41 pages 1 hour read

H. G. Wells

The Island of Doctor Moreau

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1896

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

What is the impact of the frame narrative (Prendick’s nephew finding documents) through which the main narrative is introduced? How does the frame narrative reduce or heighten suspense? What is the significance of introducing questions about the truthfulness of Prendick’s account?

2.

What is the significance of the events leading up to Prendick arriving on the island (the sinking of his ship, his rescue by another ship)? How do these events introduce themes that will be developed in the remainder of the novel? Why is it significant that Moreau lives and conducts his experiments on an island rather than in another isolated location?

3.

Discuss how Prendick, Montgomery, and Moreau relate to one another. Which of the three men exerts the most power, and in what ways? Why is Montgomery loyal to Moreau, and how do his motivations differ from Moreau’s?