The Perfect World in The Island Of Doctor Moreau :: Island Of Doctor Moreau Essays

The Perfect World in The Island Of Doctor Moreau For thousands of years man has dreamed of finding or creating a better world. Better worlds are even quoted in the bible, 'Moses led the Jews into the chosen land' and also Heaven. For a long time man has realised that nothing is perfect, even at the inner depths of his/her psyche, images created cannot be perfect. The Island Of Doctor Moreau, written by HG Wells, is a book based on many themes, one of them 'Creating a Perfect World,' is a theme that keeps coming back to the reader. It could be said that perfect is the literacy term for infinity, something that you can get close to, but, is really unachievable. Throughout the book each character tries to perfect some of their own problems. The prominent of these characters is Prendick, the protagonist, he is from upper class England and is considered a Gentlemen. When Prendick is on the island, he faces a world entirely different to his own. He quoted how the island brought back many of his youthful horrors, like the boogieman. Prendick desperately tries to go Doctor Moreau to change his ways but feels that the whole world is against him. It is summed up in this quote, "I must confess I lost faith in the sanity of the world when I saw it suffering the painful disorder of this island. A blind fate, a vast pitiless mechanism, seemed to cut and shape the fabric of existence, and I, Moreau (by passion of research), Montgomery (by passion of drink) and the Best People, all with their instincts and mental restrictions, were torn and crushed, ruthlessly, inevitably, amid the infinite complexity of its incessant wheels." Through out the ordeal Prendick is mentally tested, as mentioned in the quote above. As a result of this had to lower his moral codes and guidelines, thus had trouble controlling his emotions. At time he was accepting, passionate, sympathetic, angry, scared, murderous and confused. Through these display of emotions Prendick found it hard to better the people around him when he was not even sure of himself. Another character is Doctor Moreau, who also tries to perfect his 'world.