Jekyll and Hyde Themes

• What is the significance of the word "contemporary" when describing readers in "Jekyll and Hyde"?

  Relates to Victorian readers
• Penny dreadfuls were cheap texts that satisfied the appetites of contemporary readers for crime, violence, and debauchery in "Jekyll and Hyde
• In "Jekyll and Hyde," the character Jekyll creates Hyde as a persona to avoid social ostracization.
• What was a common theme in penny dreadfuls, as illustrated by "Black Bess, the Night of the Road"?

  Violence
• Stevenson deliberately leaves Hyde's sexual activities undisclosed to allow the Victorian reader to imagine acts such as kidnapping young virgins
• Drug taking in Victorian times was illegal and greatly feared by the public.

  False
• What was an opium den in Victorian society?

  A place for drug use
• The creation of Hyde through drug use in "Jekyll and Hyde" is a parallel to the monster created through electricity in Frankenstein
• Why is the violence in "Jekyll and Hyde" considered unlikely and exaggerated by Stevenson?

  To criticize readers' addiction to violence
• Stevenson uses hyperbole to describe Hyde's violence, highlighting its implausibility.
• In what way does Stevenson criticize his readers' fascination with extreme violence?

  They fuel it
• Hyde's act of stamping his foot in anger is described as a tantrum
• Stevenson suggests that the Victorian obsession with violence trivializes its true horror.
• What word does Stevenson use to describe Hyde's violence when he attacks Sir Danvers Carew?

  Ape-like fury
• Stevenson mocks the maid's exaggerated reaction to Hyde's violence, suggesting that readers crave implausible levels of violence
• How does Stevenson portray Utterson's response to Jekyll's deception?

  He hides the evidence
• Utterson's decision to conceal evidence highlights Stevenson's critique of Victorian society's corruption.
• What is Stevenson's view of Victorian morality, as illustrated by the existence of gin palaces and opium dens?

  It is corrupt
• Stevenson uses the detective genre to play on the reader's desire for curiosity
• Why does Utterson fail as a reader in "Jekyll and Hyde"?

  He stifles curiosity
• Stevenson suggests that Victorian society's repression of curiosity leads to immoral actions.
• What is the significance of Enfield's immediate loathing for Hyde?

  It highlights human violence
• Hyde's violence is partly attributed to his confinement by Jekyll
• What does Stevenson imply is the true villain of the book?

  Society
• How many references to friendship are there in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"?

  43
• Utterson describes himself as inclining to Cain's heresy.
• Cain killed his brother because he was jealous of God's preference
• What mark did God place on Cain after he killed Abel?

  His forehead
• God's greater punishment for Cain was death.

  False
• The greatest threat against Hyde is the destruction of his reputation
• What word does Enfield use sarcastically to describe Hyde?

  Friend
• Hyde is viewed as a symbol of our deepest desires.
• Utterson is jealous because Jekyll prefers Hyde as a friend
• What phrase in Jekyll's will upsets Utterson?

  Friend and benefactor
• Jealousy among friends is compared to Cain's jealousy of Abel.
• Who does Utterson consider to be Jekyll's oldest friend?

  Lanyon
• Utterson keeps Lanyon's confession hidden in his safe
• Utterson breaks the law to protect his friends.
• Why does Jekyll stop transforming into Hyde for a year?

  Suppress his evil side
• Jekyll reflects that Utterson, Lanyon, and himself were inseparable friends