The Mad Scientist’s Manipulation of Nature A New Historicist Reading of H. G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau
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Abstract
The figure of the mad scientist pervades H. G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau. In the novel, the boundaries of human knowledge are frequently presented. Undeniably, what once seemed like a gothic scene is now an inevitable scientific certainty. For example, animal cloning is not a mere literary tale anymore. A scientist uses science for shaping our lives to a better form while a mad scientist uses science to threaten our lives. The mad scientist is still a scientist but with unusual and vast ambitions. They are irresponsible physicians who follow their unethical inquisitiveness. In The Island of Dr. Moreau, Wells attempts to illustrate the danger of misusing science, man’s manipulation on nature which is animal in this case, and the expected consequences of exploiting knowledge for the immoral procedure of vivisection. Charles Darwin’s theory of Evolution highly contributed to people’s mental instability and uncertainty during the Victorian era. It has caused a kind of pessimism as people become doubtful of what once used to be fixed and firm. Since Darwin’s theory pervades The Island of Dr. Moreau, the same unsteadiness and fluidity of character is reflected in the novel. The same disappointment is reproduced. As a writer of science fiction, H. G. Wells aims at presenting an imaginary society and depicts a fictional island where it could be real anytime soon.
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