The Island Of Doctor Moreau: Are We Not Men?

The Island Of Doctor Moreau : Are We Not Men

HG Well 's novel The Island of Dr . Moreau challenges the reader to distinguish humans from animals . The usual notion is that animals act solely on instinct . The actions of animals are driven by their survival instincts . Such instincts compel them kill their own kind and do other terrifying acts . These preconceptions of animals also suggest that they do not have control over their compulsions and passions . These characteristics are honed by humans . While humans do also feel similar survival instincts , passions , and

compulsions , we are able to analyze and control them . As such we are considered the superior specie

The novel explores these ideas as the main character and protagonist Edward Prendick discovers the island and its inhabitants . Prendick is a well-educated man . He is used to the fine things in life and thus feels lost in savagery and crudeness of the island . The author sees the story from Prendick 's point of view and channels the author 's thoughts through this character 's observations and feelings . Prendick seems to be gifted with the ability of distinguishing the beasts from humans by the glimmer of their eyes "I did not know then that a reddish luminosity , at least is not uncommon in human eyes . The thing came to me as a stark inhumanity (18 . Throughout the book , Prendick makes several notes about what he has observed from the beast men 's eyes . This first observation was from M 'ling , the part bear , dog and ox man-beast

Moreover , in terms of physical appearance , Prendick describes the beast men as They seemed to me then brown men , but their limbs were oddly swathed in some thin dirty white stuff down even to the fingers and feet .there under peered out their elfin faces at me , faces with protruding lower jaws and bright eyes . They had lank black hair almost like horse hair , and seemed , as they sat , to exceed in stature any race of men I have seen .their bodies were abnormally long and the thigh-part of the leg short and curiously twisted . At any rate they were an amazingly ugly gang (26-27

So as to further distinguish the beast men from other animals , Dr Moreau imposed the Law on the island "Not to go on all-Fours that is the Law . Are we not Men ? Not to eat Flesh or Fish that is the Law . Are we not Men ? Not to claw Bark of Trees that is the Law . Are we not Men Not to chase other Men that is the Law . Are we not Men (65 ) This became the mantra of the beast men and they obeyed the law sincerely until certain events initiated by the human characters in the story made it difficult for them to do so . The Beast Men are bound by this law They constantly strived to attain this archetype and yet they are doomed to fail . Thus when they made mistakes they felt immensely guilty . The...