Questions on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, R

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Discussion Questions

1. Single out five meaningful examples which can reveal the metaphorical quality of this text and comment on their meanings. 2. Why is Hyde described as “younger, lighter, happier in body”? 3. Find out evidence of the fact that Hyde is the outcome of excessive repression. 4. Explain the following expression Hyde uses to define himself: “a stranger in my own house”. Con you find a similar expression in the passage? 5. Explain how the use of personal pronouns add to the quality of the text in suggesting the workings of a schizophrenic personality. 6. Explain when and how Jekyll was able to look at himself in the appearance of Hyde. 7. Can you single out any contradictions in Jekyll’s speech regarding his relationship with Hyde? 8. Can you explain why Jekyll defines Hyde “more express and single, than the imperfect and divided countenance I had been hitherto accustomed to call mine”? 9. What could “the constellations” with their “unsleeping vigilance” stand for? 10. What is the reaction of the people who approach Hyde? How does Jekyll explain it? Is he reliable? Can there be other explanations? 11. Find out evidence of the fact that the parts Jekyll is split into are set in a hierarchical order. 12. Find out meaningful examples of the importance of the setting and its relationship with the theme of the novel. 13. What’s the final teaching of this moral fable? 14. How would you define Stevenson’s language and style? 15. Final Essay Topic: Write an essay with the following title: “Slavery and freedom: the paradoxical ending of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. Short Answer Questions for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Directions: Answer these questions thoroughly. This is not an exercise of simply writing a correct answer but of exploring the possibilities of meanings and ideas. Pursue your own thinking.

Be sure to rely on specific quotes from the text to justify your answers.

1. Break down and analyze the names of each of the major characters. Consider first names as well. What do their names imply about the character and what he may stand for? 2. Why is the story about Utterson, a lawyer, and not Jekyll and Hyde as the title suggests? 3. Why does Hyde make characters uncomfortable? What are his crimes and how do people describe him? 4. What is the disagreement between Lanyon and Jekyll about. Why does Lanyon die after Jekyll’s revelation? 5. Why does Jekyll create Hyde? 6. What makes this novel “science fiction?”