hyde

• innocence vs violence

  'trampled calmly'
• duality

  'that thing in the mask'
• hyde key traits:

  • antithesis of a Victorian gentleman
  • personification of Jekyll's ID
  • unrestrained by conscience
  • free of societies expectations
  • relies on Jekyll to exist - parasitic
• hyde quote 1

  'it was like some damned Juggernaut'
• hyde quote 2

  'with ape like fury he was trampling his victim under foot'
• hyde quote 3

  'that child of hell had nothing human; nothing lived in him but fear and hatred'
• 'it was like some damned Juggernaut'

  • damned- adj, doomed/ condemned
  • the simile compares Hyde to a destructive and overwhelming force that can crush anything in its path, he is relentless and violent
  • Ao3- the ID of freuds theory could be reflected in hydes behavior here, when indulged and released Jekyll becomes immortal in the form of hyde, something that readers of the novel may interpret as a warning to police their inhibitions
• 'with ape-like fury he was trampling his victim under foot'

  • simile suggests he is tapping into a more primitive and impulsive side of his personality that is devoid of reason
  • noun/emotive language- murderous intentions and lack of control
  • Ao3- after the I.R huge influxes of working class moved to cities in search of work (threatening the upper class), a Victorian reader may have associated working class with Hydes behavior and been fearful of encountering a similar character in their life.
• 'that child of hell had nothing human; nothing lived in him but fear and hatred'

  • repetition implies he resembles a beast without compassion or empathy, something to be feared and avoided at all costs
  • juxtaposition/metaphor shows hyde is both immature and undeveloped but also completely dangerous
  • Ao3- in a society that values polite sensible behaviour upper class Victorians placed their reputation above all else, many would have refused to believe they could be in any way linked to darwins theory
• 'trampled calmly'- innocence vs violence

  • Stevenson explicitly juxtaposes his lack of remorse with his aggressive actions through the oxymoron
  • this introduces us to Hyde's barbaric nature, his immorality and lack of conventional behavior all of which contrast the readers expectations
  • Stevenson uses the implicit expectations to reflect Victorian society and comment of the weakness of this demeanor in contrast with such merciless savageness
• 'that thing in the mask'- duality

  • the motif of the mask symbolises the dual existence of the inner feelings in contrast with the external life
  • Dr Jekyll is hiding behind the mask of Hyde wherein he can express his true immorality which is usually kept hidden