Jekyll and Hyde Chapter 10

Jekyll and Hyde Chapter 10

1. Jekyll talks about his discovery of man's dual nature

   • As a young man, Jekyll was "fond of the respect" others gave him
     • His concern with how others viewed him led him to "wear" a more serious appearance than he actually felt - Victorian ideal of a respectable gentleman
       • He was tempted by "pleasures" which he felt guilty about - he thought they would affect his reputation so he "concealed" them
   • Jekyll explains that he wanted to hide his sins because he set such high standards for himself - he claims that it's not because his desires were particularly awful
     • Makes reader sympathise with Jekyll - in understanding his motivation, we can see how stressful he found the strain of being respectable

2. Wanted to enjoy his bad side without shame

   • Jekyll dreamt of separating his good and bad sides
     • His bad side could be immoral without feeling held back by the need to be respectable
     • Good side wouldn't feel guilty about his desires to do immoral things
   • He says it would be a "miracle" to make his "beloved daydream" a reality
     • This language suggests that he knows that his plan is impossible, yet Jekyll is desperate to find a solution to his guilt and shame
   • Jekyll used "transcendental" science to separate his 2 sides
     • He was aware of the risks, the "temptation of a discovery" was too much for him to resist
       • Shows that knowledge can be both fascinating and dangerous
   • As Hyde, he feels younger and more carefree, but also more wicked
     • Despite Hyde's evil, Jekyll feels a "leap of welcome" for Hyde - this shows how tempting it can be to indulge your darker side

3. Experiment doesn't go to plan

   • Jekyll says that if he had approached the experiment with good intentions, he could have created an "angel"
     • However, during the experiment, he was motivated by his desire to do sinful things without repercussions
       • This resulted in the purely evil Hyde while Jekyll remained a mixture of good and evil
   • Jekyll initially wants to use Hyde to indulge his "undignified" pleasures but in the hands of Hyde, these become "monstrous"
     • Hyde's sins are worse because he's so evil - there's no good in him to balance his behaviour
   • Jekyll is shocked by the extent of Hyde's evil but at this stage justifies it by believing that it's "Hyde alone" who is guilty
     • Jekyll doesn't see Hyde's actions as his actions - this is hypocritical

4. Jekyll starts to lose control

   • Two sides of Jekyll struggle with each other
     • One morning Jekyll wakes up to find that he's turned into Hyde without taking any drugs
       • Hyde has grown taller as his evil personality has been more "nourished"
     • Jekyll decides to stop taking the potion that turns him into Hyde and for 2 months leads a good, respectable life
       • However, he is soon "tortured with throes and longings" to be Hyde again
     • Jekyll gives in to temptation and takes the potion. That night, he brutally murders Carew - shows he is losing control
       • This suggests that the more you repress you desires, the more strongly they will come out in the end - Jekyll kept Hyde "long caged" but he came out "roaring"
       • It's shocking how much pleasure Hyde gets from the murder - he feels "glee" and tasted "delight from every blow"

5. He doesn't want to be Hyde anymore

   • Jekyll is horrified by the murder. He decides to live a respectable life, but returns to his immoral ways as an "ordinary secret sinner"
     • This phrase reminds us that everyone does bad things and it's the shame that Jekyll feels for hiding these sins that motivates him to create Hyde
   • One day, Jekyll suddenly turns into Hyde while sitting in the park
     • He believes this happened because he started to sin again as Jekyll
       • This destroys the "balance" of his soul
     • Jekyll turns into Hyde after feeling satisfied by his own "active goodwill"
       • Ironic that he transforms into Hyde at a moment when he's congratulating on his virtues
   • Jekyll hates "the brute that slept within" him
     • Shows the hypocritical side of Jekyll - he's struggling to accept that Hyde is part of him

6. Experiment has destroyed his life

   • As Jekyll gets weaker, Hyde gets stronger - causes tension between the two sides of his character
     • Jekyll now sees Hyde as "inorganic" - something unnatural and artificial
     • Hyde resents the way Jekyll has turned against him - Hyde begins to play "ape-like tricks" to punish Jekyll
   • When Jekyll runs out of the drug, there's a sense of approaching horror - reader knows that Jekyll will be completely taken over by Hyde
     • Jekyll's fate is disturbing - reader is able to apply his thoughts on human nature to their own lives