Line #6 YMMV/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Why does Dr. Moreau torture his creations when they get out of line? Is it because he wants to make them more human... or is it because he fears them and what they might do to him? [[TakeAThirdOption Or maybe a little of both?]]
2	* CommonKnowledge: Because the adaptations and parodies have become more featured than the original work read, it is a pretty regular event to see the book's plot described as Moreau genetically altering humans and animals. While in reality in the original book what Moreau really does is give animals proto-plastic surgery and telling them now to act like humans. This is also a case of ScienceMarchesOn, as GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke and later adaptations do use genetic engineering instead of surgery.
3	* CompleteMonster: [[ForScience Dr. Moreau himself]] is an unfettered vivisector determined to [[UpliftedAnimal create humans using animals]]. After fleeing Britain as a pariah for flaying a dog which escaped his lab, Moreau took up residence on a [[IslandOfMystery remote island]], taking more creatures to continue his experiments with. Spending the years [[PlayingWithSyringes torturously crafting]] over 120 animals into pain-stricken sapient beings, Moreau has them taught the "Law" to keep them under control and to worship him as a god. With his House of Pain, Moreau tortures any who disobey his Law, to the point protagonist Edward Prendick shoots a leopard man Moreau meant to punish dead to [[MercyKill save him from the agony]].
4	* NightmareFuel: The novel mentions that the creatures can have offspring, but these are immediately [[MonstrousCannibalism eaten by the parents]].
5	* ValuesDissonance:
6	** As time goes on and sensibilities change the actions of the three main characters comes off as obnoxiously Imperialist. They never consider treating the Beast Men as anything other than subhuman creatures to be ordered around and abused. Even Prendick who is new to the island and had no involvement in their creation, even when [[spoiler: Dr. Moreau is killed and he suddenly becomes outnumbered]], does not consider establishing a rapport with the semi-intelligent creatures and instead tries to set Moreau up as a god to keep them in line. Though in Prendick's case, [[spoiler: he realizes that part of the reason the beast folk remained docile is BECAUSE Moreau established he and the other humans were gods.]]
7	** Also in terms of body modding, there has been much discussion on Moreau's idea of being a bad idea from the start but none towards the idea of willing versus unwilling subjects. [[spoiler: One can argue Moreau's surgical procedures, though harsh, did work in the physical molding the forms. His doing it on creatures incapable of consenting and attempt to make them behave like men when they wanted to be beasts would be where he screwed up. As without his culture of fear, the Beast Men dropped their human like tendencies though unfortunately for Prendick, some of which in this mindset were more dangerous than they were before Moreau worked on them.]]
8	** Along with The War of the Worlds, of the themes of the book is anti-Imperialism, this time of the British attempting to forcible "civilize" the natives of the Empire and does have the message that everyone, native and British, would be better off if the British had left everyone alone. While it's clear that the process of "civilizing" the various peoples is done through some of the most vile crimes imaginable, one of the unfortunate implications is that the natives are "beasts" who would never be able to develop civilization naturally.

Context YMMV / TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau