What Is Moreau Criticize Moreeau's Iniquitous Island?
What can be worse than a narcissistic and control seeking doctor such as Frankenstein who created a single horrifyingly unnatural lifeform? An egocentric evil genius who unrightfully mutilates not one, but hundreds of humans for the sake of creation. Accordingly, theme is developed in, “The Island of Dr. Moreau” through the experiences of the protagonist Prendick, and his observations of what occurs on the peculiar yet iniquitous island.
Initially, with the utilization of cutting-edge gene-splicing technology, “Moreau's island beasts are translated, or partially so, to a higher level of creation by the deific Moreau, as man was created by God” (Bowen 320). Moreover, this comparison of Moreau to god essentially represents how Dr. Moreau views …show more content…
himself as well as behaves throughout the entire novel. Dr. Moreau has managed to develop a procedure in which he can alter a human being’s physical and genetic makeup in order to fabricate an inhuman hybrid life form. Moreau performed these experiments at will in order to showcase the full extent of his abilities to himself and achieve a feeling of absolute power and control. Moreau’s creations are an unnatural mix and match of human and animal, which are then cast off into the island’s complex labyrinth of vegetation. After creating these beings, Moreau abandons them just as Victor Frankenstein had to fend for themselves and discover their purpose for existence in a strange new world. Moreau consistently “reduces the condition of mankind and the creation of the so-called order of the natural world to the indulgent whim of an amoral magician who has fallen under "the overmastering spell of research" (Bowen 327). The men involved in Moreau’s experiments have been reduced to less than man and in a sense, dehumanized to creatures of Moreau’s will. Moreau wishes to redefine the boundaries of what classifies a human being as he dreams of fashioning the perfect lifeform that jettisons all human weaknesses from existence. In doing so, Moreau conducts horrifying experiments with no sense of regret as he has effectively blinded himself with the justification of research. The doctor wishes to achieve his goal and ultimate control no matter the costs and discards all sense of humanity and morality that he possesses.
Consequently and unfortunately for Moreau, “Moreau's infringement on divine creative power with increasingly relentless obsession and cruelty leads eventually to the destruction of his macabre home and family” (Lehman 52). Moreau’s obsession with creating whatever he desires and maintaining control over all specimens on the island impedes his ability to make definite scientific progress, and causes him to abide by his own obsessive and twisted moral code. By failing to recognize his cruel and unjust acts, Moreau continues his experiments as a corrupt deity who will stop at nothing until he achieves what he desires which can just simply not be attained. This compulsive obsession to pursue his unachievable goals and control his own fate as well as hundreds of others eventually leads to Moreau’s own death. Ironically, one of Moreau’s own creations, a half man, half puma hybrid, ends up ending the life of its creator out of sheer rage, resentment, and confusion. Inevitably, Moreau was met with justice that he was inevitably forced upon due to the atrocious acts that he committed while disregarding any moral or ethical responsibility.
Prendick rightfully criticizes Moreau throughout the novel, “"But," said I, "I still do not understand.
Where is your justification for inflicting all this pain? The only thing that could excuse vivisection to me would be some application—"Precisely," said [Moreau]. "But you see I am differently constituted. We are on different platforms. You are a materialist" (Wells 114). This conversation between Prendick and Moreau perfectly exemplifies Moreau’s sick moral code that he abides by in order to justify his obsession of wishing to achieve utter and complete control of everything surrounding him. Moreau disregards Prendick’s criticism willingly as he is able to assure himself that he is on an entirely different level of morality than Prendick. By claiming that he is simply a materialist, Moreau is implying he is viewing his creativity as an abstraction, just as Victor Frankenstein had, in order to maintain absolute power over his creations and any ethical concerns others may have with his work. Moreau believes that he is a god amongst men, acting in a reckless and obsessive manner which eventually leads to his own demise. While Moreau does eventually meet his fate, it is not before he claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent men and women in the name of
science.
This destructive lack of accountability as well as desire for complete control was shown in the United State’s, “Manhattan Project”at the end of World War Two and led to the death of millions of innocent people in Japan. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was one of the most important moments in all of history. The United States made a decision to unleash a weapon of mass destruction in order to end the prolonged war and in turn kill hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese people. The United States, “succeeded in a transcendent creation. It is not merely that it has produced something it does not know how to control; rather, it has created a thing that in its very nature embodies forces and potentialities that exceed by several orders of magnitude anything to which it could previously lay claim” (Isaacs). The existence alone of such a powerful weapon would not have been possible without the most brilliant minds in the world. With the support of the infamous Einstein as well as many other credited physicists and scientists, Robert Oppenheimer embarked on a journey similar to that of Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Moreau from which there is no return. Driven by the obsessive need to control and create, Oppenheimer worked day and night with his colleagues in order to construct the surreal weapon that would lead to the death of thousands. Once the bomb was finished, Oppenheimer and his colleagues were successfully responsible for the creation of a horrific monster of their own.
Soon after the creation of the bomb an attack plan was drawn up and, “within a month, two miniature suns were lighted over Hiroshima and Nagasaki” (Isaacs). The result was absolutely devastating and instantly vaporized nearly everyone 3 kilometers within the blast radius. The justification for this scientific monstrosity was the backbone of all the scientists’ , including Oppenheimer’s, morals. The second world war had been a constant, never-ending cycle, which resulted in death of nearly 60 million total people. Using this number as justification for their actions, the United States and its researchers purposefully ended the lives of thousands of innocent Japanese citizens in order to prevent further U.S casualties. The use of the atomic bomb “was calamitous, but it was a calamity that could be understood as the cumulative result of small, assimilable horrors" (Isaacs). These horrors included the millions of deaths that preceded this horrific event which in a sense gave it some justification in the eyes of the Americans and its allies. At this time of crisis and desperate measures, the creators of the atomic bomb took advantage of the vulnerable American Government by proposing their quick and instant solution to the problem of the war. This gave Robert Oppenheimer as well as dozens of others complete control of the project which is exactly what they desired. They then abused this power bestowed upon them by informing the government that the bomb was ready to be deployed just one month after it was first tested. The desperate President Truman and congress passed operation centerboard without a second glance and cleared the Enola Gay for take off. Shortly after, “The whole city of Hiroshima was destroyed instantly by a single bomb" (Isaacs). The resulting aftermath and devastation was a consequence of the godlike mindset that the creators of the atomic bomb as well as the rest of America had at this point in time. Oppenheimer and his colleagues felt no remorse as their creation that they sent off just weeks after construction killed hundreds of thousands of people. While these researchers were in no way as malicious as the likes of Dr. Moreau or Frankenstein, they still exhibited the same desire for utter and complete control over the world that the former had. Through his own twisted moral justifications, Robert Oppenheimer played the role of god by creating a weapon that possessed a power never before seen by man and releasing it before its full capabilities were understood. The premature and reckless manner that the United States ended the war as well as the men behind its actions will go down in history as one of the most destructive and deadly attacks ever recorded.
All three of these immoral scientists sought absolute power while disregarding all moral responsibilities they had previously held. By failing to recognize the irresponsibility and inhumanity behind their atrocious acts, each of these delusional doctors utilized their own twisted justifications to explain their unceasing obsession with maintaining absolute control. Both of these novels as well as the Manhattan Project are excellent examples of the ability power holds deprave its possessors into malicious maniacs who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Initially, with the utilization of cutting-edge gene-splicing technology, “Moreau's island beasts are translated, or partially so, to a higher level of creation by the deific Moreau, as man was created by God” (Bowen 320). Moreover, this comparison of Moreau to god essentially represents how Dr. Moreau views …show more content…
himself as well as behaves throughout the entire novel. Dr. Moreau has managed to develop a procedure in which he can alter a human being’s physical and genetic makeup in order to fabricate an inhuman hybrid life form. Moreau performed these experiments at will in order to showcase the full extent of his abilities to himself and achieve a feeling of absolute power and control. Moreau’s creations are an unnatural mix and match of human and animal, which are then cast off into the island’s complex labyrinth of vegetation. After creating these beings, Moreau abandons them just as Victor Frankenstein had to fend for themselves and discover their purpose for existence in a strange new world. Moreau consistently “reduces the condition of mankind and the creation of the so-called order of the natural world to the indulgent whim of an amoral magician who has fallen under "the overmastering spell of research" (Bowen 327). The men involved in Moreau’s experiments have been reduced to less than man and in a sense, dehumanized to creatures of Moreau’s will. Moreau wishes to redefine the boundaries of what classifies a human being as he dreams of fashioning the perfect lifeform that jettisons all human weaknesses from existence. In doing so, Moreau conducts horrifying experiments with no sense of regret as he has effectively blinded himself with the justification of research. The doctor wishes to achieve his goal and ultimate control no matter the costs and discards all sense of humanity and morality that he possesses.
Consequently and unfortunately for Moreau, “Moreau's infringement on divine creative power with increasingly relentless obsession and cruelty leads eventually to the destruction of his macabre home and family” (Lehman 52). Moreau’s obsession with creating whatever he desires and maintaining control over all specimens on the island impedes his ability to make definite scientific progress, and causes him to abide by his own obsessive and twisted moral code. By failing to recognize his cruel and unjust acts, Moreau continues his experiments as a corrupt deity who will stop at nothing until he achieves what he desires which can just simply not be attained. This compulsive obsession to pursue his unachievable goals and control his own fate as well as hundreds of others eventually leads to Moreau’s own death. Ironically, one of Moreau’s own creations, a half man, half puma hybrid, ends up ending the life of its creator out of sheer rage, resentment, and confusion. Inevitably, Moreau was met with justice that he was inevitably forced upon due to the atrocious acts that he committed while disregarding any moral or ethical responsibility.
Prendick rightfully criticizes Moreau throughout the novel, “"But," said I, "I still do not understand.
Where is your justification for inflicting all this pain? The only thing that could excuse vivisection to me would be some application—"Precisely," said [Moreau]. "But you see I am differently constituted. We are on different platforms. You are a materialist" (Wells 114). This conversation between Prendick and Moreau perfectly exemplifies Moreau’s sick moral code that he abides by in order to justify his obsession of wishing to achieve utter and complete control of everything surrounding him. Moreau disregards Prendick’s criticism willingly as he is able to assure himself that he is on an entirely different level of morality than Prendick. By claiming that he is simply a materialist, Moreau is implying he is viewing his creativity as an abstraction, just as Victor Frankenstein had, in order to maintain absolute power over his creations and any ethical concerns others may have with his work. Moreau believes that he is a god amongst men, acting in a reckless and obsessive manner which eventually leads to his own demise. While Moreau does eventually meet his fate, it is not before he claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent men and women in the name of
science.
This destructive lack of accountability as well as desire for complete control was shown in the United State’s, “Manhattan Project”at the end of World War Two and led to the death of millions of innocent people in Japan. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was one of the most important moments in all of history. The United States made a decision to unleash a weapon of mass destruction in order to end the prolonged war and in turn kill hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese people. The United States, “succeeded in a transcendent creation. It is not merely that it has produced something it does not know how to control; rather, it has created a thing that in its very nature embodies forces and potentialities that exceed by several orders of magnitude anything to which it could previously lay claim” (Isaacs). The existence alone of such a powerful weapon would not have been possible without the most brilliant minds in the world. With the support of the infamous Einstein as well as many other credited physicists and scientists, Robert Oppenheimer embarked on a journey similar to that of Dr. Frankenstein or Dr. Moreau from which there is no return. Driven by the obsessive need to control and create, Oppenheimer worked day and night with his colleagues in order to construct the surreal weapon that would lead to the death of thousands. Once the bomb was finished, Oppenheimer and his colleagues were successfully responsible for the creation of a horrific monster of their own.
Soon after the creation of the bomb an attack plan was drawn up and, “within a month, two miniature suns were lighted over Hiroshima and Nagasaki” (Isaacs). The result was absolutely devastating and instantly vaporized nearly everyone 3 kilometers within the blast radius. The justification for this scientific monstrosity was the backbone of all the scientists’ , including Oppenheimer’s, morals. The second world war had been a constant, never-ending cycle, which resulted in death of nearly 60 million total people. Using this number as justification for their actions, the United States and its researchers purposefully ended the lives of thousands of innocent Japanese citizens in order to prevent further U.S casualties. The use of the atomic bomb “was calamitous, but it was a calamity that could be understood as the cumulative result of small, assimilable horrors" (Isaacs). These horrors included the millions of deaths that preceded this horrific event which in a sense gave it some justification in the eyes of the Americans and its allies. At this time of crisis and desperate measures, the creators of the atomic bomb took advantage of the vulnerable American Government by proposing their quick and instant solution to the problem of the war. This gave Robert Oppenheimer as well as dozens of others complete control of the project which is exactly what they desired. They then abused this power bestowed upon them by informing the government that the bomb was ready to be deployed just one month after it was first tested. The desperate President Truman and congress passed operation centerboard without a second glance and cleared the Enola Gay for take off. Shortly after, “The whole city of Hiroshima was destroyed instantly by a single bomb" (Isaacs). The resulting aftermath and devastation was a consequence of the godlike mindset that the creators of the atomic bomb as well as the rest of America had at this point in time. Oppenheimer and his colleagues felt no remorse as their creation that they sent off just weeks after construction killed hundreds of thousands of people. While these researchers were in no way as malicious as the likes of Dr. Moreau or Frankenstein, they still exhibited the same desire for utter and complete control over the world that the former had. Through his own twisted moral justifications, Robert Oppenheimer played the role of god by creating a weapon that possessed a power never before seen by man and releasing it before its full capabilities were understood. The premature and reckless manner that the United States ended the war as well as the men behind its actions will go down in history as one of the most destructive and deadly attacks ever recorded.
All three of these immoral scientists sought absolute power while disregarding all moral responsibilities they had previously held. By failing to recognize the irresponsibility and inhumanity behind their atrocious acts, each of these delusional doctors utilized their own twisted justifications to explain their unceasing obsession with maintaining absolute control. Both of these novels as well as the Manhattan Project are excellent examples of the ability power holds deprave its possessors into malicious maniacs who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.