The Island of Doctor Moreau
[Warning: Spoilers]
The Island of Dr. Moreau, written by H. G. Wells, is a story told by a man named Prendick who is shipwrecked. Long story short, Prendick is rescued by a passing ship. Montgomery, a medical man, befriends him and brings him back to health. But Montgomery and his men are somewhat suspicious. They are taking a bunch of animals to an almost deserted island. Prendick gets dumped on the island with them.
There he meets Dr. Moreau, a man with an infamous reputation. As Prendick spends more time on the island, the pained sounds of the puma in Moreau's lab and the suspicious men and creatures on the island start to put him on edge. Prendick soon realizes that most of the inhabitants of the island, besides the rabbits and the two men, are not natural. He takes refuge in a city of Beast Folk, all different mixtures of animals given a more human form. In time he sees that some of the Beast Folk are less civilized. Some have reverted to animalistic habits. But Moreau and Montgomery use the Law to keep them in line - it teaches them not to kill or eat living beings, basically. He also gets the feeling that something is hunting him every time he leaves Moreau's house.
Moreau finally explains to Prendick that his goal is to try to force the process of evolution through vivisection on animals.
The puma manages to escape her operation, Moreau close on her tail, and she and Moreau kill each other in the struggle. The "House of Pain" (what the Beast Folk call Moreau's building), once a tool used to threaten the animals and keep them in line, is no longer under operation. But Montgomery cares about the Beast Folk and will watch over them. Then one night he makes the mistake of treating them like men and he lets them drink. There is some bloodshed and Montgomery is killed.
Prendick's time on the island alone gets increasingly dangerous. The animals continue to devolve, and their masters are no longer present to keep them in line. Prendick is not able to keep the same kind of control because he is perceived as being something between the scientist and the Beast Folk, since he has lived with both, and he relates to both. So he threatens them with the idea that Moreau is still watching from above. Of course, once the animals lose their sense of humanity this notion no longer has any effect on their behaviour.
The Island of Dr. Moreau, written by H. G. Wells, is a story told by a man named Prendick who is shipwrecked. Long story short, Prendick is rescued by a passing ship. Montgomery, a medical man, befriends him and brings him back to health. But Montgomery and his men are somewhat suspicious. They are taking a bunch of animals to an almost deserted island. Prendick gets dumped on the island with them.
There he meets Dr. Moreau, a man with an infamous reputation. As Prendick spends more time on the island, the pained sounds of the puma in Moreau's lab and the suspicious men and creatures on the island start to put him on edge. Prendick soon realizes that most of the inhabitants of the island, besides the rabbits and the two men, are not natural. He takes refuge in a city of Beast Folk, all different mixtures of animals given a more human form. In time he sees that some of the Beast Folk are less civilized. Some have reverted to animalistic habits. But Moreau and Montgomery use the Law to keep them in line - it teaches them not to kill or eat living beings, basically. He also gets the feeling that something is hunting him every time he leaves Moreau's house.
Moreau finally explains to Prendick that his goal is to try to force the process of evolution through vivisection on animals.
The puma manages to escape her operation, Moreau close on her tail, and she and Moreau kill each other in the struggle. The "House of Pain" (what the Beast Folk call Moreau's building), once a tool used to threaten the animals and keep them in line, is no longer under operation. But Montgomery cares about the Beast Folk and will watch over them. Then one night he makes the mistake of treating them like men and he lets them drink. There is some bloodshed and Montgomery is killed.
Prendick's time on the island alone gets increasingly dangerous. The animals continue to devolve, and their masters are no longer present to keep them in line. Prendick is not able to keep the same kind of control because he is perceived as being something between the scientist and the Beast Folk, since he has lived with both, and he relates to both. So he threatens them with the idea that Moreau is still watching from above. Of course, once the animals lose their sense of humanity this notion no longer has any effect on their behaviour.
After accidentally destroying the House of Pain and losing all of the animals to devolution, Prendick finally manages to make it off the island. However, he isolates himself from society, realizing that humans are far too much like the Beast Folk for his own comfort.
This book has some really interesting points to consider about humanity, religion and evolution. What does it mean to be human when animals can be made into human likenesses? What distinguishes animals from humans? Is religion the highest form of thought, and this something only humans can truly grasp? Or is it something that we follow like mindless animals? Interestingly, the main scientific argument of this book is that you can't force evolution. And Wells called it a "fit of youthful blasphemy" in talking about his commentary on religion in the text. However, I think he makes an argument for creation. He tries to play God and it gets him killed. Plus the only successful life forms on the island are the rabbits, which is more an argument for nature, is it not? Perhaps you disagree.
I was rather surprised to find that a book that is so well-known for being a sci-fi horror story was rather slow-paced and, frankly, not scary. The narration was very flat. It was a short read, thankfully. I'm glad that I've read it just to say that I have, but it's not likely one I'd go back to. It's probably just a product of it's time, though. Imagine how gruesome this book might have been if it had been written today. Then again it might have lost the scientific and philosophic discourse that makes it such a milestone in sci-fi history.
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