English 12 - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Study Guide - Chapter 4

What is revealed about the levels of Victorian society in the first page of this chapter?

News travels fast (just like Bath County). Victorian Society was very formal...very proper. Women were considered "fragile" and were sheltered.

As Utterson takes the police officer to arrest Hyde, Stevenson gives a vivid description of "the dismal quarter of Soho" (62) where Hyde lives. What is the effect of this description on our mood? What is the effect of this description on our understanding of Hyde?

The scene is dark and dismal and so is Hyde; it is the thing of nightmares. Also, the fog gives a sinister feel to the scene. It makes the reader expect something bad to happen.

How is Hyde described as he kills Sir Danvers Carew? How does this image fit with the other physical descriptions Stevenson has given of Hyde? What does this remind you of in chapter one?

The two are walking along at night. Their conversation becomes heated. Hyde begins to beat Carew with his cane. (The cane breaks during the beating.) Hyde eventually ends up jumping up and down on Carew breaking his bones....What does this remind you of in chapter one? There is an uneasy look about Hyde; people do not want to be around him or look at him for long periods of time. People such as this give a sinister vibe and give the impression that they are capable of evil.

Is there any significance in the fact that although Hyde's specific facial features cannot be recognized, everyone remembers the sense of deformity he conveyed?

There is a deformity about him but you cannot really describe it. People see him but do not want to look at him as he makes them feel uncomfortable. Plus, Hyde only comes out at night; it is more difficult to make out someone's features in low or no light.

Why do you think that Utterson feels "a terror of the law and the law's officers"? (62)

Utterson is nervous about what could go down. He feels he is always surrounded by cops and lawyers.