Evolution and Ecological Thought in The Island of Dr. Moreau

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution revealed a profound interconnection among all life forms. Species could no longer be thought of as discreet and static entities separate from other life forms or the environment they inhabit. As such, the advent of evolutionary theory marked an important moment in the history of ecological thinking, as people were forced to consider their biological connection to each and every life form. In The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), H. G. Wells presents an imaginative rendering of the implications of evolutionary theory. He describes a world where the boundaries separating humans, animals, and the environment become permeable. The novel's engagement with evolutionary theory effectively deconstructs an essentialist conception of identity, demonstrating how our biological connection to other life forms alters the way we think about ourselves and the planet. In this way, The Island of Dr. Moreau proves an important text for considering the profound shift in perspective that is required to think in a truly ecological manner. presents an imaginative rendering of the implications of the theory of evolution. The novel tells the story of Edward Prendick who, after a shipwreck, finds himself stranded on an island populated with grotesque creatures exhibiting both animal and human traits. Prendick eventually learns that these creatures are the result of surgical experiments conducted by Dr. Moreau, a rogue scientist who has retreated to the island with his assistant Montgomery to make humans out of animals. The novel exemplifies how evolutionary theory challenged late-Victorian notions of life on the planet. According to Darwin, species were only " strongly marked varieties " (374), and their distinctions the result of a categorical imposition on the part of society. The grotesque forms of Dr. Moreau's creatures allowed Wells a way of demonstrating that Darwin's theory rendered an essentialist conception of identity obsolete. Under evolutionary theory, the identity of individual life forms necessarily includes a host of contextual factors, including other life forms and the environment. The novel reveals the vast interconnectedness in and among life forms through its deconstruction of traditional boundaries, both between species as well as between life forms and their environment. As a result, the text de-centers human perspective Boyle 4 and forces Prendick into an ecologically " minded " way of viewing the world. I argue that The Island of Dr. Moreau's imaginative engagement with the theory of evolution gives rise to an ecological understanding of reality, …