jekyll and hyde science essay question

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert louis stevenson, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde creates a tension between the world of reason and science and the world of the supernatural, and seems to suggest the limits of reason in its inability to understand or cope with the supernatural phenomena that take place. Jekyll confesses at the end of the novel that he has been fascinated by the duality of man and has taken to both chemical and mystical methods to try to get to the truth. This inclusion of a spiritual side to Jekyll’s philosophy shows his to be a mind unlike those of the lawyers and doctors of his society, who restrict themselves to traditional reason. The result of Jekyll's explorations— Mr. Hyde —is something beyond reason, which shocks and overwhelms the sensitive intellectual dispositions of the other characters and leaves Dr. Jekyll permanently removed from his educated, medical self.

The laboratory is the main setting of the mysterious events in the story, but far from being a place of science and medicine, the lab is deserted and strange, more Gothic than a place of science. In this setting the novel seems to hint at the insufficiency or even obsolescence of science. Jekyll, once a man of science, is leaving all that behind, leaving it unused, as he seeks new, unknown knowledge and truth. Jekyll's goals frighten and disgust the men of science, such as Lanyon, with whom he used to friends. Lanyon, in fact, is so shocked, overwhelmed, and unable to process what Jekyll has done that he dies soon after learning of it. He can’t bear the destruction of his stable, rational worldview. Utterson, meanwhile, is also unable to comprehend what is going on between Jekyll and Hyde—he thinks the relationship something criminal but comprehensible, such as blackmail—until the truth is revealed to him.

Hyde is described, quite literally, as being beyond rational description—his most noticeable trait is an unexplainable air of evil or deformity, which can neither be described concretely nor ascribed to any medical cause. This idea of deformity, both of the body and of the mind, fuels the power of the supernatural over the natural. And behind all the action of Jekyll and Hyde in the novel, a fear lurks for all the characters –the threat of madness and the threat of a new world, of new science, new traditions, new disorders that traditional science and reason can't comprehend or deal with.

Science, Reason and the Supernatural ThemeTracker

Science, Reason and the Supernatural Quotes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

"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…”

"He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify the point.”

“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."

"Poor Harry Jekyll," he thought, "my mind misgives me he is in deep waters! He was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure; but in the law of God, there is no statute of limitations. Ay, it must be that; the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace…”

The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes. "I do not care to hear more," said he. "This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop."

And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman.

An ivory-faced and silvery-haired old woman opened the door. She had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy: but her manners were excellent.

"I have had a shock," he said, "and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks. Well, life has been pleasant; I liked it; yes, sir, I used to like it. I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away."

"O, sir," cried Poole, "do you think I do not know my master after twenty years? Do you think I do not know where his head comes to in the cabinet door, where I saw him every morning of my life? No, sir, that thing in the mask was never Dr. Jekyll--God knows what it was, but it was never Dr. Jekyll; and it is the belief of my heart that there was murder done."

"Lanyon, you remember your vows: what follows is under the seal of our profession. And now, you who have so long been bound to the most narrow and material views, you who have denied the virtue of transcendental medicine, you who have derided your superiors--behold!"

What he told me in the next hour, I cannot bring my mind to set on paper. I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it; and yet now when that sight has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer.

With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.

I looked down; my clothes hung formlessly on my shrunken limbs; the hand that lay on my knee was corded and hairy. I was once more Edward Hyde.

I am careless; this is my true hour of death, and what is to follow concerns another than myself. Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

By robert louis stevenson, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde essay questions.

Discuss Jekyll's progression throughout the novel and his fall from grace. What key moments and decisions determine Jekyll's fate? Identify these specific moments and analyze the aspects of Jekyll's character that force him to continue with his experiments.

Discuss the physical descriptions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and their respective homes (Jekyll's main house vs. Hyde's neglected laboratory cabinet) as they relate to major themes of the novel.

Stevenson creates a balance of realism and the supernatural. How does he integrate these concepts?

Discuss the concept of control in regard to Jekyll's relationship with Hyde. Is absolute control possible? Can one choose when to be completely good or evil? What does Stevenson's conclusion appear to be?

Discuss the novel's most violent events, including the trampled girl, Carew's murder, and Jekyll/Hyde's ultimate demise. What if any progression arises here and how does it parallel the progression of the novel?

Discuss the role of the city throughout the novel, both during the day and at night. How does the city contribute to the novel's progression? What role does it play?

Clearly, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an examination of the duality of human nature. Discuss the duality expressed in not only Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but also Utterson, Poole, and the city of London.

How does the notion of loyalty contribute to the novel? Discuss this in reference to Utterson, Lanyon, and Dr. Jekyll. Upon close examination, does loyalty help prevent or expedite violence and tragedy?

Discuss the possible meanings and relevance on the names Utterson, Jekyll, and Hyde in the context of the novel.

Compare and contrast Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll's approaches to scientific pursuits and manipulation of natural laws.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What is the story of Cain and Abel? What does it mean that Mr. Utterson says he inclines to Cain’s heresy in his dealings with others? Explain why you agree or disagree with this way of dealing with your acquaintances.

In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain murders his brother. In the above line, Utterson is citing his belief that one should stay out of other people's business.

3. Look back at chapter 3 (pg 26) – how has Jekyll changed since then?

Jekyll has become unsure of himself, sickly, faint, and desperate. He is not the self-assured, smooth faced man we met at the dinner party in the third chapter.

Sequence the events that happened in Chapter 8 “The Last Night” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

You can check this out in chapter 8 summary below:

https://www.gradesaver.com/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/study-guide/summary-chapters-7-8

Study Guide for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde study guide contains a biography of Robert Louis Stevenson, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary
• Character List

Essays for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Frankenstein
• The Collective Mr. Hyde
• The Limitations of Language in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Supernatural and Its Discontents in Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
• The Good Mr. Hyde

Lesson Plan for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
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• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Bibliography

E-Text of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde E-Text contains the full text of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• Chapters 1-3
• Chapters 4-6
• Chapters 7-10

Wikipedia Entries for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• Introduction
• Inspiration and writing
• Analysis of themes

Theme & Key Quotes: Science vs Religion

Theme & key quotes: science vs religion.

• Science and religion are two critical opposing forces in Stevenson’s ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. The text explores the moral implications of pursuing scientific knowledge and playing god.

Key Quotes:

Dr jekyll’s scientific ambition.

• This quote shows Dr Jekyll’s ambitious pursuit of scientific knowledge, disregarding moral and religious implications.

Jekyll Playing God

• This shows Dr Jekyll’s fearless approach to science and his resolve to defy the natural order of things - akin to playing god.

Lanyon’s reaction - Religion’s Stand against Science

• This shows Dr Lanyon’s horror-struck reaction, upon witnessing Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde - a direct result of Jekyll’s reckless scientific exploration, which challenges traditional religious beliefs.

The Consequences

• The quote highlights Jekyll’s recognition of the terrible consequences of his scientific pursuits, comparing it with a life beyond moral and religious boundaries.

In the exploration of science vs religion , ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ ponders upon the perils of overshadowing morality and religion with unchecked scientific ambition.

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Jekyll & Hyde: Essay Questions

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

18 June 2020

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This resource features 28 exam-style questions on Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ for students to use as mock/practice stimuli. It is designed to support those studying the text for GCSE. Teachers may wish to find appropriate extracts (as per the AQA exam) to accompany each question.

These questions cover all the key themes and characters of the novella. If students feel capable answering all of these questions, then they should feel very well prepared for the exam.

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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Royal Central School of Speech & Drama - MA Performance Practice & Research

Experienced English Tutor and Professional Playwright and Poet.

Notes || Exam Prep || Character Profiles || Themes || Additional Reading & Videos

This topic is included in  Paper 2 . You can find notes and guides for it below.

• Overview and Key Scenes
• Glossary of Definitions
• Flashcards of Definitions
• How to plan and write a top mark essay
• Question Bank - Character
• Question Bank - Plot
• Question Bank - Setting
• Question Bank - Themes

Additional Reading & Videos:

• The strange double life of Robert Louis Stevenson
• Law, Science, Facts and Morals in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Beast Within
• A Study in Dualism: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Duality in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The effect of Charles Darwin on Victorian literature
• Sigmund Freud and the Psyche

Character Profiles

• Mr Utterson
• Appearance vs Reality
• Secrecy & Reputation
• The Gothic & Supernatural

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Example Essay: Lanyon

Read the extract below. In this extract taken from chapter nine, ‘Dr Lanyon’s Narrative’ Dr Lanyon recounts the horror of watching Hyde turn back into Dr Jekyll.

He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; and as I looked there came, I thought, a change--he seemed to swell-- his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter--and the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped back against the wall, my arms raised to shield me from that prodigy, my mind submerged in terror. "O God!" I screamed, and "O God!" again and again; for there before my eyes--pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death--there stood Henry Jekyll!

What he told me in the next hour, I cannot bring my mind to set on paper. I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it; and yet now when that sight has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer. My life is shaken to its roots; sleep has left me; the deadliest terror sits by me at all hours of the day and night; and I feel that my days are numbered, and that I must die; and yet I shall die incredulous. As for the moral turpitude that man unveiled to me, even with tears of penitence, I can not, even in memory, dwell on it without a start of horror. I will say but one thing, Utterson, and that (if you can bring your mind to credit it) will be more than enough. The creature who crept into my house that night was, on Jekyll's own confession, known by the name of Hyde and hunted for in every corner of the land as the murderer of Carew.

Starting with this extract, how does Stevenson present Dr Lanyon’s horror at ​Dr Jekyll’s behaviour?​

​Write about: ​

•​ ​how Stevenson presents Dr Lanyon in this extract;​

•​ ​how Stevenson presents Dr Lanyon’s horror at Dr Jekyll’s behaviour in the novel as a whole.​ (30 marks)

In Stevenson’s novella about the duality nside us all, Dr. Lanyon is presented as a stereotypical and moral Victorian gentleman who is horrified and disgusted by Dr. Jekyll’s behaviour throughout the story. His horror after witnessing Hyde’s transformation ultimately leads to his early death.

In the extract, Stevenson presents Dr Lanyon’s ‘horror’ at Dr Jekyll’s behaviour through his reactions and emotions whilst witnessing the terrifying transformation. He says that he felt his ‘mind submerged in terror.’ This powerful imagery shows that he felt horrified and fearful about the shocking truth that the criminal Hyde is actually the same person as the respectable Dr Jekyll. The word ‘submerged’ implies that the terror is completely overcoming him like an unstoppable wave. Lanyon writes he screamed ‘O God!’ ‘again and again’. The repetition of the exclamation ‘O God! and the word ‘again’ reveals that Lanyon is shocked by Jekyll’s immoral experiments. Dr Lanyon describes Jekyll ‘like a man restored from death.’ This simile reveals Lanyon’s shock and horror about Jekyll’s respectable identity struggling against evil and losing the battle.

Also in this extract, Stevenson shows Dr. Lanyon’s ‘horror’ through his feelings after the event. Lanyon says that his ‘soul sickened’. This religious imagery suggests a moral disgust about this evil sin against God. The sibilance in the words makes him sound even more disgusted, as if he is spitting them out. Lanyon’s life is ‘shaken to its roots’ after he sees the transformation. He can no longer sleep. Instead, ‘the deadliest terror sits by [him] at all hours of the day and night.’ The personification of ‘terror’ makes it seem alive, monstrous and fearful, and the word ‘deadliest’ suggests that he knows he is going to die because of the shock. Most 19th century Victorian readers were moral Christians so would have understood Lanyon’s horrified reaction and would have been shocked and appalled by Dr Jekyll’s choice to keep taking a drug which allows him to commit crimes in secret.

Early in the novella, it is clear that there is an ongoing disagreement between Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll. Lanyon’s horror is shown right from the beginning of the story, when Utterson goes to his and Jekyll’s mutual friend Lanyon in an attempt to find out more about Jekyll’s mysterious will. During their conversation, Lanyon says that he has not spoken to Jekyll for a long time because he disapproves of his scientific experiments. Despite being in the same career field, Lanyon sees Jekyll’s work as ‘unscientific balderdash.’ Through the use of the word ‘unscientific’, it is evident that Lanyon does not admire or respect Jekyll’s work. To him, Jekyll is not a credible scientist. The strong insult ‘balderdash’ makes his disgust and mistrust obvious. This implies to the reader that Lanyon’s knows something about Jekyll’s experiments that the other characters do not know.

Later in the novella, Dr Lanyon’s horror at Dr Jekyll’s behaviour is shown through his death and final letter. Dr Lanyon dies as a direct result of his meeting with Hyde and his final letter is read by Utterson only after his death. This suggests that Jekyll’s secret is so shocking that it causes death to those who know about it. Stevenson deliberately delays Lanyon’s letter until Chapter 9, towards the end of the book, to create suspense before revealing the horrifying truth about the mystery of Jekyll’s connection with Hyde: that they are the same person.

To conclude , Dr Lanyon’s soul-sickening horror at Jekyll’s immorality would have been felt by many 19th century Victorian middle-class readers. Victorians felt anxious about crimes and sins in the city of London. The idea that even respectable middle-class doctors might have dark secrets and hidden crimes would have been unsettling for Victorian readers. Perhaps, through the theme of duality, Stevenson wanted to show his readers that evil is within us all and that repressing it leads to disastrous consequences.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Essays on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

What makes a good the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde essay topics.

When it comes to writing an essay on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , choosing the right topic is crucial. A good essay topic should be thought-provoking, unique, and analytical. It should also allow for in-depth exploration of the themes, characters, and symbolism in the novel. To brainstorm and choose an essay topic, start by considering the themes and motifs present in the book. Think about the duality of human nature, the concept of good and evil, and the consequences of scientific experimentation. Consider the characters and their motivations, as well as the setting and its significance. A good essay topic should also allow for critical analysis and interpretation, so look for topics that are open to interpretation and analysis.

When choosing a topic, consider What Makes a Good essay topic. A good topic should be specific and focused, allowing for a deep exploration of the subject matter. It should also be relevant and timely, addressing current issues and concerns. Additionally, a good essay topic should be original and unique, offering a fresh perspective on the novel. Finally, a good topic should be interesting and engaging, both for the writer and the reader. By considering these factors, you can brainstorm and choose an essay topic that is both compelling and intellectually stimulating.

Best The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essay Topics

• The duality of human nature in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The motif of secrecy and concealment in the novel
• The consequences of scientific experimentation in the Victorian era
• The significance of the setting in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The representation of good and evil in the novel
• The theme of addiction and self-destruction in the novel
• The role of women in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The symbolism of the potion in the novel
• The theme of transformation and identity in the novel
• The portrayal of mental illness in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The impact of social class on the characters in the novel
• The motif of repression and liberation in the novel
• The concept of morality and ethics in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The theme of control and power in the novel
• The significance of the title in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The representation of masculinity in the novel
• The motif of duality in the character of Mr. Hyde
• The theme of guilt and remorse in the novel
• The portrayal of violence and aggression in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The significance of the ending in the novel

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde essay topics Prompts

• Imagine you are Dr. Jekyll and write a journal entry detailing the moments before you first transform into Mr. Hyde.
• Write a character analysis of Mr. Hyde, exploring his motivations and actions throughout the novel.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, examining their similarities and differences.
• Analyze the role of the setting in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , focusing on its significance to the plot and themes of the novel.
• Create an alternate ending for the novel, exploring how the story would have unfolded if certain events had transpired differently.

When it comes to choosing The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde essay topics, it's important to consider the themes, characters, and symbolism present in the novel. By brainstorming and selecting a topic that is specific, relevant, and original, you can create an essay that is engaging and thought-provoking. Whether you choose to explore the duality of human nature, analyze the characters, or examine the role of the setting, there are plenty of creative and compelling topics to choose from when writing about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .

Jekyll and Mr Hyde Moral

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How Utterson is Presented in Jekyll and Hyde

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Through The Lens of Sigmund Freud

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Presence of Silence and Language Limitations in Robert Louis Stevenson's Novel

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5 January 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson

Novella; Psychological Thriller, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Gothic, Science Fiction

Gabriel John Utterson, Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde, Richard Enfield, Dr. Hastie Lanyon, Mr. Poole, Inspector Newcomen, Sir Danvers Carew, MP, Maid

1. Stevenson, R. L. (2012). The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-with other short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson (Fantasy and Horror Classics). https://www.scribd.com/book/377905117/Strange-Case-of-Dr-Jekyll-and-Mr-Hyde-Other-Stories Read Books Ltd. 2. Clunas, A. (1994). Comely External Utterance: Reading Space in" The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". The Journal of Narrative Technique, 24(3), 173-189. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/30225414) 3. Mills, K. (2004). The Stain on the Mirror: Pauline Reflections in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Christianity & Literature, 53(3), 337-348. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/014833310405300303) 4. Goh, R. B. (1999). Textual Hyde and Seek:" Gentility," Narrative Play and Proscription in Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Journal of Narrative Theory, 29(2), 158-183. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/38/article/375823/summary) 5. Buzwell, G. (2014). Man is not truly one, but truly two’: duality in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The British Library. (https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/duality-in-robert-louis-stevensons-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde) 6. Maynard, K. K. (2000). The Perils and Pleasures of Professionalism in Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Doyle's A Study in Scarlet and Other Fictions. The European Legacy, 5(3), 365-384. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/713665493?journalCode=cele20) 7. Dury, R. (2005). Strange Language of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. https://www.academia.edu/11373763/Strange_Language_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde_Journal_of_Stevenson_Studies_2_2005_33_50  Journal of Stevenson Studies, 2, 33-50. 8. Stevenson, R. L., & Glasser, B. (2018). Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In Medicine and Literature (pp. 105-118). CRC Press. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781315375670-8/strange-case-dr-jekyll-mr-hyde-robert-louis-stevenson-brian-glasser)

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Hillary Clinton Has Some Tough Words for Democrats, and for Women

In an interview for a forthcoming book, Mrs. Clinton also suggested that if Donald Trump won in November “we may never have another actual election.”

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By Lisa Lerer and Elizabeth Dias

Lisa Lerer covers politics and Elizabeth Dias covers religion. They are the authors of “The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America,” a forthcoming book from which this interview is adapted.

Hillary Clinton criticized her fellow Democrats over what she described as a decades-in-the-making failure to protect abortion rights, saying in her first extended interview about the fall of Roe v. Wade that her party underestimated the growing strength of anti-abortion forces until many Democrats were improbably “taken by surprise” by the landmark Dobbs decision in 2022.

In wide-ranging and unusually frank comments, Mrs. Clinton said Democrats had spent decades in a state of denial that a right enshrined in American life for generations could fall — that faith in the courts and legal precedent had made politicians, voters and officials unable to see clearly how the anti-abortion movement was chipping away at abortion rights, restricting access to the procedure and transforming the Supreme Court, until it was too late.

“We didn’t take it seriously, and we didn’t understand the threat,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Most Democrats, most Americans, did not realize we are in an existential struggle for the future of this country.”

She said: “We could have done more to fight.”

Mrs. Clinton’s comments came in an interview conducted in late February for a forthcoming book, “The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America.”

The interview represented Mrs. Clinton’s most detailed comments on abortion rights since the Supreme Court decision that led to the procedure becoming criminalized or restricted in 21 states . She said not only that her party was complacent but also that if she had been in the Senate at the time she would have worked harder to block confirmation of Trump-appointed justices.

And in a blunt reflection about the role sexism played in her 2016 presidential campaign, she said women were the voters who abandoned her in the final days because she was not “perfect.” Overhanging the interview was the understanding that had she won the White House, Roe most likely would have remained a bedrock feature of American life. She assigned blame for the fall of Roe broadly but pointedly, and notably spared herself from the critique.

Some Democrats will most likely agree with Mrs. Clinton’s assessment. But as the party turns its focus to wielding abortion as an electoral weapon, there has been little public reckoning among Democrats over their role in failing to protect abortion rights.

Even when they held control of Congress, Democrats were unwilling to pass legislation codifying abortion rights into federal law. While frequently mentioned in passing to rally their base during election season, the issue rarely rose to the top of their legislative or policy agenda. Many Democrats, including President Biden, often refused even to utter the word.

Until Roe fell, many in the party believed the federal right to an abortion was all but inviolable, unlikely to be reversed even by a conservative Supreme Court. The sense of denial extended to the highest ranks of the party — but not, Mrs. Clinton argued, to her.

“One thing I give the right credit for is they never give up,” she said. “They are relentless. You know, they take a loss, they get back up, they regroup, they raise more money.” She added: “It’s tremendously impressive the way that they operate. And we have nothing like it on our side.”

Mrs. Clinton did not express regret for any inaction herself. Rather, she said her efforts to raise alarms during her 2016 campaign went unheeded and were dismissed as “alarmist” by voters, politicians and members of her own party. In that race, she had talked about the threats to abortion rights on the campaign trail and most memorably in the third presidential debate, vowing to protect Roe when Mr. Trump promised to appoint judges who would overturn it.

But even then, internal campaign polling and focus groups showed that the issue did not resonate strongly with key groups of voters, because they did not believe Roe was truly at risk.

Now, as the country prepares to face its third referendum on Mr. Trump, she offered a stark warning about the 2024 election. A second Trump administration would go far beyond abortion rights to target women’s health care, gay rights, civil rights — and even the core tenets of American democracy itself, she said.

“This election is existential. I mean, if we don’t make the right decision in this election in our country, we may never have another actual election. I will put that out there because I believe it,” she said. “And if we no longer have another actual election, we will be governed by a small minority of right-wing forces that are well organized and well funded and are getting exactly what they want in terms of turning the clock back on women.”

Mrs. Clinton described those forces and her former opponent as part of “global phenomena” restricting women’s rights, pointing to a push by Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, pressing women to focus on raising children ; the violent policing of women who violate Iran’s conservative dress code ; and what she described as the misogyny of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

“Authoritarians, whether they be political or religious based, always go after women. It’s just written in the history. And that’s what will happen in this country,” Mrs. Clinton said.

Mrs. Clinton viewed her remarks as another attempt to ring an alarm before the 2024 election.

“More people have got to wake up, because this is the beginning,” she said. “They really want us to just shut up and go home. That’s their goal. And nobody should be in any way deluded. That’s what they will force upon us if they are given the chance .”

But she also seemed to expect that many would dismiss her concerns once again. “Oh, my God, there she goes again,” she said, describing what she anticipated would be the reaction to her interview. “I mean, she’s just so, you know, so out there .”

But she added: “I know history will prove me right. And I don’t take any comfort in that because that’s not the kind of country or world I want for my grandchildren.”

Embodying the Roe era

Nearly eight years after her final campaign, Mrs. Clinton remains one of the most prominent women in American politics, and the only woman in the country’s history to capture the presidential nomination of a major party.

Her life encapsulates what could be seen as the Roe era in American life. She embodies the professional and personal changes that swept the lives of American women over the past half-century. Roe was decided in 1973, the same year Mrs. Clinton graduated from law school. Its fall was accelerated in 2016 by her loss to Donald J. Trump, which set in motion a transformation of the Supreme Court.

Had Mrs. Clinton won the White House in 2016, history would have turned out very differently. She would most likely have appointed two or even three justices to the Supreme Court, securing an abortion-rights legal majority that probably would have not only upheld Roe but also delivered rulings that expanded access to the procedure.

Instead, Mrs. Clinton said Democrats neglected abortion rights from the ballot box to Congress to the Supreme Court.

Along with her prediction for the future, Mrs. Clinton offered a detailed assessment of the past. For her, the meaning of the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was clear — and devastating.

“It says that we are not equal citizens,” she said, referring to women. “It says that we don’t have autonomy, agency and privacy to make the most personal of decisions. It says that we should be rethinking our lives and our roles in the world.”

She blasted Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who wrote the Supreme Court’s majority opinion in the case, saying his decision was “terrible,” “poorly reasoned” and “historically inaccurate.”

Mrs. Clinton accused four justices — John G. Roberts Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — of being “teed up to do the bidding” of conservative political and religious organizations and leaders — though she believed many Democrats had not realized that during those justices’ confirmation hearings.

“It is really hard to believe that people are going to lie to you under oath, that even so-called conservative justices would upend precedents to arrive at ridiculous decisions on gun rights and campaign finance and abortion,” she said. “It’s really hard to accept that .”

Yet, she also had tough words for her former colleagues. In the Senate, she said, Democratic lawmakers did not push hard enough to block the confirmation of the justices who would go on to overturn federal abortion rights. When asked in confirmation hearings if they believed Roe was settled law, the nominees noted that Roe was precedent and largely avoided stating their opinion on the decision.

Those justices “all lied in their confirmation hearings,” she said, referring to Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett, all of whom were appointed by Mr. Trump. “They just flat-out lied. And Democrats did nothing in the Senate.”

She added: “If I’d still been in the Senate, and on the Judiciary Committee, I think, you know, I hope I would have tried to do more about what were just outright prevarications.”

It is unclear how Democrats could have stopped those justices from reaching the bench given that they did not control the Senate during their confirmation hearings. When Mr. Trump took office, Republicans also had unified control of 24 state legislatures, making it all but impossible for Democrats to stop conservatives from pushing through increasingly restrictive laws.

For years, she said, Democrats failed to “invest in the kind of parallel institutions” to the conservative legal establishment. Efforts to start the American Constitution Society, she said, never quite grew as large as the better established Federalist Society, a network of conservative lawyers, officials and justices that includes members of the Supreme Court.

“I just think that most of us who support the rights of women and privacy and the right to make these difficult decisions yourself, you know, we just couldn’t believe what was happening. And as a result, they slowly, surely and very effectively got what they wanted,” she said. “Our side was complacent and kind of taking it for granted and thinking it would never go away.”

‘As a woman, I’m supposed to be perfect’

Mrs. Clinton was born in 1947, when abortion was criminalized and contraception was banned or restricted in more than two dozen states. In Arkansas, where she practiced law while her husband served as governor, she watched the rise of the religious right and the anti-abortion movement.

From the time she arrived in Washington as first lady, Mrs. Clinton fought openly for abortion rights. She famously declared that “human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights” in a 1995 speech at the World Conference on Women in Beijing. When she became a senator, Mrs. Clinton voted against the partial-birth abortion ban, unlike more than a dozen of her fellow Democrats. As Barack Obama’s secretary of state, she made a mission of expanding women’s reproductive health across the globe.

In 2016, Planned Parenthood endorsed her candidacy, the first time the organization waded into a presidential primary. In her campaign, Mrs. Clinton promised to appoint judges who would preserve Roe, opposed efforts in Congress to pass a 20-week abortion ban and pushed for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which banned the federal funding of abortions.

Even her language was updated. For years, when it came to abortion, she championed her belief in a phrase popularized by her husband during his 1992 presidential campaign: “safe, legal and rare.”

In a private, previously unreported meeting recounted in the book, campaign aides told Mrs. Clinton to drop the phrase during her 2016 run. Her staff explained that increasingly progressive abortion-rights activists thought calling for the procedure to be “rare” would offer a political concession to the anti-abortion movement. And with so many new restrictions being passed in conservative-controlled states, abortion was increasingly difficult to obtain, particularly for poorer women, making “rare” the wrong focus for their message. Abortion should be “safe, legal, accessible and affordable,” they told her.

“Well, that doesn’t make any sense,” she said in response at the time. “That’s stupid.”

In the interview, Mrs. Clinton said she quickly came to embrace the shift in language. What she and other Democrats had tried to do in 1992 with “safe, legal and rare” was “send a signal that we understand Roe v. Wade has a certain theory of the case about trimesters,” she explained. But by 2016, the world had changed.

“Too many women, particularly too many young women did not understand the effort that went into creating the underlying theory of Roe v. Wade. And the young women on my campaign made a very compelling argument that making it safe and legal was really the goal,” she said. “I kind of just pocketed the framework of Roe.”

Still, Mrs. Clinton felt like many of her warnings over the issue were ignored by much of the country.

When she delivered a speech in Wisconsin in March 2016, arguing that Supreme Court justices selected by Mr. Trump could “demolish pillars of the progressive movement,” Mrs. Clinton said that “people kind of rolled their eyes at me.”

Mrs. Clinton said she saw her defeat in that election as inextricable from her gender. As she has in the past, she blamed the former F.B.I. director James Comey’s last-minute reopening of the investigation of her private email server for her immediate defeat. Mr. Comey had raised questions about her judgment and called her “extremely careless” but recommended no criminal charges. Other political strategists have faulted her message, strategy and various missteps by her campaign for her loss in 2016.

“But once he did that to me, the people, the voters who left me, were women,” she said. “They left me because they just couldn’t take a risk on me, because as a woman, I’m supposed to be perfect. They were willing to take a risk on Trump — who had a long list of, let’s call them flaws, to illustrate his imperfection — because he was a man, and they could envision a man as president and commander in chief.”

Mrs. Clinton said she was shocked by how little the reports of Mr. Trump’s sexual misconduct and assault seemed to affect the race. They did not disqualify him from the presidency, at least not among most Republicans and conservative Christians. But his promises to appoint justices that would reverse Roe helped him win, she said.

“Politically, he threw his lot in with the right on abortion and was richly rewarded,” she said.

Lisa Lerer is a national political reporter for The Times, based in New York. She has covered American politics for nearly two decades. More about Lisa Lerer

Elizabeth Dias is The Times’s national religion correspondent, covering faith, politics and values. More about Elizabeth Dias