The Island of Dr. Moreau Themes Analysis Essay

One of Moreau's indirect excuses is the idea of utilitarianism. It claims that there is justification if an action is done for the welfare of someone, ignoring the process and focusing on results. However, Moreau ignores the ethics behind all of his actions, leaving his crimes with no rationale. In H. G. Wells 1896 novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, the various themes of the novel corroborate towards the recrimination of Moreau. The novel, through these themes, claims that all of his actions, with or without utilitarian thinking, are flawed intrinsically. One very minor character, the puma, is the victim of this incorrect behavior and all the pain which ensues. The Puma's position as Moreau's possible magnum opus embodies the novel's message about the immorality of animal cruelty through the affects on Prendick, Moreau, and the many themes of this novel.

The cries of the puma may have created Prendick's overwhelming fear, but also an example of how animal cruelty attacks the mind. The puma is first introduced as an ugly, unnatural brute. Montgomery's description of the puma causes Prendick to ignore the devastating agony. The text claims, "It was as if the pain in the world had found a voice. Yet had I known such pain was in the next room, and had it been dumb, I believe." (Wells 26). Prendick heard these screeches and simply exited into the woods. This instance directly connects to the theme of man against nature, questioning the placement of humans in the animal hierarchy. Currently, Prendick is under the impression that because Moreau is in charge, and human, that he should trust that he is in the right. It creates a situation where ignoring such massive pain is justified, as he assumes Moreau is of sound mind. The statement this event makes about the real world illustrates a picture where animal cruelty will persist because humans trust other humans. It paints the horrible picture that humans may overlook animal's suffering because humans know that humans have reasoning, and animal's reasoning is lesser. Nevertheless, when Prendick interrupts the vivisection, this idea of puma and human becomes nullified. He witnesses the vivisection assuming the subject was human, and flees. While on the chase, Prendick is ensnared by fear and desperation. During his speculations, Prendick thinks, "At last, in the desperation of my position, my mind turned to the animal-men I had encountered… tried to draw some augury of assistance from my memory." (Wells 38). In a situation of absolute despair, Prendick attempts to seek refuge from the very beasts he is so afraid of. It ties to this novel's theme of fear, and how it affects mentality. At the surface, he is scared of Moreau, Montgomery, his sustenance prerequisites, and the beast people. However, it also establishes a fear of vivisection. Prendick fears he will be a future subject, that is why he ran. That is what he is really afraid of. The puma's suffering shows how animal cruelty is incorrect due to this horrible state of mind. Without the puma, the animal abusive paradox and this fear inhibition could not be expressed by Prendick. The puma becomes indispensable to more themes, especially with the leader of the island. 

Moreau's monologue about justification wasn't for atonement of the past, but for his future experiments on the puma. Dr. Moreau is a maniac who does things for his own curiosity, sacrificing all he must to gain results. The unexpected arrival of Prendick was probably the first time he had to recollect and explain his ambition. One of the facets to his oration is the idea that pain is nonexistent for every being, regardless of circumstances. Moreau claims, "This speck of cosmic dust … it may be, I say, that nowhere else does this thing called pain occur… Why, even on this earth, even among living things, what pain is there?" (Wells 55). This quote introduces the theme of hierarchy under the tyrant Moreau. It implies that because Moreau can endure it, so can the rest of the animals, setting an unrealistic standard. It somewhat justifies the animal cruelty because these vivisections don't injure the animals. This is evil, but the worst of his traits is the lack of moral thinking. Moreau says himself, "To this day I have never troubled about the ethics of the matter. The study of Nature makes a man at last as remorseless as Nature." (Wells 56). This statement, with all the confidence and certainty Moreau has within him, is completely insane. The theme of what is ethical and what isn't is not completely disregarded. Extending past the fictional world, animal laws have been created due to the unanswerable questions of ethics. They are created to be moral principles, not rules that could be broken. Moreau's strong desire to experiment with these animals proves how humans can cause all this pain, just for their own selfish desires. These desires go beyond the created legislature, and can be seen as treason and evil. It's ironic how this project led to Moreau's death. It's even poetic in a way, as if the puma got its revenge. 

The puma, a character with no interaction, becomes one of the most important towards the progression of the plot and the message of the story. The Island of Dr. Moreau propagates the message about animal cruelty and incorrectness through Prendick, Moreau, and the themes of human against nature, fear, hierarchy, and ethics. The debate about what is ethical and what isn't has remained since 600 BCE. Utilitarianism and acting for the wellbeing of someone can be seen as an ethical school of thought, but Moreau is not a utilitarian. While the idea is to make someone happy, Moreau breaks the unwritten codes of nature. He only participates in noxious behavior against innocuous beings. He plays God. He is an exception to all questions of philosophy, and is only labeled as evil. This might as well be one of the many themes of this novel.