The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Respectability and Repression

?
View mindmap
  • Respectability and Repression
    • 'though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years'
      • Utterson must maintain a gentleman-like appearance
      • Theatres may have been viewed as the type of place only certain people go to
    • 'the well-known man about town'
      • Enfield is well-known and respected by his peers
        • However, the reader knows that something unknown is going on behind the scenes
          • Vague nature hints that Enfield was up to somthing he would rather no one knew about
            • Secretive - represents the hidden lives of victorian gentlemen
    • 'I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about three o'clock of a black winter morning'
      • Secretive - represents the hidden lives of victorian gentlemen
      • Vague nature hints that Enfield was up to somthing he would rather no one knew about
      • 'great Dr. Lanyon'
        • Lanyon is a respected man and highly viewed doctor, rarely spoken badly of
        • Although nothing is ever explicitly hinted at in the novel, the reader could infer than he to indulges in activities that are frowned upon by others
          • eg. prostitution, gambling, visiting bars etc
          • Lanyon is a very well off man due to his successful medical business - would therefore have the money to indulge in such acitivities
            • eg. prostitution, gambling, visiting bars etc
      • 'all intelligent, reputable men'
        • The only kind of people that Jekyll associates with
          • Representative of the divide between classes
      • 'If it came to a trial, your name might appear'
        • The concern is not necessarily about the murder but how it may make Jekyll appear to the public
      • 'known for charities'
        • Respectable men were often known for their charitable acts - this was a way for them to be seen as they wished by the public
          • May have made it more likely that others would turn a blind eye to anything bad they did
        • Possibly Jekyll's attempt to repent for what he had done as Hyde
      • 'to die to those appetites which I had long secretly indulged and had of late begun to pamper'
        • Jekyll had been resisting the temptations but gave into them when he acquired the cover of Hyde
          • Implies gentlemen were only bothered about what people knew they had done and how that made them appear, not necessarily the acts themselves
      • 'leaping impulses and secret pleasures'
        • Something that all victorian gentlemen experienced, and many gave into
        • Whilst Jekyll manages to avoid these impulses usually, as Hyde they are stronger and he gives in to them
      • 'veil of self-indulgence'
        • Jekyll is able to use Hyde as a sort of cover to indulge in frowned upon activities without consequence
      • 'the dismal quarter of Soho'
        • Many victorian gentlemen would outwardly judge those who visited places like this. However, most were secretly visiting at night
          • Representative of the hypocrisy of victorian gentlemen

    Comments

    No comments have yet been made

    Similar English Literature resources:

    See all English Literature resources »See all The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde resources »