Comparison and Contrast

If I must dare say, two writers that are very well known are C.S. Lewis and H.G. Wells. As a humorous joke, both names have two letter abbreviations before their last name. Anyway, both authors are known to put their belief in the books they write. From C.S. Lewis, I read the book Perelandra, and from H.G. Wells, I have read the Island of Doctor Moreau. Which one do I favor more? That is not the point. The point is these two authors have very different worldviews. By comparing and contrasting their beliefs, we can see how different these two authors really are.

Perelandra was quite an amusing book since it starts off with the main character getting kidnapped and sent to Mars. Throughout the book, we can see that C.S. Lewis inserts Christianity and vague symbolism to indirectly tell the reader what his worldviews are. He believes God created everything on Earth, and he is a forgiving God. On the other hand, H.G. Wells writes a story called the Island of Doctor Moreau. In the story, the main protagonist is thrown into a world of animal experiments and ethics. How can an animal be turned into a human? I have no idea unless it were a miracle. However, H.G. Wells says that science can change beast to human. That strangely resembles the idea of evolution. By reading both books, we can see that C.S. Lewis is a Christian and H.G. Wells is an evolutionist.

Both authors have similar and different worldviews. One views the world has a God that rules over us, while the other believes we are the outcome of a freak accident. C.S. Lewis' worldview strictly relies on faith, while H.G. Wells' worldview relies on the continuously disproved evidence that once "proved" evolution. C.S. Lewis' world view is Jesus is our Lord, while H.G. Wells believes in survival of the fittest. Still, both worldviews are also slightly alike. The worldviews revolve around how the Earth was created, and how we were created. Also, both worldviews require some amount of faith, as one cannot be totally proven yet. Finally, both C.S. Lewis' worldview and H.G. Wells' worldview are communicated through their books. The books written by both authors give readers a sens of what they believe in and what they think of the world. Their worldviews have some in common, and some in difference.

In conclusion, C.S. Lewis seems to have a more positive view of the world since he sees a life after death that may be paradise. H.G. Wells' worldview seemed sort of harsh, teaching that we, as humans, killed each other for the dominance of pleasure and that's how we got here today. I personally side with C.S. Lewis' worldview more because his seems to be more encouraging and positive rather than H.G. Wells'. However, both authors are great, and the books they wrote still can be read for enjoyment today.

Wikipedia Verification

As you may know, Wikipedia does not have the most credible reputation of being a trustworthy website. As much as I wanted it so, the Wikipedia article for the Island of Doctor Moreau is quite accurate. From what I read in the book, all of it seems to be alright. However, skeptical ones are probably doubting my reading skills as well. If you wish, you can read the book for yourself here...

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/159/159-h/159-h.htm

What? Don't have the time to read the entire book. Read a short summary of the book here....

http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/drmoreau/shortsumm.html

See what other people have got to say about the book to prove my point here...

http://www.online-literature.com/wellshg/doctormoreau/

I hope your happy now. If there is anything else needed to prove the accuracy of Wikipedia, please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you, and good night....

Note

To the editor of this page, the humorous spoofs of H.G. Wells in artistic representation should not be counted as for the grade. I will insert new pictures for the real grade. However, the funny ones you see that involve pop culture is for the amusement of you, the editor, or any other oblivious child that may or may not visit this page.

However, the pictures you see that represent scenes from the actual book is for extra credit. Just to let you know, there are four pictures, so that should amount to a good grade overall. Thank you.

(This has been a public service announcement)

Book Review

“Then with men, the more intelligent they become, the more intelligently they will see after their own welfare, and the less they will need the goad to keep them out of danger.” – Doctor Moreau. “The Island of Dr. Moreau” tells a story about a man who discovers a land where a scientist has changed animals into something more. On this island, the main character Charles Prendrick learns of the ethics and moral values of science. The scientist on this island has utilized vivisection to create beings beyond our comprehension. In a confusing, yet detailed account, H.G. Wells created a story that makes readers wonder how morality and choices affect the outcome of many people’s lives.

The plot begins with the Charles Prendrick shipwrecked in a small dingey in the middle of the ocean. Almost near death, Charles is saved by a man named Montgomery who is headed for a certain island. Eventually, Charles and Montgomery make it to this island together. However, there is much more to this island than meets the eye. On the first few days on the island, Charles senses an ominous atmosphere. The people on this island seem different, and the leader of this island does not show himself directly to Charles. As a subplot, Charles keeps hearing the cry of an animal. Charles becomes afraid wondering what Montgomery and the leader is doing. Charles learns over the course of time the leader is a scientist named Moreau. But, one day he hears a pain filled cry from a man. Frightened, Charles runs away with Montgomery and Moreau shouting after him. He meets a civilization of odd humans that seem more animal than human. However, Moreau eventually tracks down Prendrick and chases him to the beach. Prendrick threatens to drown himself when Moreau offers to explain the mysterious activities happening on the island. The humans that are on this island were really animals Moreau transformed using vivisection. They would eventually turn back into animals unless he kept strict rules that kept the beasts from behaving anything like an animal. Although Prendrick questions the ethics in turning an animal to human through increased pain, Moreau only responds it is for their own good. Everything seemed fine until an unfortunate turn of events causes havoc on the island. Even though the subplot of the crying animal/man may not seem important, it ties in with the story when the animal that Charles hears suddenly breaks free from captivity. Although Charles, Montgomery, and Moreau go after this beast, only Moreau is able to stay on its tracks. When Charles and Montgomery finally find Moreau, he was killed by the animal, and the animal killed by him. Due to Moreau’s death, everything starts to change. Montgomery starts drinking alcohol and becomes drunk most of the time. He even threatens to kill Charles if he gets in his way. Montgomery becomes so drunk he shares the alcohol with some of the beast folk. In the end, they all somehow die, and Charles becomes alone on the island. Without proper authority, the beast folk eventually revert back into their animal selves. Charles becomes alone on this island until he builds a raft. The raft takes him out to see, where he is able to get in a real ship and head back to England. From then on, he keeps this story to himself to keep people from thinking he is a lunatic. Even though he doesn’t notice it, Charles indirectly is changed through the course of events in the story.

H.G. Wells based this story on the vague discoveries made by scientists about human vivisection. He uses certain characters for the purpose of establishing some sort of connection with vivisection. All the characters in the book have at least slight growth in their personalities and character. Doctor Moreau, who is in charge of the vivisection, seems to have no pity for causing pain to the creatures. Although Moreau is built as a mysterious, secretive, and old man, all of his secrets eventually are spilled. However, his curiosity and scientific methods eventually leads to his death. Another character is Montgomery, who is introduced to the story by saving the life of Charles. Even though he is brought in as a moral, good character, Montgomery’s dark side is shown, and his habits soon cause his passing. Finally, Charles is a man that unwillingly gets caught up in Dr. Moreau’s experiments. In the beginning, Charles begins as a man stuck in the middle of the ocean just waiting for death to come. However, by the end of the story, he develops into a character that becomes much more cautious and suspicious of the controversies in the world. He also becomes much more socially inept from other humans at the end of the book. All of the stories are certainly explained, and it seems as if the characters could actually be real people. Although the minor beast folk are not as clearly told, the other three main characters have unique personalities that make them what they are. It is sad how the author kills off many of these characters. H.G. Wells seems to really be into his characters because they are carefully sculpted and acted out. The characters of the story add to the frightening realism about death and humans.

The setting of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” mainly takes place on an island. Even though it may just seem like an extra detail the author added in, the setting makes everything in the book seem real. H.G. Wells uses exact adjectives to place in the readers mind the place where everything takes place. In the beginning, the atmosphere seems light, yet mysterious. However, towards the middle and end of the story, the atmosphere becomes much more dark and gritty through disasters. H.G. Wells also uses tropical island trees and beaches as nice scenery for some of the story. The rest of the story involves a range of different land models such as cliffs, forests, and caves. Although it may not seem like much, the setting sets a mood in the story that influences a reader’s emotion.

H.G. Wells had a distinctive style when writing “The Island of Dr. Moreau”. The plot and story in itself is rather complicating and unclear. However, after thinking about it, you can grasp the ideas the story tells. Sadly, there is not much humor in the book. Most of it is very serious when it comes to vivisection and animals. Still, there is one part in the book early on where a captain uses crude language to make the reader possibly even giggle. The story is very good at getting emotional. The death of some characters may cause sadness to the reader. For me, the negative events that occurred put me in a state of temporary depression. The flow of the book is also quite reasonable. Although, at some times it is hard to catch up on details if you missed a little bit a part. Also, sometimes the pace varies depending on the situation. Otherwise, the flow and pace is quite acceptable. What is very well-built in this book is the dialogue. You can sense the feelings a character has, or the loneliness of the main character through the word choice and great use of punctuation marks to emphasize certain words. The symbolism is a little harder to follow. The animals turned into humans could represent pain that could result in change. Moreau could act as a law to the beast folk. If not, it is very hard to see any parody or other symbolism in the story. The style still does a terrific job at setting a tone for the story.

I think the major theme of the story is every action has a consequence. Even though many little lessons can probably be extracted from the book, I believe this is what H.G. Wells wants us to think about. Throughout this book, every choice Dr. Moreau has made has one way affected the lives of Charles. If not explaining himself, Moreau would have let Charles die. However, not all of his actions are to be said angelic. He also had no guilt when it came to bringing pain to an animal against its will. That decision eventually lead to his death. Even Montgomery giving alcohol to the beasts caused his death. When we think about it, the question of ethics also comes out. What is wrong and what is right? What we believe is right can affect our judgment. Our judgment creates action that has some sort of consequence. The theme is probably a very typical original idea that many books before it has probably wrote about. But, what makes this theme so unique is that it also blends ethics and morality into the lesson. According to my thoughts, I think the theme is psychological, because it makes us think about the thoughts we think and the actions we carry out. Psychologically, one decision you choose can eventually be good or not good for your life. All choices have a significance impact on our and maybe other people’s lives.

The plot of the story is very well carried out. H.G. Wells takes his time explaining this story, while keeping a very good pace of flow in the book. Using vivid descriptions, he creates suspense and climax by exerting the reader’s attention to the action, flesh, and tragedies that come from this story. While I read this book, I had my share of surprised moments. Plot twists makes readers what is going to go on next. H.G. Wells also does a good job at using miracles and calamity to affect the delineation of characters. Being human, H.G. Wells also knows how to get readers scared. I was just able to jump out my socks when he revealed the constantly grim cries from the animal. Suspenseful moments also give a very satisfied feeling to reader once the conflict has somewhat been resolved. For instance, when readers find out what happened to Dr. Moreau, they will probably feel relaxed after the suspense has passed. The sub-plot in the story also affected the entire tale very much. As explained above, the sub-plot of the animal erupted into a great misfortune that affected the outcome of the story. Some of the story elements are easily and primarily shown such as character, theme, and the general plot. However, what’s amazing is that the plot also indirectly shows secondary elements such as style and setting to add to the realism of the entire book. The plot of the story is exclusive and pleasurable to read about.

The book was quite confusing to me. I had to go back to the book many times to get the terms H.G. Wells was trying to clarify. In the end of the story, I felt quite disappointed at the ending and how abrupt it was. It took some time for me to finally realize how splendid this book was. Evaluating on the different elements of the story made me truly appreciate H.G. Wells and how he simply generated a very deep story. The characters in the book truly made the story a lot more intense, while the setting helped set a mood. All in all, I really enjoyed this story because it was different from all of the other books I read. As a creative idea, I respect the originality of the piece and how it goes in depth about ethics and choices. Let me tell readers that this book is probably not going to appeal to those seeking cliché or love stories. Instead, if you are looking for a different book than the ones you have been reading, I suggest getting this book off the internet for free since the Copyright has expired. Otherwise, H.G. Wells has done a remarkable job at creating a narrative with an amusing story that I personally enjoyed.

Spiritual Dimension

H.G. Wells is a solid believer in evolution. Basically, it teaches that we came from a single celled organism. In "The Island of Dr. Moreau", H.G. Wells continually shows his belief in this theory. In the book, Doctor Moreau continually brings up the idea of evolution as a side comment. Although it may not seem like much, this silently hints that H.G. Wells thinks evolution is correct. Throughout the book, smalls bits of details are told about evolution. Moreau actually goes a little in depth in the theory of evolution to explain the purpose of his experiments. One last thing about the book is that Moreau has not much guilt when it comes to putting animals to pain. In Christianity, every life is precious in the eyes of God. However, Moreau just sacrifices animals for further information in science.
As much as many people say evolution is the truth about how we are what we are, I strongly disagree with this idea. I am a Christian who believes God made me on the seventh day of creation. What Dr. Moreau thought was okay to vivisect humans, I think that is wrong. Hurting animals to turn them into humans is not what God meant them to be. Also, the animals probably went through all that pain against their will. The ideas and moral standards of Christianity is much more pure than the morals of evolution. Evolution says humans fought each other to get on top, while Christianity states God loved and created us in his own image. I do not agree with the religious beliefs of the author because the idea of us coming from monkeys does not fit in my logic.

Artistic Representation : War of the Worlds

H.G. Wells was on his usual night walk after "The Invisible Man" yet again established his fame. Suddenly, he looks up in the sky and sees a bright red object flying past him. He hears some robotic noise and quickly becomes curious. Wouldn't this make a great idea? Little does he know what is really going on...

Artistic Representation : The Invisible Man

H.G. Wells was reading a seemingly interesting Iron Man comic thinking of new ideas for his next big hit. Suddenly, a pair of sunglasses appear out of nowhere and smash right into H.G. Wells. Behind are the police, hot on the sunglass's trail. Instead of deep thoughts, H.G. Wells just makes a grunt sounds as a sound of pain....(Notice the poster?)