Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Artist (Juver Blaquera)

Discussion Director (Kent Joseph E. Palua)

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is more than just a spooky story to tell around a campfire or on a dark rainy night by the fireplace. No, Stevenson had an end in mind. The reader is expected to gain some understanding about himself through the unfortunate story of Henry Jekyll and what happened to him. This is stated most succinctly at a point late in the book in which Henry Jekyll has made his confession in writing and is divulging all that he had done in the course of creating Mr. Hyde. He describes the fact that though he himself is a rather tall man, when he transforms into Edward Hyde he “had lost in stature.” As he considered this fact he concluded that the smallness of Mr. Hyde’s person is due to the fact that the evil and self-gratification that Hyde represented had been so long suppressed and unfed. I am reminded of any analogy to human behavior which describes two dogs. Both are of the same breed, same age, and roughly the same size. If these two beasts are placed in a small cage together which one, all things being equal, will dominate? The question is a riddle and a bit of a trick question for the answer is of course the one that you feed the most. Imagine a man who desires to do good, but by nature also wants to do evil. By “evil” I do not just mean the most heinous of crimes. Evil is a broad term. It can mean any kind of selfishness, lying, gossiping, adultery, or breaking of oaths. Now if this man I am describing has the ability to do evil or to do good, which urge will be the dominating one? Again it is the side of his nature which is most nourished. If a man is willing to give himself over to lust in such a way that he will break his marital vows and commit adultery once, chances are he will find it all the easier to do the second time and the third and the fourth.

Now Dr. Jekyll with this new power of being able to release Edward Hyde, who was pure evil, could throw off restraint at any time and perform whatever evils his heart so wished without soiling even a shred of the good name of Henry Jekyll. Over time he began to enjoy his times as Mr. Hyde because they were times of liberality and unfettered mayhem. One might describe it as throwing caution to the wind. In our lives we may reach certain points in which we have had enough of playing nice and we take on the childish attitude of wanting to do “what I want to do.” We may do so even at the expense of others.

If we learn anything from the odd story of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his evil alter ego Mr. Edward Hyde it is this: actions have consequences and whenever we try to subvert that very basic law of the universe, we will reap grave results not the least of which may be a loss of our own selves and who we really want to be in this life. Live your life in such a way that the Hyde within may be suppressed being made smaller and smaller in stature. While that side of human nature may never be eradicated completely in this life, the Holy Spirit provides the ability to thwart those evil leanings and to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

Literary Luminary (Marc Joshua Gorospe)

FirstPassage
Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable. . . . He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theater, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years. But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove. . . . [I]t was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of down-going men.

This passage is taken from the first paragraph of the novel, in which Stevenson sketches the character of Utterson the lawyer, through whose eyes the bulk of the novel unfolds. In a sense, Utterson comes across as an uninteresting character—unsmiling, “scanty" in speech, “lean, long, dusty, dreary" in person. As we know from later passages in the novel, he never stoops to gossip and struggles to maintain propriety even to the point of absurdity; the above passage notes the man’s “austerity."

Second Passage
“He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it’s not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.”

This quotation appears in Chapter 1, “Story of the Door,” when Enfield relates to Utterson how he watched Hyde trample a little girl underfoot. Utterson asks his friend to describe Hyde’s appearance, but Enfield, as the quote indicates, proves unable to formulate a clear portrait. He asserts that Hyde is deformed, ugly, and inspires an immediate revulsion, yet he cannot say why.

Third Passage
He put the glass to his lips, and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; and as I looked there came, I thought, a change—he seemed to swell—his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter—and at the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped back against the wall, my arm raised to shield me from that prodigy, my mind submerged in terror.
“O God!” I screamed, and “O God!” again and again; for there before my eyes—pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death—there stood Henry Jekyll!

This quotation appears in Chapter 9, “Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative,” as Lanyon describes the moment when Hyde, drinking the potion whose ingredients Lanyon procured from Jekyll’s laboratory, transforms himself back into Jekyll. Lanyon, who earlier ridicules Jekyll’s experiments as “unscientific balderdash," now sees the proof of Jekyll’s success. The sight so horrifies him that he dies shortly after this scene. The transformation constitutes the climactic moment in the story, when all the questions about Jekyll’s relationship to Hyde suddenly come to a resolution.

Fourth Passage

It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date . . . I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements.

This quotation appears midway through Chapter 10, “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case," which consists of the letter that Jekyll leaves for Utterson. The letter allows us finally to glimpse the events of the novel from the inside. In this passage, Jekyll discusses the years leading up to his discovery of the potion that transforms him into Hyde. He summarizes his theory of humanity’s dual nature, which states that human beings are half virtuous and half criminal, half moral and half amoral. Jekyll’s goal in his experiments is to separate these two elements, creating a being of pure good and a being of pure evil. In this way he seeks to free his good side from dark urges while liberating his wicked side from the pangs of conscience. Ultimately, however, Jekyll succeeds only in separating out Hyde, his evil half, while he himself remains a mix of good and evil. And eventually, of course, Hyde begins to predominate, until Jekyll ceases to exist and only Hyde remains. This outcome suggests a possible fallacy in Jekyll’s original assumptions. Perhaps he did not possess an equally balanced good half and evil half, as he thought. The events of the novel imply that the dark side (Hyde) is far stronger than the rest of Jekyll—so strong that, once sent free, this side takes him over completely.

Fifth Passage

But I was still cursed with my duality of purpose; and as the first edge of my penitence wore off, the lower side of me, so long indulged, so recently chained down, began to growl for licence. Not that I dreamed of resuscitating Hyde; . . . no, it was in my own person that I was once more tempted to trifle with my conscience. . . .
[However,] this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul. And yet I was not alarmed; the fall seemed natural, like a return to the old days before I had made discovery. It was a fine . . . day. . . . I sat in the sun on a bench; the animal within me licking the chops of memory; the spiritual side a little drowsed, promising subsequent penitence, but not yet moved to begin. After all, I reflected, I was like my neighbours; and then I smiled, comparing myself with other men, comparing my active goodwill with the lazy cruelty of their neglect. And at the very moment of that vainglorious thought, a qualm came over me, a horrid nausea and the most deadly shuddering. . . . I began to be aware of a change in the temper of my thoughts, a greater boldness, a contempt of danger, a solution of the bonds of obligation. I looked down; my clothes hung formlessly on my shrunken limbs; the hand that lay on my knee was corded and hairy. I was once more Edward Hyde.

These words appear in Jekyll’s confession, near the end of Chapter 10, and they mark the point at which Hyde finally and inalterably begins to dominate the Jekyll-Hyde relationship; Jekyll begins to transform into his darker self spontaneously, without the aid of his potion, and while wide awake. In the particular instance described in the passage, it only takes a single prideful thought to effect the transformation—although that thought comes on the heels of a Jekyll’s dip into his old, pre-Hyde debauchery. As elsewhere, the novel gives no details here of the exact sins involved in Jekyll’s “brief condescension to evil," and thus when he mentions “the animal within me licking the chops of memory," we are left to imagine what dark deeds Jekyll remembers. Again, the language of this passage emphasizes Jekyll’s dualistic theory of human nature, as he contrasts “the animal within me" to his “spiritual side." And the text deliberately presents Hyde’s body as animal-like, especially in the reference to a “corded and hairy" hand.

Connector (Vince Julius Gadugdug)

1. Why did Dr. Jekyll invented the potion for himself? 

Because he wants to solve his own problem and that problem is he wants to be clean not only in his own conduct but inner most thoughts and desires, he wants to describe him as a fully respected person and there is only one way to do it,in order to separate the two nature,the good and the e he hasvil to drink the potion which he had created. y did doctor Henry Jekyll wants separate the good and evil within his life?

2. What would be the values and theme of the story?

The main theme of the strange case of Dr. Jekylle and Mr. Hyde is the inner strength between good and evil which was a big preoccupation between the victorian era, other thems of the story include reputations, friendships, occupation, religions, and the relation of science. The important values of the story of the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is there is an implication to people when it comes to dualism the story gives uds the leesons of how we handle and controll our behavior and personalities and in our actions.

3. How does Utterson perceive the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde for most of the novel?

Utterson spends much of his time in the novel gathering infornmation and evidence about Jekyll and Hydes relationship. All the information that he had collectefd oints an idea and thoughts that Hyde is Blackmailing Jekyll, which would Jekyll Turns Pale whenever Hyde is mention in the story. It would also explaine why Hyde uses a personal check from Jekyll to pay off the parents of the girl he tramples and why Jekyll seems to be protecting Hyde after the Carew murder. Most important, it would explain why Jekyll has made a will that leaves his money to Hyde in the event of his death or “disappearance.” Indeed, the will’s reference to disappearance leads Utterson to assume that Hyde plans to murder the Jekyll; there seems little else that could cause a respectable doctor simply to vanish. All of Utterson’s deductions fit the facts at hand. They construe the Hyde-Jekyll connection as nothing more than the grip of a common criminal on his victim. They serve to make sense of a baffling situation, and they are reasonable.

4. What is the reason why Dr. Jekyll tried to avoid people? 

Because the affect of the potions is very fast, and he would immediately turn into Mr. Hyde, the evil side of Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll Knows the bad side of mr Hyde and he dont want anyone to hurt.

5. What two pieces of information does Utterson learn about Hyde’s letter to Jekyll? 

What is Utterson's reaction? In Chapter 5 titled "Incident of the Letter," Utterson is given a letter by Dr. Jekyll purportedly from Mr. Hyde, who is wanted for murder and has disappeared. The letter in Hyde's handwriting assures Jekyll that he will stay out of his life forever and that he will also manage to avoid being captured by the police. Jekyll lets Utterson keep the letter, and later that lawyer shows it to his head clerk Mr. Guest, who is an amateur handwriting expert. Guest compares Hyde's letter with one that Utterson has just received from Jekyll and points out that they appear to have been written by the same man, that is, by Jekyll himself. Utterson is appalled. He thinks that Jekyll has forged the first letter to protect a murderer. The chapter ends at this point. Utterson has not decided what to do, but he is coming a little closer to the realization that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person. Because so much of the tale has been told from Mr. Utterson's point of view up to this time, the reader also begins to understand the close relationship between Jekyll and Hyde, although the reader does not yet understand that Jekyll is finding it impossible to rid himself of his wicked alter ego.

Vocabulary Enricher (Juver Blaquera)

1.Compensation

- something, typically money, awarded to someone as a recompense for loss, injury, or suffering.

pp.50

Mr. Utterson thought that Mr. Hyde completely disappearing was enough compensation for the death of Sir Danvers Carew.

2. Seclusion

-the state of being private and away from other people.

pp.50

He came out of his seclusion,renewed relations with his friends and started giving and attending dinner parties again.

3. Deteriorated

-become progressively worse.

pp.52

Mr. Utterson was shocked to see that his friend's appearance had severely deteriorated.

4. Rosy

-(especially of a person's skin) colored like a pink or red rose, typically as an indication of health, youth, or embarrassment.

pp.52

This once a rosy man had grown pale, thinner, balder amd older.

5. Doomed

-likely to have an unfortunate and inescapable outcome; ill-fated.

pp.53

Dr. Lanyon declared that he trulywsa doomed man.

6. Rift-

-a serious break in friendly relations.

-a crack, split, or break in something.

pp. 55

He also inquired about the the rift between Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Lanyon.

7. Wrecked

-under the influence of or suffering the effects of drugs or alcohol.

pp. 56

But now, his life was totally wrecked.

8. Confounded

-used for emphasis, especially to express anger or annoyance.

pp. 56

Utterson was truly confounded because just a week ago, Dr. Jeckyll had victorious returned o his old self.

9. Repulsed

-drive back (an attack or attacking enemy) by force.

-cause (someone) to feel intense distaste and aversion.

pp. 60

Did I tell you that I once saw him and like, I was repulsed? asked Mr. Utterson.

10. Eerie

-strange and frightening.

pp. 77

Eerie silence greeted them when they entered the room.

11. Demise

-a person's death.

pp. 81

Dr. Jeckyll wanted him to read the letter Dr. Lanyon gave him, the one Dr. Lanyon wanted him to read only after Dr. Jeckyll's demise.

12. Petrified

-so frightened that one is unable to move; terrified.

pp. 92

His reaction petrified me.

13. Reeled

- lose one's balance and stagger or lurch violently.

pp. 94

He reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on.

14. Gnashed

-grind (one's teeth) together, typically as a sign of anger.

pp. 119

I gnashed my teeth upon him with delivish fury.

15.Delivish

-of, like, or appropriate to a devil in evil and cruelty.

pp. 119

I gnashed my teeth upon him with delivish fury.

Character Captain (Lorenz Gerard Capisin)

Dr. Henry Jekyll

Ø  Respectable- Dr. Jekyll was a very respectable man, coming from a very wealthy family. He is well known in the community for being proper in terms of ethics and a very decent gentleman, he is also known for his charitable works and being a religious man. He always throws parties in his house for his peers, all respected gentlemen in the community.

Ø  Secretive- for the past days of the story, people began to notice strange things in the community that has something to do with Dr. Jekyll’s involvement with a strange deformed man named Mr. Hyde that causes havoc in the community especially when he senselessly beat a poor young girl. As Mr. Utterson narrates the story, you can imagine how Dr. Jekyll seems to protect Mr. Hyde and how he chooses Mr. Hyde as his sole inheritor of his wealth. This left questions running in the minds of his colleagues. In the past few days, he changed his routines of throwing parties and always hid himself in his laboratory. He does not want audience and tells his butler to shoo away all his friends that wants to find out why Dr. Jekyll is acting this way.

Ø  Hypocrite- all the great things that Dr. Jekyll has done was a lie, deep inside his heart he does not want to really do good, deep inside he wants to do evil. That’s why he experimented on himself to bring out his alter ego, he wants to create a new person so that he can separate the good and evil residing in his body, he still wants to do good as his conscience dictates but little by little, his alter ego consumes him and wants to replace Dr. Jekyll for good. I think, Dr. Jekyll is concerned about what would people say to him if somebody would knew about his evil side. He is concerned about the shame he will cause to his family considering that they are very prominent and rich in the community. He is afraid to show his true colors because the he knows that the community will reject him and will become hostile. He is afraid of rejection from others especially to his family and his friends. All the years he done good and done things other wealthy and educated people does just to hide his evil nature and to feel the sympathy of others.