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 knock down and step over a young girl in a foggy London street at night, describing the event as part of a casual Sunday walk conversation with Utterson.

Analysis

• The adverb "calmly" juxtaposes serene composure with violent action, creating ironic contrast that emphasises Hyde's detached inhumanity through oxymoronic word choice.
• Vivid verbs like "trampled" and "left" evoke physical dominance and abandonment, with the present participle "screaming" adding auditory intensity to heighten sensory horror.
• Short, declarative syntax mirrors the abruptness of the act, building a rhythmic simplicity that underscores the minor character's role in conveying unemotional evil.
• Imagery of the "child's body" as an object reinforces dehumanisation, using concrete nouns to make the brutality tangible and immediate.

Contextual connection

Enfield's gossip-like narration reflects Victorian social norms of gentlemen sharing stories during walks, illuminating how class-bound rumours spread moral scandals in a repressed society.

"Really like Satan"

Quote

"Really like Satan" (Chapter 1)

Context

During his conversation with Utterson, Enfield describes Hyde's appearance and demeanour after the trampling incident, comparing him to the devil to express his instinctive revulsion.

Analysis

• The simile "like Satan" employs hyperbolic religious imagery, drawing on biblical connotations to amplify Hyde's otherworldly menace through direct, emphatic comparison.
• Informal adverb "really" adds colloquial emphasis, creating a conversational tone that contrasts with the grave subject, enhancing the quote's dramatic irony.
• Concise syntax with a single clause delivers punchy brevity, mirroring Enfield's straightforward storytelling style as a minor character.
• Word choice of "Satan" invokes archetypal evil, using loaded symbolism to evoke fear without elaboration, relying on cultural resonance for impact.

Contextual connection

This demonic reference echoes Victorian anxieties about evolutionary theories, like Darwin's ideas, which challenged religious views of human nature and morality.

"Ape-like fury" and "the bones were audibly shattered"

Quote

"Ape-like fury" and "the bones were audibly shattered" (Chapter 4)

Context

A maid servant witnesses Hyde's brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew from her window, providing a detailed police statement about the midnight attack in a quiet street.

Analysis

• The compound "ape-like" uses animalistic metaphor to suggest primal regression, with the hyphenated structure intensifying the fusion of human and beastly traits.
• Onomatopoeic "shattered" mimics the sound of breaking, adding auditory vividness that makes the violence multisensory through sharp, explosive consonants.
• Adjective "audibly" emphasises perceptibility, creating a clinical detachment in syntax that contrasts with the chaotic "fury" for ironic effect.
• Parallel phrases link physical destruction to emotional rage, employing rhythmic repetition to build escalating intensity in the description.

"That thing was not my master, and there's the truth"

Quote

"That thing was not my master, and there's the truth" (Chapter 8)

Context

Poole, Jekyll's butler, confides in Utterson about strange noises and changes in the laboratory, insisting that the occupant is not his employer during a tense evening visit.

Analysis

• Dehumanising noun "thing" objectifies the subject, using vague, dismissive language to convey instinctive horror through simple, declarative negation.
• Colloquial tag "and there's the truth" adds emphatic authenticity, with contraction "there's" creating a rhythmic, spoken cadence that reflects working-class directness.
• Balanced syntax in "was not my master" employs antithesis to highlight transformation, contrasting possession ("my") with alienation for dramatic tension.
• Repetitive structure builds insistence, using short clauses to mimic urgent dialogue and underscore Poole's role in revealing hidden abnormalities.

Contextual connection

Poole's servant perspective highlights Victorian class hierarchies, where lower-class intuition often detected threats ignored by upper-class rationality in gothic literature.

Example analysis paragraph

Quote used: "Ape-like fury" and "the bones were audibly shattered" (Chapter 4)

Grade 9 PEE paragraph

Point

• Stevenson employs animalistic imagery and sensory language to convey Hyde's primal violence, using compound adjectives and onomatopoeia to regress human behaviour to bestial instincts.

Evidence

• "Ape-like fury" and "the bones were audibly shattered"

Explanation

• The metaphor "ape-like" draws on evolutionary connotations to symbolise repressed savagery emerging unchecked, with the suffix "-like" creating a hybrid quality that blurs human-animal boundaries and suggests inherent duality.
• Onomatopoeic "shattered" replicates the crunch of destruction through harsh consonants, evoking visceral horror that immerses readers in the maid's perspective and critiques Victorian suppression of base urges.
• This linguistic choice allows alternative readings: as literal brutality or symbolic of societal breakdown, reinforcing Stevenson's exploration of civilisation's fragile veneer without overt moralising.

Grade 7 PEE paragraph

Point

• Through vivid imagery and sound effects, Stevenson depicts Hyde's attack as inhumanly violent, highlighting the maid's role in exposing raw aggression.

Evidence

• "Ape-like fury" and "the bones were audibly shattered"

Explanation

• "Ape-like" uses animal comparison to show Hyde's loss of control, with "fury" intensifying the wild emotion through alliterative 'f' sounds that build rhythmic intensity.
• "Audibly shattered" creates a clear auditory image of breaking bones, making the violence feel immediate and emphasising the physical horror observed by the minor character.
• Overall, these techniques reveal how language conveys escalating brutality, connecting to the novella's focus on hidden darkness surfacing dramatically.

Grade 5 PEE paragraph

Point

• Stevenson uses descriptive words to show how scary and animal-like Hyde is during the murder.

Evidence

• "Ape-like fury" and "the bones were audibly shattered"

Explanation

• "Ape-like" makes Hyde sound like a wild animal full of anger, helping to picture his fierce attack.
• "Shattered" describes the sound of bones breaking, which makes the scene feel real and violent.
• This shows the maid seeing something terrible, adding to the story's mystery about Hyde's true nature.