Quotes Chapter 10

Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case

Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of me.

With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.

If each, I told myself, could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable; the unjust might go his way, delivered from the aspirations and remorse of his more upright twin; and the just could walk steadfastly and securely on his upward path, doing the good things in which he found his pleasure, and no longer exposed to disgrace and penitence by the hands of this extraneous evil.

For two good reasons, I will not enter deeply into this scientific branch of my confession. First, because I have been made to learn that the doom and burthen of our life is bound for ever on man's shoulders, and when the attempt is made to cast it off, it but returns upon us with more unfamiliar and more awful pressure. Second, because, as my narrative will make, alas! too evident, my discoveries were incomplete.

The most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death. Then these agonies began swiftly to subside, and I came to myself as if out of a great sickness. There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably new and, from its very novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt younger, lighter, happier in body

There was no mirror, at that date, in my room; that which stands beside me as I write, was brought there later on and for the very purpose of these transformations.

And hence, as I think, it came about that Edward Hyde was so much smaller, slighter and younger than Henry Jekyll. Even as good shone upon the countenance of the one, evil was written broadly
and plainly on the face of the other. Evil besides (which I must still believe to be the lethal side of man) had left on that body an imprint of deformity and decay. And yet when I looked upon that ugly idol in the glass, I was conscious of no repugnance, rather of a leap of welcome. This, too, was myself. It seemed natural and human.

I made my preparations with the most studious care. I took and furnished that house in Soho, to which Hyde was tracked by the police; and engaged as a housekeeper a creature whom I knew well to be silent and unscrupulous. On the other side, I announced to my servants that a Mr. Hyde (whom I described) was to have full liberty and power about my house in the square; and to parry mishaps, I even called and made myself a familiar object, in my second character. I next drew up that will to which you so much objected; so that if anything befell me in the person of Dr. Jekyll, I could enter on that of Edward Hyde without pecuniary loss.

Henry Jekyll stood at times aghast before the acts of Edward Hyde; but the situation was apart from ordinary laws, and insidiously relaxed the grasp of conscience. It was Hyde, after all, and Hyde alone, that was guilty. Jekyll was no worse; he woke again to his good qualities seemingly unimpaired; he would even make haste, where it was possible, to undo the evil done by Hyde. And thus his conscience slumbered.

Now the hand of Henry Jekyll (as you have often remarked) was professional in shape and size: it was large, firm, white and comely. But the hand which I now saw, clearly enough, in the yellow light of a mid-London morning, lying half shut on the bedclothes, was lean, corder, knuckly, of a dusky pallor and thickly shaded with a swart growth of hair. It was the hand of Edward Hyde.


Between these two, I now felt I had to choose. My two natures had memory in common, but all other faculties were most unequally shared between them. Jekyll (who was composite) now with the most sensitive apprehensions, now with a greedy gusto, projected and shared in the pleasures and adventures of Hyde; but Hyde was indifferent to Jekyll, or but remembered him as the mountain bandit remembers the cavern in which he conceals himself from pursuit. Jekyll had more than a father's interest; Hyde had more than a son's indifference.

Yes, I preferred the elderly and discontented doctor, surrounded by friends and cherishing honest hopes; and bade a resolute farewell to the liberty, the comparative youth, the light step, leaping impulses and secret pleasures, that I had enjoyed in the disguise of Hyde. I made this choice perhaps with some unconscious reservation, for I neither gave up the house in Soho, nor destroyed the clothes of Edward Hyde, which still lay ready in my cabinet.

Instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me and raged. With a transport of glee, I mauled the unresisting body, tasting delight from every blow; and it was not till weariness had begun to succeed, that I was suddenly, in the top fit of my delirium, struck through the heart by a cold thrill of terror. A mist
dispersed; I saw my life to be forfeit; and fled from the scene of these excesses, at once glorying and trembling, my lust of evil gratified and stimulated.

A moment before I had been safe of all men's respect, wealthy, beloved--the cloth laying for me in the dining-room at home; and now I was the common quarry of mankind, hunted, houseless, a known murderer, thrall to the gallows.

Hyde in danger of his life was a creature new to me; shaken with inordinate anger, strung to the pitch of murder, lusting to inflict pain. Yet the creature was astute; mastered his fury with a great effort of the will; composed his two important letters, one to Lanyon and one to Poole; and that he might receive actual evidence of their being posted, sent them out with directions that they should be registered.

The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll. And certainly the hate that now divided them was equal on each side. With Jekyll, it was a thing of vital instinct. He had now seen the full deformity of that creature that shared with him some of the phenomena of consciousness, and was co-heir with him to death

The hatred of Hyde for Jekyll was of a different order. His terror of the gallows drove him continually to commit temporary suicide, and return to his subordinate station of a part instead of a person; but he loathed the necessity, he loathed the despondency into which Jekyll was now fallen, and he resented the dislike with which he was himself regarded. Hence the ape-like tricks that he would play me, scrawling in my own hand blasphemies on the pages of my books, burning the letters and destroying the portrait of my father; and indeed, had it not been for his fear of death, he would long ago have ruined himself in order to involve me in the ruin. But his love of me is wonderful; I go further: I, who sicken and freeze at the mere thought of him, when I recall the abjection and passion of this attachment, and when I know how he fears my power to cut him off by suicide, I find it in my heart to pity him.

Robert Louis Stevenson Context

Stevenson's parents were both devout and serious Presbyterians, but the household was not incredibly strict. His nurse, Alison Cunningham was more fervently religious. Her Calvinism and folk beliefs were an early source of nightmares for the child; and he showed a precocious concern for religion.

At University Stevenson was moving away from his strict upbringing. His dress became more Bohemian but more importantly, he had come to reject Christianity.

In January 1873, his father came across the constitution of the LJR (Liberty, Justice, Reverence) club of which Stevenson with his cousin Bob was a member, which began "Disregard everything our parents have taught us".

Questioning his son about his beliefs, he discovered the truth, leading to a long period of dissension with both parents.

Stevenson had long been interested in the idea of the duality of human nature and how to incorporate the interplay of good and evil into a story.

One night in late September or early October 1885, Stevenson had a dream, and on wakening had the intuition for two or three scenes that would appear in the story.

"In the small hours of one morning," says Mrs Stevenson, "I was awakened by cries of horror from Louis. Thinking he had a nightmare, I woke him. He said angrily, 'Why did you wake me? I was dreaming a fine bogey tale.' I had awakened him at the first transformation scene ..."

Stevenson re-wrote the story in three to six days, allegedly with the assistance of cocaine. According to Osbourne, "The mere physical feat was tremendous; and instead of harming him, it roused and cheered him inexpressibly". He refined and continued to work on it for four to six weeks afterward.

Its success was probably due more to the "moral instincts of the public" than any perception of its artistic merits; it was widely read by those who never otherwise read fiction, quoted in pulpit sermons and in religious papers.

Quotes and Complete Texts

For a complete text go to:

http://www.online-literature.com/stevenson/jekyllhyde/

You can search this text as well - so if you know one of the words in the texts, you can search for it and it will find all the examples of that word.

Why does Stephenson Explore Duality.

1. New psychological ideas of having two sides: our ID which is our hedonistic, impulsive, primitive side, our SUPEREGO which aims for spiritual, psychical and social perfection and our EGO which seeks to please the two.
2. Victorian London and Edinburgh having polarity between rich and poor.
3. Impressions of the poor being small, unevolved and animalistic.
4. The rich townhouses VS the poor slums in both Edinburgh and London.
5. The scientific revolutions vs the traditional old ways.
6. The mystery of the new discoveries vs the knowledge already acquired.
7. Evolution of humanity being accepted.

Jekyll and Hyde Dualties

How does Stevenson do it

1. The changes in Mr Utterson's character
2. The setting - in the front and back of Jekyll's house, Cavendish Square and Soho.
3. The language:
- scientific, clinical language of the murder case and then the romantic flowery language of the maid.
- The changes in Jekyll's language as he becomes more despairing.
- Changes in Hyde's and Jekyll's dialogue
4. Good actions of Jekyll and the evilness of Hyde.
5. Appearance of Jekyll and Hyde.
6. Acting morally and avoiding scandal (Utterson)
7. Jekyll appearing to do good work but no taking responsibility for Hyde's actions.
8. Lanyon's dismissal of Jeykll's discoveries as “unscientific balderdash” (rational man of science) contrasting Jekyll's language
9. Jekyll and Lanyon both leave letters which records everything they have seen and done but insist that these records not be opened until after their deaths - suggesting a reliance on reputation.
10. Jekyll’s guilt and Hyde’s apathy/indifference
11. Hyde's appearance and actions - but his furnishings and dialogue are quite refined.
12. Jekyll's repression and Hyde's outright actions.
13. The fog and mist symbolising Jekyll's hidden identity.

Added 14th December 2009
14. Chapter Two - Duality of Utterson's rational thoguhts and reporting but with a supernatural dream sequence.
15. Jekyll's house is a mansion with "a great air of wealth and comfort" that is secretly connected to the doctor's laboratory. The laboratory front (chapter 1) appears run down and neglected, and can be entered through the mysterious door described in the first chapter. we learn later that the laboratory is in fact where Dr. Jekyll undertakes his transformations into Mr. Hyde.
16. Chapter 4 - Utterson appears immediately when summoned by the police, and provides them with a great deal of information in order to find the murderous Edward Hyde. However, he stops short of telling the police of the connection between Hyde and Dr. Jekyll.
17. Utterson loyally protects his friend throughout, in contrast, Jekyll lies to Utterson, defending Hyde with a fake letter. (Chapter 5)
18. Lanyon's belief in logic and sound science is proved wrong and the supernatural starts to take over.
19. Mirroring of Chapter 1 with Chapter 7 (they start in the same way)
20. Chapter 7 contrasts chapter 8 with lack of action and lots of action.
21. The religious work that Jekyll held in great esteem that has been, "annotated in his own hand with startling blasphemies."
22. Even after witnessing death and highly strange events, Utterson wishes to delay involving the authorities in an attempt to save face.
23. Although Lanyon is very detailed in what he witnessed that night, he does not provide an explanation of how such a transformation could occur, or how Jekyll's scientific experiments advanced and progressed to this point.
24. The contrast between third and first person narrative.
25. In his letter, Jekyll clearly states that he felt no guilt about Hyde's actions, as "Henry Jekyll stood at times aghast before the acts of Edward Hyde, but the situation was apart from ordinary laws, and insidiously relaxed the grasp of conscience. It was Hyde, after all, and Hyde alone, that was guilty." To the reader, this explanation seems ridiculous, because Hyde is in fact part of Jekyll, and a being that Jekyll created.
26. The noble Utterosn lives but Jekyll/Hyde dies.

Jekyll and Hyde Essay Question

“My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.” How and why does Stevenson explore the theme of duality in “The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde”?

Introduction

- What was Victorian England like at the time (e.g. changes, society, social conditions)
- Summary of why Stevenson explored it (e.g belief in new inventions, seeing Edinburgh's poor/rich, losing his faith in God)
- What kinds of things you will look at from the novel (presentation of character, settings, plot)