The Island of Doctor Moreau story
The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick who is a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection. The novel deals with a number of philosophical themes, including pain and cruelty, moral responsibility, human identity, and human interference with nature.
12 total · 1 choice · 9 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| species uplifting | choice | Dr. Moreau created a wide variety of human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection. We learned that he had been on the island for eleven years and had been striving to make a complete transformation of an animal to a human. |
| animal cruelty | major | The once eminent London physiologist Dr. Moreau had been publicly exposed for having performed cruel experiments in vivisection. He fled England in the wake of the scandal, secluding himself on a remote island. The castaway Edward Prendick was horrified to discover that Dr. Moreau was continuing with his gruesome work on the island, being especially appalled by Dr. Moreau's torturous experiments on a puma. |
| human nature | major | The Beast Folk tried to go against their inner animal natures in an effort to be more human-like, but failed, ultimately reverting to their original animal selves. |
| human vs. self | major | The Beast Folk struggled mightily to suppress their animal instincts. |
| hybrid being | major | Dr. Moreau created a wide variety of human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection, collectively known as the Beast Folk. |
| indoctrination in society | major | Dr. Moreau indoctrinated the Beast Folk to abide in a list of Ten Commandment-like laws in an effort to maintain control over them. |
| mad scientist stereotype | major | Doctor Moreau had secluded himself on a remote island so that he could conduct his gruesome experiments on transforming animals into human-like beings away from the prying eyes of his disapproving peers. |
| maker and monster | major | The human-like hybrid beings that Dr. Moreau had created from animals via vivisection, and looked up to up almost like a god, turned on him and the end and killed him. |
| the desire to be human | major | Many of Dr. Moreau's human-like hybrid creations longed to become human. |
| vivisection | major | The reader is made to ponder the morality of performing torturous experiments on animals in the name of scientific advancement. |