Summary Of The Beast Men On The Island Of Dr. Moreau

The Law, like in any civilized society, greatly molded the behavior and characteristics of the Beast Men on the island of Doctor Moreau. They viewed law as more then that, they viewed it similarly to how one may view religion, with Moreau as the deity. The Beast Men had these rules prearranged in their minds by Moreau during their creation. Essentially their law is what prevents them from retreating into their natural, savage selves; it’s what essentially gives them their human qualities.
Moreau uses the Sayer of the Law as his tool for spreading the animal-urge-controlling Law through the ranks of the Beast Men. In this way, the Sayer of the Law serves as both priest and governor for the Beast Men. “[The Beast Men] were really hypnotized; had been told certain things were impossible, and certain things were not to be done, and these prohibitions were woven into the texture of their minds beyond any possibility of disobedience or dispute.”(132) The injunctions and prohibitions that Moreau ingrains in
In The Island of Doctor Moreau, H.G Wells introduces an alternate universe that represents laws in a very different way. He portrays laws as something that essentially holds the Beast Men back from embracing their natural beastly instinct. On the island, the laws govern the Beast Men and radically make them less of a beast and more of a man. The law on the island suppresses their animalistic nature and makes them substantially more humanized. The fear of punishment is what originally makes the Beast Men follow the rules, similar to our society. I believe that Wells was trying to introduce the notion that our societies rules and laws could essentially be masking our true human nature. However, this is not necessarily a negative thing. The laws on the island are what civilized the Beast Men, therefore, civilizing