Study Questions &
Essay Topics
Study Questions
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?
