Is it right to dissect live animals for experimentation? Today, we oppose such practice but when the book “The Island of Doctor Moreau” was written by Herbert George Wells, vivisection was still a controversial topic. By showing the pain inflicted on animals and warning people about the dangers of science when it is out of control, Wells expressed his strict attitude about this issue.
The plot begins when the main character Edward Prendick survives a shipwreck by being picked up by another ship. He regains his health with the help of a passenger named Montgomery who has a background in medicine. There are also some animals aboard that look weird just as Montgomery’s servant M’ling does. When they arrive on the island Montgomery introduces Doctor Moreau to Prendick. The next day Prendick hears painful screams of a cougar coming from Moreau’s working room and he realizes something is going wrong. He realizes that animals on this island look like humans, and they don’t act in the way their nature requires. Prendick then tries to reveal the secret of Doctor Moreau and discern his aim.
In this novel, the horrifying consequences of the vivisection method are described in an exaggerated style but without breaking off from reality. One backfired consequence of Doctor Moreau’s method was that although the half-human animals were getting punished in case they didn’t behave like humans, after a while they could not manage to control their instincts coming out of their nature and returned to behave like animals revolting against Moreau. Wells shows this method’s appalling side by indicating this result.
If I had to rate this book, I would rather give this book a 10 out of 10. As soon as I started reading, I was captivated by its gripping plot which kept me spellbound until the very end. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially people who love reading science fiction books.
