Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

by

Robert Louis Stevenson

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Bachelorhood and Friendship Theme Analysis

Themes and Colors
Science, Reason and the Supernatural Theme Icon
The Duality of Human Nature Theme Icon
Reputation, Secrecy and Repression Theme Icon
Innocence and Violence Theme Icon
Bachelorhood and Friendship Theme Icon
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bachelorhood and Friendship Theme Icon

Like many stories of Robert Louis Stevenson’s era, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows a world dominated by men and most of the featured characters are male. The streets of London, where all this violence takes place, are painted by the writer as a masculine society, particularly full of academic, well-educated men who keep in each other’s confidence and entertain a certain level of professional respect. Utterson and Jekyll are old friends, for example, and see each other often socially, but Jekyll also entrusts Utterson with his financial affairs, and so the relationship is both personal and professional. Lanyon and Jekyll are also old friends and dine together, but are first and foremost important to each other as professional rivals.

But though the male oriented society is perhaps not surprising for the time period, all of the main male characters are single bachelors. Traditional family life is unexplored in the book. This gives the personal lives of Utterson, Jekyll and others a lonely, isolated feeling. They live alone. They visit each other and then depart, but even their social calls have something that feels official about them. It is implied that the social constructs for these men, who have to deal with money, law, and science, may be taking them away from the communal traditions of family and friendship, and perhaps even religion, so that these men must relate to each other in a different, distanced way rather than talking face to face.

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Bachelorhood and Friendship ThemeTracker

The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Bachelorhood and Friendship appears in each chapter of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Bachelorhood and Friendship Quotes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Below you will find the important quotes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde related to the theme of Bachelorhood and Friendship.
Chapter 1 Quotes

"I feel very strongly about putting questions; it partakes too much of the style of the day of judgment. You start a question, and it's like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, starting others…”

Related Characters: Mr. Enfield (speaker)
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 52
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

“He began to go wrong, wrong in mind; and though of course I continue to take an interest in him for old sake's sake, as they say, I see and I have seen devilish little of the man. Such unscientific balderdash," added the doctor, flushing suddenly purple, "would have estranged Damon and Pythias."

Related Characters: Dr. Hastie Lanyon (speaker), Dr. Jekyll
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

The death of Sir Danvers was, to his way of thinking, more than paid for by the disappearance of Mr. Hyde. Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer…

Related Characters: Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

“Think of me at this hour, in a strange place, labouring under a blackness of distress that no fancy can exaggerate, and yet well aware that, if you will but punctually serve me, my troubles will roll away like a story that is told. Serve me, my dear Lanyon and save

Your friend, H.J.”

Related Characters: Dr. Jekyll (speaker)
Related Symbols: Letters and Documents
Page Number: 103
Explanation and Analysis: