Quote overview table

"Trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming..."

Quote

"Trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground" (Chapter 1).

Context

Enfield recounts witnessing Hyde collide with and brutally trample a young girl in the street at night, then pay off her family without remorse, introducing Hyde's malevolence early in the narrative.

Analysis

• The adverb "calmly" juxtaposes with the violent verb "trampled" through oxymoron, emphasising how evil operates with chilling detachment, eroding any sense of moral good.
• Vivid auditory imagery in "screaming" creates a sensory contrast, heightening the horror of innocence destroyed by unchecked malice.
• The sentence's simple syntax mirrors Hyde's unemotional brutality, symbolising evil's straightforward corruption of societal order.
• This connects to motifs of duality, showing evil as an innate force that overpowers fragile human goodness.
• Stevenson uses this to convey how evil, when unrestrained, leads to broader societal decay, aligning with the novella's exploration of Victorian moral hypocrisy.

Contextual connection

Stevenson's portrayal reflects Victorian anxieties about urban crime and moral degeneration, influenced by evolutionary theories like Darwin's, which suggested humanity's potential regression to primal evil.

"Really like Satan"

Quote

"Really like Satan" (Chapter 1).

Context

Enfield describes Hyde's unsettling presence after the trampling incident, comparing him to the devil as he observes Hyde's lack of humanity in the encounter.

Analysis

• The simile "like Satan" employs religious symbolism, evoking biblical archetypes of temptation to position Hyde as an embodiment of absolute evil against inherent good.
• The adverb "really" adds emphatic tone, intensifying the comparison through colloquial language that makes the supernatural feel immediate and tangible.
• Short, declarative syntax heightens the directness, mirroring evil's unyielding presence without elaborate justification.
• This links to motifs of the supernatural, illustrating how evil tempts and corrupts the rational world of goodness.
• Stevenson conveys evil's seductive power, warning of its ability to infiltrate and dismantle moral structures in human society.

Contextual connection

This draws from Victorian religious fervour and fears of atheism, with Stevenson influenced by Calvinist upbringing, using Satanic imagery to critique how repressed desires manifest as evil in a supposedly civilised era.

"Ape-like fury"

Quote

"Ape-like fury" (Chapter 4).

Context

A maid witnesses Hyde's savage murder of the elderly Sir Danvers Carew in the street, describing his animalistic rage as he attacks with a cane.

Analysis

• The compound adjective "ape-like" uses animalistic metaphor to depict regression, suggesting evil as a primitive instinct that overwhelms civilised goodness.
• The noun "fury" conveys explosive emotion through plosive alliteration with "ape", mimicking the chaotic rhythm of the violent act.
• Concise phrasing creates abrupt intensity, symbolising how evil erupts without warning to shatter moral harmony.
• This connects to motifs of transformation, showing evil's evolution from subtle threat to overt destruction.
• Stevenson highlights evil's dehumanising effect, underscoring the novella's message that unchecked impulses lead to the triumph of savagery over virtue.

"The bones were audibly shattered"

Quote

"The bones were audibly shattered" (Chapter 4).

Context

During Hyde's murder of Carew, the narrative details the gruesome sound of the attack, as Hyde beats the victim relentlessly with his cane in a fit of rage.

Analysis

• The adverb "audibly" incorporates onomatopoeic sensory detail, making evil's brutality vivid and immediate through sound imagery that assaults the reader's senses.
• The passive verb "shattered" emphasises destruction without agency, highlighting how evil reduces good to fragmented remains via mechanical violence.
• Sentence structure builds rhythmic impact with harsh consonants, echoing the physical shattering and evil's disruptive force.
• This ties to motifs of fragmentation, representing how evil fragments societal bonds and individual integrity.
• Stevenson uses this to illustrate evil's escalating dominance, reinforcing the theme that moral good is fragile against innate human darkness.

Example analysis paragraph

Quote used: "Ape-like fury" (Chapter 4).

Grade 9 PEE paragraph

Point

• Stevenson employs animalistic imagery to portray Hyde's regression into primal evil, using metaphor to explore how unrestrained instincts corrupt human morality.

Evidence

• "Ape-like fury".

Explanation

• The hyphenated "ape-like" draws on evolutionary connotations, suggesting a devolution from civilised good to savage impulse, with "ape" evoking Darwinian fears of humanity's beastly origins.
• Alliterative "fury" intensifies the explosive rage through plosive sounds, creating a rhythmic echo of violence that underscores evil's overwhelming power.
• This technique reveals Stevenson's intent to warn of repressed desires' destructive potential, allowing alternative views that evil is societal rather than innate.

Grade 7 PEE paragraph

Point

• Through metaphorical language, Stevenson depicts Hyde's savage nature overwhelming goodness during the murder.

Evidence

• "Ape-like fury".

Explanation

• "Ape-like" compares Hyde to an animal, showing his loss of humanity and how evil drives brutal actions.
• The word "fury" adds intensity, emphasising uncontrolled rage that destroys innocent figures like Carew.
• This highlights Stevenson's method of using vivid imagery to build the theme of moral conflict.

Grade 5 PEE paragraph

Point

• This quote shows Hyde acting like an animal in his evil attack on Carew.

Evidence

• "Ape-like fury".

Explanation

• "Ape-like" means Hyde is wild and not human, explaining his cruel behaviour.
• It relates to the theme by showing evil winning over good in the story.