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7 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The characters are interested in science and religion |
. Jekyll and Lanyon are scientists - Their profession relies on rational methods and hard evidence . They live in a Christian society - Jekyll is fond of religious texts, and often calls on God to help him . Lanyon and Jekyll have different approaches to science and religion |
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The tension between science and religion in Victorian society |
. At the start of the 19th century most people believed the explanation from the Bible that the earth was created by God . However, throughout the 1800s, scientist began to disprove this theory - they believed that the world was created by a process of evolution . Many Victorians thought this view was dangerous because it suggested that science had the power to create life - it challenged their religious view of the world |
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Religion is a social and personal issue |
. Christianity teaches that everyone is sinful - Hyde was created because Jekyll was so troubled by his sins, even though they weren't actually that bad - when he was younger, he "regarded and hid them with an almost morbid sense of shame" . Being seen to do good or charitable deeds, is another sign of respectability - After Hyde murders Carew, Jekyll becomes "distinguished for religion" for a few months - he's known for doing good deeds . Stevenson criticises the act of being religious in public and sinful in private, by presenting Jekyll's actions as hypocritical |
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Religious language |
. Stevenson reminds the reader that Jekyll's actions are sinful by using religious language . For example, Jekyll is a "secret sinner" and Hyde is "the spirit of hell" |
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Science is sometimes portrayed as unsettling |
. The transformation of Hyde to Jekyll is hideous - Lanyon finds it sickening, and Jekyll describes his first transformation as provoking "racking pangs", "deadly nausea" and "a horror of the spirit" . Jekyll's cabinet is full of curious objects that Utterson and Poole don't understand - There are "traces" of chemical, "various" measures of "some white salt", and they decide the cheval glass has seen "some strange things" - Stevenson uses this vague language to present science as mysterious |
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Science is shown to be powerful |
. Jekyll's science causes death and destruction - This shows how powerful science can be when it's used to upset the conventional order of Victorian life . Jekyll says he won't "deeply" describe his experiment because it causes his evil side to return with a "more awful pressure" - This acts as a warning about the power of science , His experiment was also "incomplete" - Even Jekyll, a respected scientist, failed to achieve his aims, and he couldn't control the power of the evil he unleashed |
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Jekyll's science goes against religious beliefs |
. it is the "temptation of a discovery so singular and profound" that motivates Jekyll to create Hyde - he tries to change human nature, which Christians see as God's creation . Jekyll meddles with human nature for his own selfish reasons - He doesn't have good intentions, this means that Jekyll creates evil, rather than good, alter ego . Despite this, Jekyll has still made a scientific breakthrough - He repeats the phrase "I was the first...", showing how proud he is of himself - he starts to think he is "beyond the reach of fate" . This is not the case as, by the end, Jekyll is the "chief of sufferers", and experiences "torments" as Hyde grows in strength - relates to Hell |
