Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Study Questions & Essay Topics
1. How does Utterson perceive the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde for most of the novel? Is his interpretation understandable? What are the limits of his knowledge?
2. Paying particular attention to Stevenson’s descriptions of the city at night, discuss how Stevenson uses descriptive passages to evoke a mood of dread.
3. Discuss the narrative approach in the novel. What characterizes the way that events are reported? How does this method of narrative contribute to the thematic development of the novel?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Analyze the different stages of Jekyll’s experimentation with the Hyde persona. How do his feelings regarding the transformations change?
2. How does Jekyll interpret his relationship to Hyde? Do you agree with his understanding? Why or why not?
3. Examine the role of the minor characters in the novel, including Lanyon, Enfield, Carew, and Poole. How does Utterson’s connection to each of these men serve to advance the plot?
4. At one point in the novel, Hyde is described as a “troglodyte.” To what does this term refer? What was its significance in Victorian England? How does it relate to the themes of the novel?
5. Why do you think Stevenson chose to tell the story from Utterson’s point of view rather than use Jekyll’s from the beginning? How does this choice increase the suspense of the novel?
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