Stevenson's presentation of Jekyll

Jekyll is presented as trapped (SUFFERER)
1. Semantic field of Imprisonment throughout the novella
  1. " dusty windows barred with iron"
    1. This is a description of Jekyll's cabinet and this is important because his cabinet and his laboratory are two key places where Jekyll transforms into Hyde. This is showing that Jekyll is trapped within his own dilemma of living as either Jekyll or Hyde
  2. "shook the doors of the prisonhouse of my disposition"
    1. 'prisonhouse' - reinstates the idea of being trapped but it's the 'prison' of Jekyll's strict behaviour.
      1. Jekyll has been forced into conforming to what society expects from a Victorian Gentlemen including forcing down his desires
      2. Now Jekyll is using Hyde as means of escape as he is able to indulge himself in his desires without consequences (putting his reputation on the line)
  3. Stevenson does this to show how horrifically isolating repressing your self expression can be as the use of a 'prison' symbolises a complete cut off from other people from youself
    1. Jekyll has to hide his sins to conform
2. Jekyll is presented as trapped within his unquestionable conformity to society that has created his dilemma of choosing between Jekyll and Hyde because the creation of Hyde was a consequence of repression
Jekyll is presented as tempted by his sins (SINNER)
1. "sold a slave to my original evil"
  1. "slave" represents Jekyll repressing himself in order to fit society's strict expectations, the nature of the noun connotes that Jekyll has no choice and is forced into conforming, against his will
    1. "sold" could suggest that finally his life and choices are in his hands as no one is forcing him to abandon conformity
  2. the abstract noun "original evil" represents everyone's original sin
    1. relates to when Adam and Eve gave into temptation in the garden of Eden, so now everyone is born with the original sin within them
2. Stevenson is trying to show how we can't deny that everyone is born with our original sin and that it's something we can't escape
  1. Stevenson also shows complex attitude to sin including it being presented as relieving
3. "I felt younger, lighter, happier"
  1. the adjectives portray how Jekyll feels more youthful by giving into the temptation of sin
    1. the youthfulness creates temptation because it's regarded as such a attractive quality as people believe that youth is a pure and happy period
4. "to be tempted, however slightly, was to fall"
  1. Jekyll is tempted by liberty of breaking away from his repression
  2. relates to man's fall from grace which is linked to how lucifer fell from heaven an angel and came known to be Satan
    1. Jekyll has only been tempted by his true feelings and is now is stuck within the wrath of his eveil
Jekyll is presented as forcefully repressing himself (SUFFERER)
1. "no one had appeared to drive away these random visitors or to repair their ravages"
  1. the noun "ravages" could portray the effects that repressing desires can have, a brutal and destructive outcome.
    1. "random visitors" represent everyone within society, the use of "random" shows how everyone is contributing to the maintenance of how society is structured, it's never a particular group, everyone is just living with it, absence of restraint
  2. this is a metaphor for Jekyll neglecting his desires and true feelings
    1. it's significant that it's Hyde's entrance to the house because Hyde is the embodiment of all of Jekyll inner evil, but Jekyll has to continue to surpress, bury and neglect these feelings for society
2. Stevenson is trying to convey that appearances aren't all what they seem to be as it's crafted by society's cutting expectations, forcing people to value their reputation more than anything else
3. Context: immoral activities and uncontrolled emotion would damage a gentleman's reputation
4. Within the opening paragraph of chapter 10 there is a semantic field of guilt
  1. "morbid sense of shame"
    1. "morbid" presents how his concealment of his 'faults' become unhealthy as the magnitude of his shame is very vast, so he is trying with all his power to hide whatever will corrupt his reputation
Jekyll is presented as hiding behind his gentleman facade
1. "a man who could afford to laugh at suspicion"
  1. the casualness of 'laugh' conveys how Jekyll is so well respected that society would never suspect him, meaning that he can get away with anything
2. Stevenson does this to criticise the hypocrisy rife within society, that people can pretend their image of respect and modesty but behind this 'cloak' is someone who believes in the opposite of what they stand for

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Stevenson's presentation of Jekyll

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	Created by Lauren J about 6 years ago