Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Jekyll and Hyde
Chapter 6 and 7
- Jekyll seems to be back to normal - but not for long
- Time passes and it's as though Hyde "never existed"
- Ironic because Hyde does exist - only
within Jekyll, who is currently the model
of Victorian respectability
- A "new life" begins for Jekyll
- Holds dinner parties with Utterson and
Lanyon, where he acts like he did in the old
days
- Does good deeds and is "at peace"
- However, after two months Jekyll suddenly retreats
from society once again without explanation
- Jekyll's odd behaviour adds to the atmosphere of mystery
- Sudden change in Lanyon is shocking
- Utterson visits Lanyon to see if he knows
more and is "shocked" by the change he finds
in him
- Lanyon appears older and balder - most importantly he
seems to have a "deep-seated terror of the mind"
- This extreme change shows how profoundly
affected he is by what he's seen
- Reader doesn't find out what's happened which
causes suspense to build
- Lanyon believes he'll die soon and says that "if we
knew all, we should be more glad to get away"
- Lanyon's use of language shows
how much he's changed
- First time we meet Lanyon he's an articulate man of
science, but now his speech is vague and cryptic
- Utterson's honour prevents him from discovering the truth
- Utterson writes to Jekyll asking why Lanyon feels
so negatively about him
- Jekyll's reply is "darkly mysterious" telling Utterson
"You must suffer me to go my own dark way"
- Hints that Jekyll is involved in
a dangerous situation
- Dual Nature of Man
- Jekyll writes in his reply to Utterson that "I am
the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers
also"
- Hints at the internal conflict between Jekyll and
Hyde and suggests that the more Hyde sins, the
more Jekyll suffers
- A fortnight later Lanyon dies and leaves Utterson an
envelope
- If he reads it he'll find out the truth, but another
envelope inside says it can't be opened till death or
dissapearance of Jekyll
- Utterson is tempted to open the letter but he's a
man of "professional honour"
- He locks it in the safe
- Shows that Utterson values moral principles above
personal curiousity
- Symbolism
- Locked safe could
symbolise Utterson's
unwillingness to confront
the mystery - he'd rather
lock it away
- Incident at the Window
- Jekyll talks to Utterson and Enfield from the window of his lab
- As they talk, a look of "abject terror and
despair" comes across Jekyll's face - it's
a sign that he's about to transform into
Hyde
- The look on Jekyll's face "froze the very blood" of Utterson and Enfield
- They don't know the truth about Jekyll and
Hyde at this point - their reaction shows
that they feel they've witnessed something
strange and inexplicable
- Hints at the dark or possibly
supernatural forces that are
acting on Jekyll
- Supernatural or unexplained events are an important feature of the
Gothic novel