—not just a passing anger, but a visceral, almost sexualised desire to cause suffering.
  • Contrast - Suggests intelligence and self-restraint, which contrasts with Hyde's impulsive nature. The word “astute” implies a strategic mind, capable of controlling base instincts when it suits his purpose.
  • This moment of self-mastery suggests Hyde is not simply a mindless brute—he’s calculating, and that makes him more dangerous.
  • Hyde can contain his rage if it helps him achieve his goals, showing that even the most evil part of Jekyll’s nature has layers of complexity - you cannot simply separate good and evil
• “These two base passions raged within him like a tempest. He walked fast, hunted by his fears, chattering to himself.”

  • Similie – The storm imagery emphasizes the intensity and uncontrollability of the passions that drive Hyde. The comparison to a tempest conveys the idea of a violent inner turmoil, showing how these emotions overwhelm him completely, causing chaos both within and around him.
  • Hyde’s frantic pace suggests that he is physically and mentally overwhelmed. The image of being hunted by his fears implies a paranoia.