8.2.2
Victorian Repression
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Repression & Internal Conflict
The novella depicts the struggle of a man trying to live a good life while wrestling with desires frowned on by his society. Victorians had to repress their true feelings in public. This is why Jekyll thinks he is leading a double life.
“Not truly one”
- “Man is not truly one, but truly two”
- Jekyll is a well-respected gentleman, so he has to keep his sins and desires well-hidden and secret from the rest of society.
- The repressive society Jekyll lives in convinces him that man is "truly two".
- Jekyll’s struggle with his evil side leads him to create Hyde, but this experiment does not go to plan and his evil side ends up overriding his good side.
Battle language
- Stevenson uses language associated with battles and wars to illustrate and allude to this internal conflict within Jekyll.
- There is a "perennial war among [his] members" and the two sides of nature “contended in the field” of his psyche, like two opposing forces on a battleground.
1Plot Summary
2Characters
2.1Jekyll & Hyde
3Gothic Genre
4Key Themes
5Context & Author
6Literary Techniques
6.1Literary Techniques
7Grade 9 - Key Character & Theme Questions
7.1Key Character & Themes - Linked Questions
8Recap: Main Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Plot Summary
2Characters
2.1Jekyll & Hyde
3Gothic Genre
4Key Themes
5Context & Author
6Literary Techniques
6.1Literary Techniques
7Grade 9 - Key Character & Theme Questions
7.1Key Character & Themes - Linked Questions
8Recap: Main Quotes
Practice questions on Victorian Repression
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- 1Battle language emphasising Jekyll's internal struggle:Fill in the list
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