Evilness. Existentialism. Right vs. Wrong. Creationism. These are many topics that philosophers debate over every day and they are just a few topics that The Island of Dr. Moreau covers. The Island of Dr. Moreau is a book that answers many philosophical questions in a pithy fantasy narrative and gives these insights by intricately developing the characters through indirect characterization.
The Island of Dr. Moreau is the story of Edward Prendick and how he accidentally comes to the Island of Dr. Moreau. Initially, Prendick notices strange looking people that seem to be part animal. Dr. Moreau is secretive about his scientific work on the island. Prendick hears screaming as if someone or something was being tortured. In search of the scream, …show more content…
Moreau aside from just character development. We can all understand and relate to Prendick and his actions. We can understand his restraining from alcohol, his endeavor to escape from reality, and the mercy killing of the Hyena-swine. “It may seem a strange contradiction in me,—I cannot explain the fact,—but now, seeing the creature there in a perfectly animal attitude, with the light gleaming in its eyes and its imperfectly human face distorted with terror, I realised again the fact of its humanity. In another moment other of its pursuers would see it, and it would be overpowered and captured, to experience once more the horrible tortures of the enclosure. Abruptly I slipped out my revolver, aimed between its terror- struck eyes, and fired” (Wells, Chapter 16). As we look through Prendick’s eyes and see his actions play out, we can get in his mind and look at big thematic questions through his perspective. By using indirect characterization, H.G. Wells is able to more closely relate Prendick to the average human. By writing from Prendick’s perspective, we are able to understand his thought process and we’re able to develop expressions and ideas for ineffable feelings that make us different from
The Island of Dr. Moreau is the story of Edward Prendick and how he accidentally comes to the Island of Dr. Moreau. Initially, Prendick notices strange looking people that seem to be part animal. Dr. Moreau is secretive about his scientific work on the island. Prendick hears screaming as if someone or something was being tortured. In search of the scream, …show more content…
Moreau aside from just character development. We can all understand and relate to Prendick and his actions. We can understand his restraining from alcohol, his endeavor to escape from reality, and the mercy killing of the Hyena-swine. “It may seem a strange contradiction in me,—I cannot explain the fact,—but now, seeing the creature there in a perfectly animal attitude, with the light gleaming in its eyes and its imperfectly human face distorted with terror, I realised again the fact of its humanity. In another moment other of its pursuers would see it, and it would be overpowered and captured, to experience once more the horrible tortures of the enclosure. Abruptly I slipped out my revolver, aimed between its terror- struck eyes, and fired” (Wells, Chapter 16). As we look through Prendick’s eyes and see his actions play out, we can get in his mind and look at big thematic questions through his perspective. By using indirect characterization, H.G. Wells is able to more closely relate Prendick to the average human. By writing from Prendick’s perspective, we are able to understand his thought process and we’re able to develop expressions and ideas for ineffable feelings that make us different from