island of dr. moreau close reading
... in the extreme case of humans, these instincts can be honed to serve a more purposeful cause. Referring to moral education as “artificial,” Moreau is referring to the idea that morality is something that has been drilled into every human’s mind. This learned sense of morality is fixed ideas that society has placed upon ourselves. Morality is something that is not so easy to alter as simple physical alterations, like the ones he performs on his animal subjects. Simplistically, Dr. Moreau is convinced that even a pig can be educated if its mind is grafted and properly altered. Instincts are those which we are born with; however, we live our lives through suggestions of right and wrong. Lying within this theory is where the desire to modify animals’ minds toward human function was initially fueled. However, his constant thirst to replace these inherited instincts is the challenging part as he makes evident on page 107. Moreau has conquered changing the physical characteristics of his subjects, giving them more of a more human stance; yet he struggles to find the proper procedure for reshaping the brain. Beginning to believe there is something he cannot touch within the realm of the emotional mind, Moreau continues on his quest to find this hidden pocket of “cravings, instincts and desires” that when ruptured, gives humans the qualities that separate them from other animals. The final passage on page 108 gives a look at what is referred to as “the Law.” When born, every animal is equipped with natural survival techniques that shape their lifestyle. Humans, however, bore emotions that contain the power to self-sacrifice for a loved one. In the passage on page 108, Moreau illustrates personal disappointment in the progression of his experiments. Though some of his creations will go as far as conducting a human action like marriage, he sees through this façade. He knows that these creatures will continue on their animalis...