"I am your slave, master"
After the subsequent deaths of Doctor Moreau and Montgomery, the Beast People believe that they no longer have to follow the Law because their masters are not present to enforce it. It is only the St. Bernard creature that decides to treat Prendick as the new leader on the island. Numerous times during the end of the novel, Prendick mentions that both his confidence and courage continue to grow because of the faith that the St. Bernard creature has in him and because he knows that he can defend himself against the Beast People with his trusty revolver. The transfer of power from Doctor Moreau to Prendick causes Prendick to gain a taste for blood. He is more than ready to shoot whichever creatures tries to harm him or basically anything that moves suspiciously.
While Prendick seems to regard Doctor Moreau with utter disgust as he learns of his practices of vivisections on these animals, he begins to understand the fear that the doctor had in the creatures that he created. As the days and months pass, the humanity in these creatures slowly diminishes and they completely throw the Law aside. Although Prendick "grasped the vacant sceptre of Moreau, and ruled over the Beast People" (123) for a moment, it is clear at the end of the novel that the power that he believed he had did not match the strength or animal instinct of the creatures on the island.
Only one of the Beast People decided to become Prendick's slave after he took over the island--the St. Bernard creature, which ended up costing its life. Prendick became a slave to the power he earned as well as a slave to his revolver, which many of the creatures learned not to fear. Prendick's acquiring of Moreau's power only served to show that he was not meant to lead--he was a slave to his fear of Moreau in the beginning of the novel, and becomes a slave to his fear of Moreau's creatures at the end of the novel.
While Prendick seems to regard Doctor Moreau with utter disgust as he learns of his practices of vivisections on these animals, he begins to understand the fear that the doctor had in the creatures that he created. As the days and months pass, the humanity in these creatures slowly diminishes and they completely throw the Law aside. Although Prendick "grasped the vacant sceptre of Moreau, and ruled over the Beast People" (123) for a moment, it is clear at the end of the novel that the power that he believed he had did not match the strength or animal instinct of the creatures on the island.
Only one of the Beast People decided to become Prendick's slave after he took over the island--the St. Bernard creature, which ended up costing its life. Prendick became a slave to the power he earned as well as a slave to his revolver, which many of the creatures learned not to fear. Prendick's acquiring of Moreau's power only served to show that he was not meant to lead--he was a slave to his fear of Moreau in the beginning of the novel, and becomes a slave to his fear of Moreau's creatures at the end of the novel.
posted by maxine at 5:09 PM
1 Comments:
I disagree only slightly with your assessment. I agree that Prendick was a slave to his fear throughout the novel, however I feel that you overestimate the power Moreau had over the creatures. Even when he first explores the wilderness Prendick witnesses a creature breaking the Law, and is even attacked by a creature. These are clear violations of Moreau's power long before he is dead. Thus, I feel that the creatures were never under anyone's control, and the entire island existed with each sect scared of the other.
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