The Perfect World in The Island Of Doctor Moreau

1110 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Island of Doctor Moreau

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.

Show More
Related

  • Literary Analysis Of James W. Loewen's 'Land Of Opportunity'

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his essay “Land of Opportunity” James W. Loewen details the ignorance that most American students have towards class structure. He bemoans the fact that most textbooks completely ignore the issue of class, and when it does it is usually only mentions middle class in order to make the point that America is a “middle class country. This is particularly grievous to Loewen because he believes, “Social class is probably the single most important variable in society. From womb to tomb, it correlates with almost all other social characteristics of people that we can measure.” Loewen simply believes that social class usually determine the paths that a person will take in life. (Loewen 203)

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast: The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas and The Lottery

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    What would happen if an utopia wasn’t all that perfect on the inside? Judging by just the appearance of something may lead to a situation of regret and confusion.” The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson address the theme of religious and traditional symbolism.” The Lottery” demonstrates how something that seems so perfect on the outside isn’t all that great on the inside.

    Read More

  • Perfection in Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven

    1932 Words  | 4 Pages

    Is there such a place where ideal perfection exists? Can our views on social, political, and moral issues ever concur with one another? The answer to these questions is simple - no. The world we live in today is full of social, political, and moral imperfections that hinder our ability to live a life free of evil. In Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven, this imperfect lifestyle is the foundation on which the desire for a utopian society sits. The American Heritage Dictionary defines reality as the totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence . For George Orr, the protagonist in the novel, his dreams actually become reality. Through his gift of effective dreaming, Orr can alter elements in the "real world" and is terrified because of it. In Orr's view, "This gift has been given to a fool, a passive nothing of a man" (LeGuin 121).

    Read More

  • The Island of Dr. Moreau

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Island of Dr Moreau, by H.G. Wells, is not an ordinary science fiction novel. It doesn't deal with aliens or anything from outer space, but with biological science that exists on earth. The novel was about a character, Edmund Prendick that gets involved with an island of experimentation. At first glance, this tropical paradise seems idyllic. But deep in the jungles lies a terrifying secret. Moreau and Montgomery have been performing scientific research on human beings and the experiment goes terribly wrong. They have ignored the most fundamental law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. The doctor is seeking to make animals half human by means of vivisectional surgery; the transplantation of organs, and the pain involved is very vividly described. Doctor Moreau succeeds in making some of his man-animals talk and even read, but they tend to revert to the beast. So Moreau continues to try to get the entire animal out, and make a creature of his own. His creatures, which continue to come to their demise, then kill Moreau and finally all die off. When the H.M.S. Scorpion visits the island, there is nothing alive there except for a few "white moths, some hogs and rabbits and some rather peculiar rats."

    Read More

  • 'Perfection Illustrated In The Veldt'

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christopher Columbus once stated that, “Perfection is an illusion sought out by those who fail to understand that our flaws are what motivates us to always be better.” This shows ‘Columbus’s opinion. Columbus is one of the most famous explorers on the planet besides Dora. He and his crews of the 3 ships the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Niña, they believed that in order to find new land they needed to understand that perfection is an illusion. Which helped them keep from thinking that they would be able to live in a utopia. Authors of dystopian and science-fiction use characters and settings in the stories to present on how perfect worlds are really not and that perfection is an illusion.

    Read More

  • The Island Of Dr. Moreau

    405 Words  | 1 Pages

    playing God. The balance of nature is put to the ultimate test as a man by the

    Read More

  • Human Selfless or Selfish in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...g the perfect life should seem unrealistic to anyone evaluating the goal from an objective perspective; however the circumstances of the characters in the presented literary works exaggerate the expectations of everyday society. Each work focuses on portraying a flaw inherent in human nature from a different angle and ultimately, the characters’ quests for perfection demonstrate that the flaws permeating human nature are inescapable, prophesying failure for all those who seek to embody perfection.

    Read More

  • Comparing Margaret Cavendish’s The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World and Sir Tho

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    In both of the purported "Utopian" worlds, the imperfect religious traditions, rigid governing systems, and askew philosophical beliefs mar what are otherwise model worlds for all other nations to imitate. Margaret Cavendish and Sir Thomas More, in their differing styles, are able to convey that no world is perfect, but there is room for change, for everyone can fabricate their own imaginary worlds and travelogues.

    Read More

  • Contemporary American Class Structure

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are four categories of class in contemporary American society: upper, middle, working and lower. Of these four categories of classes, two are subdivide. These two are: upper class and the middle class. These are then divided into: upper-upper class, lower-upper class, upper-middle class and lower-middle class (W.W. Norton, Co.).

    Read More

  • Thomas More’s Utopia and Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World

    2373 Words  | 5 Pages

    Thomas More’s Utopia and Aldus Huxley’s Brave New World , are novels about societies that differ from our own. Though the two authors have chosen different approaches to create an alternate society, both books have similarities which represent the visions of men who were moved to great indignation by the societies in which they lived. Both novels have transcended contemporary problems in society , they both have a structured, work based civilization and both have separated themselves from the ways of past society. It is important when reading these novels to focus on the differences as well as the similarities. The two novels differ in their views of love, religion, and the way to eliminate social classes. These differences seem to suggest that if we do not come closer to More’s goal in Utopia, we will end up in a society much like that of Huxley’s Brave New World.

    Read More

  • Comparing and Contrasting Plato's The Republic and Thomas More's Utopia

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thomas More and Plato create their ideal Utopia. A utopia is described as a perfect world. Thomas Moore and Plato have different mentalities when it comes to the selection of an individual’s occupation. Thomas Moore focuses on a Utopia were the work force is strictly determined by the society’s needs while Plato believes that each individual should perform the task that best fits with his or her natural ability.

    Read More

  • Comparing Plato's Republic and Thomas More's Utopia

    2965 Words  | 6 Pages

    Manuel, Frank E. and Fritzie P. Manuel. Utopian Thought in the Western World. Cambridge, MA: Belknap-Harvard Press, 1979.

    Read More

  • Johne Donne's the Flea

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Flea” John Donne observes a typical bar, every Saturday night sweat drenched bodies emitting alcohol and pheromones from every pore, exchange conversation, pleasantries, and yes even sex (perhaps not directly in view but certainly eluded to). Is this animalistic, barbaric behavior acceptable? Should sex be taken so lightheartedly? Or do we take it too seriously, guarding sex like it was the Holy Grail, or the secret to life itself? These questions may be to deep and pointed for most to approach, yet John Donne in his poem “The Flea” wades through them like the kiddy pool. In this clever poem Donne uses a flea, blood, and the murder of the flea as an analogy for the oldest most primal exchange, sex. Donne, through symbolic images, not only questions the validity of coveting virginity but also the importance of sex as it pertains to life. The metaphors in “The Flea” are plentiful, but the symbols repeated throughout the poem are clear, beginning with the most prevalent, and the flea. This small parasitic creature is chalk full of symbolic meaning. During the time this poem was written (the Renaissance) the flea was use in many poems about sex. I derive that in this particular poem the flea is symbolic of the act of sex from the speaker’s remark in the beginning, “Mark but this flea, and mark in this, how little that which deniest me is” the flea is small and inconsequential, his lady denies him sex, which the speaker believes is also petty. The flea is described as a marriage temple and a carrier of life, but in the next stanza as something insignificant and small. The speaker applies a certain duality to the flea and therefore to sex. The metaphor develops more as it relates to the other symbols. Blood is used more than once a...

    Read More

  • Utopia by Thomas More

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Utopia is a reflection of More’s thoughts, feelings and opinions on politics and society at the time. While it may appear that Utopia is a representation of More’s ideal society and world, only some aspects are supported and agreed upon by More. He generally opposes and objects to certain trends of the Utopian society which he feels are ‘ridiculous.’ Despite this More still provides a comment on the social standards, ethics, operations and functions of the time. In doing this he presents his passion of ideas and art.

    Read More

  • John Donne The Flea Tone

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    In John Donne’s poem, “The Flea”, Donne uses the conceit of the flea to contrast the insignificant size of the flea and the incredibly significant metaphor attached to the flea. The speaker of the poem is talking to a woman, trying to convince her into having sex with him outside of marriage. This poem can be broken into three stanzas, of nine lines each, utilizes the image of the flea to convey three main ideas: the first as a vessel where their essence mingles, second as the institution of marriage, and finally as an insignificant representation of honor which would have no effect on them. Donne’s hyperbolic use of the flea extends through the poem as a metaphysical conceit to convey a logical argument out of something seemingly unrelated to the situation at hand.

    Read More

More about The Perfect World in The Island Of Doctor Moreau

Open Document